of these days they came to Marah (q.v.), where the “bitter” water was by
a miracle made drinkable.
Their next camping-place was Elim (q.v.), where were twelve springs of
water and a grove of “threescore and ten” palm trees (Exodus 15:27).
After a time the children of Israel “took their journey from Elim,” and
encamped by the Red Sea (Numbers 33:10), and thence removed to the
“wilderness of Sin” (to be distinguished from the wilderness of Zin, 20:1),
where they again encamped. Here, probably the modern el-Markha, the
supply of bread they had brought with them out of Egypt failed. They
began to “murmur” for want of bread. God “heard their murmurings” and
gave them quails and manna, “bread from heaven” (Exodus 16:4-36).
Moses directed that an omer of manna should be put aside and preserved
as a perpetual memorial of God’s goodness. They now turned inland, and
after three encampments came to the rich and fertile valley of Rephidim, in
the Wady Feiran. Here they found no water, and again murmured against
Moses. Directed by God, Moses procured a miraculous supply of water
from the “rock in Horeb,” one of the hills of the Sinai group (17:1-7); and
shortly afterwards the children of Israel here fought their first battle with
the Amalekites, whom they smote with the edge of the sword.
From the eastern extremity of the Wady Feiran the line of march now
probably led through the Wady esh-Sheikh and the Wady Solaf, meeting in
the Wady er-Rahah, “the enclosed plain in front of the magnificient cliffs
of Ras Sufsafeh.” Here they encamped for more than a year (Numbers 1:1;
10:11) before Sinai (q.v.).
The different encampments of the children of Israel, from the time of their
leaving Egypt till they reached the Promised Land, are mentioned in
Exodus 12:37-19; Numbers 10-21; 33; Deuteronomy 1, 2, 10.
It is worthy of notice that there are unmistakable evidences that the
Egyptians had a tradition of a great exodus from their country, which could
be none other than the exodus of the Hebrews.