Stations of the Exodus: Difference between revisions

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The Bible lists 42 locations or "stations" visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt. They are definitively listed in Numbers 33, but also are given at length in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Biblical commentators like St Jerome in his Epistle to Fabiola, Bede and St Peter Damian discussed them according to the Hebrew meanings of their names. Dante models the 42 chapters of the Vita Nuova on them.

Under the documentary hypothesis, the list is believed to have originally been a distinct and separate source text. In this hypothesis, it is believed that the redactor, in combining the Torah's sources, used parts of the Stations list to fill out awkward joins between the main sources. The list records the locations visited by the Israelites, during their journey through the wilderness, after having left Egypt. Consequently, the parts which were inserted to join up the sources appear in suitable locations in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Numbers.

However, a slightly variant version of the list appears in full at Numbers 33, and several parts of the journey described in the full list, most noticeably the journey from Sinai to Zin, do not appear in the fragmented version. It is tempting to suggest that the journey from Sinai to Zin was cut out of the fragmented version due to a copying error caused by the similarity in sound of "Sinai" and "Zin". However, as there are 42 locations in the full list, and the Israelites were said to have been in the desert for 40 years, it is possible that several locations in the full list were added to the list of destinations as a literary device.

Both versions of the list contain several brief narrative fragments. For example "...And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and seventy date-palms...". It is the matter of some debate as to how much of the narrative is part of the original text of the list, and how much is extra detail added into it by the redactor.

The situation also occurs in reverse, where some brief texts, within parts of the list, and ascribed to the redactor, are usually regarded as not being part of the list of stations, albeit without much conviction. This is particularly true for Numbers 21:14–15, which references unknown events in the lost Book of the Wars of the Lord, and Numbers 21:16b–18a, describing the digging of the well at Beer.

List of the Stations of the Exodus

Station	Biblical Reference	Description	Modern Location
Raamses	Ex. 12:37; Nu. 33:3,5	the Raamses district was of the highest quality land in Egypt (Ge. 47:11)	Pi-Ramesses: i.e. Tell ed-Dab'a/Qantir
Sukkoth	Ex. 12:37, 13:20; Nu. 33:5-6	An Egyptian city near the border	Tjeku (Zuko), Tell el Maskhuta
Etham	Ex. 13:20; Nu. 33:6-8	"on the edge of the wilderness"	Ismailia?
Pi-Hahiroth	Ex. 14:2-3; Nu. 33:7-8	lit. Mouth of the Gorges, "between Migdol and the sea, opposite Ba'al-Zephon" (possibly "the Bay of Hiroth")	Prob. a channel opening into one of the Bitter Lakes or the Mediterranean
Marah	Ex. 15:23; Nu. 33:8-9	lit. 'bitterness'	30 kilometres north of As Suways (the port of Suez)?
Elim	Ex. 15:27, 16:1; Nu. 33:9-10	Had 12 wells and 70 palm trees	?
By the Red Sea	Nu. 33:10-11	- -	near Gulf of Suez or Gulf of Aqaba
Sin Wilderness	Ex. 16:1, 17:1; Nu. 33:11-12	God supplies quail and manna, "Between Elim and Sinai"	?
Dophkah	Nu. 33:12-13	- -	- -
Alush	Nu. 33:13-14	- -	- -
Rephidim	Ex. 17:1, 19:2; Nu. 33:14-15	- -	?
Sinai Wilderness	Ex. 19:1-2; Nu. 10:12, 33:15-16	- -	?
Kibroth-Hattaavah	Nu. 11:35, 33:16-17	lit. Graves of Longing or Graves of Lust	- -
Hazeroth	Nu. 11:35, 12:16, 33:17-18	- -	- -
Rithmah	Nu. 33:18-19	- -	- -
Rimmon-Perez	Nu. 33:19-20	- -	- -
Libnah	Nu. 33:20-21	- -	- -
Rissah	Nu. 33:21-22	- -	- -
Kehelathah	Nu. 33:22-23	- -	- -
Mount Shapher	Nu. 33:23-24	- -	- -
Haradah	Nu. 33:24-25	- -	- -
Makheloth	Nu. 33:25-26	- -	- -
Tahath	Nu. 33:26-27	- -	- -
Tarah	Nu. 33:27-28	- -	- -
Mithcah	Nu. 33:28-29	- -	- -
Hashmonah	Nu. 33:29-30	- -	- -
Moseroth	Nu. 33:30-31	- -	- -
Bene-Jaakan	Nu. 33:31-32	- -	- -
Hor Haggidgad	Nu. 33:32-33	- -	- -
Jotbathah	Nu. 33:33-34	- -	- -
Abronah	Nu. 33:34-35	- -	- -
Ezion-Geber	Nu. 33:35-36	- -	Near northern tip of Gulf of Aqaba
Kadesh	Nu. 20:1,22, 33:36-37	Located in the Wilderness of Zin; Miriam's burial place	probably Ain el Qadeis
Mount Hor	Nu. 20:22, 21:4, 33:37-41	On the Edomite border; Aaron's burial place	- -
Zalmonah	Nu. 33:41-42	- -	- -
Punon	Nu. 33:42-43	- -	- -
Oboth	Nu. 21:10-11, 33:43-44	- -	- -
Abarim Ruins	Nu. 21:11, 33:44-45	- -	- -
Dibon Gad	Nu. 33:45-46	- -	- -
Almon Diblathaim	Nu. 33:46-47	- -	- -
Abarim Mountains	Nu. 33:13-14	Israelites encamped beneath Mount Nebo	- -
Moab Plains	Nu. 22:1, 33:48-50	Israelites encamped on the Jordan River from Beith Hayishimoth to Aveil Hashittim	Occupied most of the Trans-Jordan region

References

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 The [[Bible]] lists 42 locations or "stations" visited by the [[Israelite]]s following their [[The Exodus|exodus from Egypt]]. They are definitively listed in {{bibleverse||Numbers|33|HE}}, but also are given at length in Exodus and [[Deuteronomy]]. Biblical commentators like St [[Jerome]] in his ''Epistle to Fabiola'', [[Bede]] and St [[Peter Damian]] discussed them according to the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] meanings of their names. [[Dante]] models the 42 chapters of the ''[[Vita Nuova]]'' on them.
-Under the [[documentary hypothesis]], the list is believed to have originally been a distinct and separate source text. In this hypothesis, it is believed that the [[Torah redactor|redactor]], in combining the [[Torah]]'s sources, used parts of the Stations list to fill out awkward joins between the main sources. The list records the locations visited by the [[Israelites]], during their journey through the wilderness, after having left [[Egypt]]. Consequently, the parts which were inserted to join up the sources appear in suitable locations in the [[Book of Exodus]] and the [[Book of Numbers]].
+Under the [[documentary hypothesis]], the list is believed to have originally been a distinct and separate source text. In this hypothesis, it is believed that the [[Documentary hypothesis#R, Redactor|redactor]], in combining the [[Torah]]'s sources, used parts of the Stations list to fill out awkward joins between the main sources. The list records the locations visited by the [[Israelites]], during their journey through the wilderness, after having left [[Egypt]]. Consequently, the parts which were inserted to join up the sources appear in suitable locations in the [[Book of Exodus]] and the [[Book of Numbers]].
 However, a slightly variant version of the list appears in full at Numbers 33, and several parts of the journey described in the full list, most noticeably the journey from [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] to [[Zin Desert|Zin]], do not appear in the fragmented version. It is tempting to suggest that the journey from Sinai to Zin was cut out of the fragmented version due to a copying error caused by the similarity in sound of "Sinai" and "Zin". However, as there are 42 locations in the full list, and the [[Israelites]] were said to have been in the desert for 40 years, it is possible that several locations in the full list were added to the list of destinations as a literary device.