Moses, Walking and Riding From Midian To Egypt, 3,601 Years Ago

 

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

                                            

As I traveled on my very short walk today, being I'm going to  be 88 in a few weeks, I thought of Moses who started his very long walk at age 8o.  I realized that he never went back home after arriving in Egypt and meeting up with Aaron, his long forgotten brother.  He arrived in Egypt, met his brother, argued with the Pharaoh, and left on the Exodus that took 40 years.  He died just outside of Canaan at age 120.  

To make such a move, he had to travel with a large entourage of all his family for safety reasons, for an 80 year old man 3,601 years ago would be as much in danger on the road as one would today if alone.  So he had to have traveled with his wife and 2 sons and servants from Midian to Egypt, his old homeland. A grateful Jethro gave Moses his daughter, Zipporah in marriage, despite their religious differences. Their two sons were Gershom and Eliezer.  Moses set out with his family, including his father in law, Jethro,  to return to Egypt to free his people from slavery. 

Midian is way south of the Dead Sea and across from the Sinai Peninsula in today's Jordan. The name Midian instantly brings to mind images of barren desert landscapes, camel caravans crossing vast arid wastelands, and, above all, the land of Moses’s exile where he received for the first time G-d's revelation.

Now walking from Midian, where he had been living, to Egypt is a pretty long ways.   It’s only 150 miles or so  straight across the Sinai Peninsula.  It’s also desert, and  there are signs of small Bedouin encampments from much earlier.   The Sinai Desert has throughout history been the region separating the Land of Israel from the Land of Egypt.  

Midian was the location of Moses’ 40-year exile from Egypt, circa 1486-1446 BC (based on biblical chronology). During that time, he married the daughter of the priest of Midian (Jethro), and tended his flocks. He also visited the Mountain of God, later called Mount Sinai. (cf. Exod. 2:15-3:1; 4:18-20; 18:1-5).

Moses traveling like Abraham before him , no improvement in transportation from Midian to Egypt 

In recent days, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has been a sparsely populated desert region between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. On its southern tip, Sharm el-Sheikh resort is a base for diving and snorkeling around the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park. Inland, 6th-century St. Catherine’s Monastery is near biblical Mount Sinai, where the 2,285m summit is renowned for its sunrise views. Elat is a famous resort today.  Scandinavians love to go there in the winter.  

85% of Israel's land is made of the Negev desert and its semi-desert region.  Actually, the northern part is a prairie and the southern is mountainous.  You can say that Israel is on the edge of the desert.  A large part of Israel is the Negev and that is mostly desert.  

    What we see of Israel is the Negev Desert land, and then there's the Sinai Desert of Egypt.  Desert, desert, desert; lots of sand.  

Moses and company must have walked in heat at least 150 miles.  How did he do it?  Walking, riding donkeys and or camels,  and maybe in a wagon now and then.  For an 80 year old that must have been 81 by the time he arrived in Egypt, that was pretty hard riding on the tush.  He must have had a very healthy heart, as he died at 120 years.  

What could Moses have seen on his journey in land to become Israel?  In biblical times, much of the land of Israel was covered with forests.  The Land abounded in wild animals,  including lions and bears.  This was another reason to walk in groups.  It was a land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees (olive-oil) and honey, all mentioned in the Torah. 

 Egyptians grew crops such as wheat, barley, vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates and vines. They also grew flax which was made into linen. The most important crop was grain. 

Moses was on the move for 40 years starting at age 80.  He was awesome!  I hope he traveled in some sort of conveyance.  

Incidentally, Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er Sheva is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", 

It's a city that goes back to Bible days to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a big, important Jewish center.  Beer-sheba seems to have been the dwelling place of Abraham at that time, for after the sacrifice of Isaac, he returned and dwelt there (Gen. 22:19). According to Gen. 26:23-33, Isaac went up to Beer-sheba, and there the Lord appeared to him; he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord.

Resource:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/sinai

facts about Israel, division of Information, Ministry for foreign affairs, Jerusalem

https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/places/related-articles/midian