The Stations of the Exodus are the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt, according to the Hebrew Bible. In the itinerary given in Numbers 33, forty-two stations are listed, although this list differs slightly from the narrative account of the journey found in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Biblical commentators like St Jerome in his Epistle to Fabiola, Bede (Letter to Acca: "De Mansionibus Filiorum Israhel") and St Peter Damian discussed the Stations according to the Hebrew meanings of their names.Gregory F. LaNave, et al., The Fathers of the Church: Mediaeval Continuation, The Letters of Peter Damian 151-180, Letter 160, pp. 110 ff., The Catholic University of America Press, Washington D.C. (2005) Dante modeled the 42 chapters of his Vita Nuova on them.Julia Bolton Holloway, Sweet New Style: Brunetto Latino, Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer, Chapter III, (2003)
Sources According to the documentary hypothesis, the list of the Stations was originally a distinct and separate source text.Nili S. Fox, in Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler (editors), The Jewish study Bible, Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation, Oxford University Press, Oxford (1999), p. 349: "The literary style of the itinerary, the repetition of campsite names, and the highlighting of events in those places closely resemble extant military records from the ancient Near East, especially from Assyria. Accordingly, the notation in this Priestly source that Moses recorded the starting points of their various marches (v. 2) fits the genre. Some scholars, however, consider ch 33 a composite text extracted from other portions of Numbers, Exodus, and Deuteronomy." Proponents of this hypothesis believe that the redactor, in combining the Torah's sources, used parts of the Stations list to fill out awkward joins between the main sources. 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.
Both versions of the list contain several brief narrative fragments. For example, Exodus 15:27 reads: "[The Israelites] came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees". (NSRV). It is a 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. Some information may also have been drawn from other sources; Numbers 21 contains both an extract from the lost Book of the Wars of the Lord, and the text of a song about the digging of a well at Beer.
Locating the Stations Attempting to locate many of the stations of the Israelite Exodus is a difficult task, if not infeasible. Though most scholars concede that the narrative of the Exodus may have a historical basis, the event in question would have borne little resemblance to the mass-emigration and subsequent forty years of desert nomadism described in the biblical account. If a smaller-scale exodus did take place, no trace of it has been found in the archaeological record, so archaeology can give no clues as to the modern-day locations of the stations.
Another factor complicating the issue is that the narrative descriptions of many of the stations lack recognizable distinguishing features, or are very broadly defined. For example, Marah, the fifth station, is described only as a place where the Israelites found the drinking water to be exceptionally bitter. The locations of some stations are given in relative terms, such as the "Wilderness of Sin", which is simply described as the area between Elim and Mount Sinai, which, given the uncertain locations of the numerous stations, cannot be positively determined. Other locations central to the narrative, such as the Sea of Reeds, Mount Sinai, and Raamses, also lack positive identification, making it more difficult to plot a plausible map of the Israelites' journey. As such, proposed identifications of the stations of the Exodus are almost entirely conjectural.
List of the Stations of the Exodus Station Biblical reference Description Possible location Raamses Ex. 12:37; Nu. 33:3 The Raamses district was of the highest quality land in Egypt (Ge. 47:11) Pi-Ramesses Sukkoth Ex. 12:37, 13:20; Nu. 33:5–6 The region of Wadi Tumilat, or a city within the region, such as Tell el-Maskhuta Etham Ex. 13:20; Nu. 33:6–8 "On the edge of the wilderness" Unknown, but possibly close to modern Ismailia Pi-HaHiroth Ex. 14:2; Nu. 33:7–8 "Between Migdol and the sea, opposite Ba'al-Zephon" Possibly a canal on the eastern frontier of Egypt Marah Ex. 15:23; Nu. 33:8–9 A place where the water was too bitter to drink Bir el-Mura or Ain Hawarah, fifty miles south of Suez Elim Ex. 15:27, 16:1; Nu. 33:9–10 "Where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees" Wadi Gharandel. "It is commonly suggested that the well-watered Wadi Gharandel was Elim." By the Red Sea Nu. 33:10–11 Possibly around the Gulf of Suez Sin Wilderness Ex. 16:1, 17:1; Nu. 33:11–12 Between Elim and Mount Sinai; here God supplies quail and manna Dophkah Nu. 33:12–13 Wadi Maghara Alush Nu. 33:13–14 Wadi ‘Esh Rephidim Ex. 17:1, 19:2; Nu. 33:14–15 Moses brings forth water from the Rock of Horeb; the Israelites battle the Amalekites Wadi Refayid Sinai Wilderness Ex. 19:1–2; Nu. 10:12, 33:15–16 Near Mount Sinai Possibly the region around Jebel Musa Kibroth-Hattaavah Nu. 11:35, 33:16–17 Rueis el-Ebeirig Hazeroth Nu. 11:35, 12:16, 33:17–18 Miriam is afflicted with a skin disease 'Ain el-Khudra Rithmah Nu. 33:18–19 Wadi el-Rutmi Rimmon-Perez Nu. 33:19–20 Rarra Rarmun Libnah Nu. 33:20–21 Either Wadi el-Beidha or Jebel Libni Rissah Nu. 33:21–22 Jebel Ruisset el-Negin Kehelathah Nu. 33:22–23 Possibly Kuntillet Ajrud Mount Shapher Nu. 33:23–24 Jebel el-Shereif Haradah Nu. 33:24–25 Possibly Ras el-Khorasha Makheloth Nu. 33:25–26 Perhaps a doublet of Kehelathah (see above) Tahath Nu. 33:26–27 Terah Nu. 33:27–28 Possibly either Tara umm Haluf or Jebel Taret um-Basis Mithcah Nu. 33:28–29 Hashmonah Nu. 33:29–30 Possibly Qeseimeh, near Wadi el-Hashmim Moseroth Nu. 33:30–31; Dt. 10:6 Aaron's burial place according to Deuteronomy Bir al-Hafir Bene-Jaakan Nu. 33:31–32 Birein near Nabatean Nitzana Hor Haggidgad Nu. 33:32–33 Wadi Hadahad Jotbathah Nu. 33:33–34 Either Taba on the border between Israel and Jordan (a few miles north of Timna Park) or Tabeh on the Egyptian/Israeli border crossing south of Elath Abronah Nu. 33:34–35 ‘Ain ed-Defiyeh Ezion-Geber Nu. 33:35–36 Tell el-Kheleifeh Kadesh Nu. 20:1,22, 33:36–37 Located in the Wilderness of Zin; Miriam's burial place Tell el-Qudeirat Mount Hor Nu. 20:22, 21:4, 33:37–41 On the border of Edom; Aaron's burial place according to Numbers Possibly Ras el-Khorasha Zalmonah Nu. 33:41–42 'Ain es-Salamani Punon Nu. 33:42–43 Khirbat Faynan Oboth Nu. 21:10–11, 33:43–44 Either 'Ain el-Weiba or Khirbet Ghweibah Iye Abarim Nu. 21:11, 33:44–45 On the border of Moab Proposals include ‘Ayna (along the King’s Highway north of Wadi al-Hasa) or a place south of Wadi al-Hasa Dibon Gad Nu. 33:45–46 Dhiban, Jordan. "Dibon ... is readily admitted to be located at modern Dhiban." Almon Diblathaim Nu. 33:46–47 Either Khirbet Deleilat esh-Sherqiyeh or Nitl Abarim Mountains Nu. 33:47–48 The Israelites encamped near Mount Nebo The mountain range of western Moab, overlooking the plains of Moab in the Jordan Valley Plains of Moab Nu. 22:1, 33:48–50 The Israelites encamped along the Jordan River from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim Lower Jordan Valley, between Sweimeh and Tell el-Hammam, Jordan
Notes
References
External links
Falk, David A. (2018). "What We Know about the Egyptian Places Mentioned in Exodus". TheTorah.com.