42 PEOF. EDWARD HULL, LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., ON 



Bitter Lake at this period*), the Israelites appear to have 

 turned southwards along the plain which borders the eastern 

 shore of the Gulf in order to avoid the wild and forbiddmg* 

 line of escarpment of the Wilderness of Shnr (or Etham) 

 now called Jebel ei-Tih ; and they Avent three days' journey 

 and pitched in Marah. It is reasoDable to suppose tliat this 

 name is retained in the present " Wadi-el~Amara " — which is 

 35 miles from 'Ain Musa — giving about 11 miles for each day's 

 journey.t From Marah they removed to Elim, one day's 

 journey of 12 miles if we adopt the view that Elim is the 

 present Wadi Gharandel, where water (by digging) and 

 vegetation are abundant, though the "twelve wells and three- 

 score and ten palm trees " have disappeared. From Elim 

 continuing their course for a further distance of about 25 miles, 

 they came to their camping ground by the shore of the Red 

 Sea, where they appear to have rested for nearly a month and 

 a half (Ex. xvi, 1). This camping ground has been identified 

 with every probability by Sir C. W. AVilson as the plain of 

 MurkliEih opposite the entrance to 'A^adi Taiyibeht by which 

 the}^ commenced their journey towards Mount Sinai. Leaving 

 their camp after a seasonable rest, they proceeded in the second 

 important stage of their journey by the Wadies Shellfil, Mokat- 

 tam and Feiran to Ryphidim. The Feiran is the best A\^atered 

 valley in the whole peninsula, and as AVilson has shown is 

 naturally the great highway from the shores of the Red Sea 

 towards Jebel Musa, and was therefore the most convenient 

 line of march for the Israelitish host. At Rephidim, v.diich is 

 identified by Palmer and Stanley§ as some point near the 

 junction of the W. esh Sheikh Avith W. Feinin, they Avere 

 attacked by the Amalekites, who from their camps towards 

 the north had probably Avatched Avith jealous eyes the progress 

 of the host. From thence they proceeded by the former 

 valley onwards toAvards the Holy Mount, and passing through 

 the Grand Gorge of El AVateyieh betAveen lofty Avails of red 

 porphyry, they finally pitched their tents on the Avide plain 

 now called Wadi er-Raha Avliich stretches up to the base of 

 Jebel Musa (PL II, Fig. 2). 



* Mount Seir, Sinai and Westerti Palestine (1884). 



t The account of the stages given in Exodus agrees with that expressly 

 stated to have been recorded by Moses in Numbers xxxiii, except that in 

 this latter we have mentioned (v. 10) the encampment by the Bed Sea 

 and two others, Dophkah and Alush, whicli are omitted in Exodus. 



1 Ordnance Survef/ of Sinai, p. 151. 



§ As Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, 5th Edit., \>. 41. 



