Moving 603,550 Israelites Compared to Moving 870,000 Palestinians

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                   

Moses took on a big challenge by attempting to move 603,550 Israelites out of Egypt and back to Canaan after a 400 year hiatus.  These Egyptian slaves had been used to a slave routine of life. Finally they had the chance of returning to their ancestral home that they had only heard about;  never seen. 

According to the biblical narrative in Exodus, the preparation for the Israelites' departure from Egypt took place over a period of about 10 months, after which they left in a hurry on a single night. The people took their unrisen dough, jewelry, and clothing with them. 

• The Israelites had just enough time to grab their belongings before leaving Egypt at midnight, after the final plague of the firstborn. The Israelites prepared and took specific items with them as they left Egypt: They took their dough before it had a chance to rise. This resulted in unleavened bread, or matzah, which is still commemorated in the Passover feast today.

• Not a Military Formation: 

  The text describes the Israelites walking out of Egypt not as a disciplined military force, but as people who had never been schooled in combat. 
• God's Direction: 

  Despite their perceived "battle formation," God knew their weaknesses and led them the "long way" around the Red Sea, rather than the shorter route through Philistine territory, to avoid them facing and being defeated in war. 
• They were attacked by the Amaleks; a wandering tribe hostile
• to the Israelites and preyed on the weak and weary at the end 
• of the lines of Israelites.  Joshua finally defeated them.  They 
• have been Israel's eternal foe; with possibly Haman as a descend-
• ant.  They had wandered between southern part of the land and
• Canaan, attacking in the desert near Rephidim after the Exodus.

Moses of the tribe of Levi was  Prince of Egypt, adopted son by the princess, daughter of a pharaoh.  He was an educated man in reading, writing, arithmetic, war, geography, logic, physics of the day and science in flora and fauna.  The slaves were educated only in Egypt's religion and building as they built storage cities for pharaohs.  All together with 25 years making a generation, they were the product of about 16 generations of Israelites held prisoner.  He later found out that his parents had been Amram and Jochebed.  

When Moses died, the Exodus people, also known as the Israelites, were camped in the lowlands of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, directly opposite the Promised Land of Canaan. From this location, Joshua took over as their new leader to guide them into the land God had promised them.  

   Joshua taking the lead of the Exodus after death of Moses

Moses had started off with taking a census, which showed 603,550 Israelites and knew they would end with another one.  He probably had no idea it would take him about 40 years to succeed, and that he was starting off age 80.  Moses would end up giving the job to Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim  to complete, a much younger man.  

The distance from Egypt to Canaan:  The shortest distance from a point in modern Egypt, like Cairo, to modern-day Israel, which encompasses the ancient land of Canaan, is roughly 475 to 500 miles (760 to 800 kilometers). However, the actual journey described in the Bible took the Israelites approximately 40 years, as they did not take the most direct route and instead wandered in the desert. That makes at least 2 generations of wanderers in the desert. 

When Joshua arrived in Canaan, his census showed a loss of 1,820 people.  His census was of 601,730 Israelites.  It had been a hard 40 years.  The people had to have been very trusting in their leadership. Judah had started with 74,600 and ended with 76,500, the largest of the12 tribes.  The one who lost the most was poor Simeon who started offwith 59,300 and ended with 22,200.  Later, they were counted withJudah being neighbors as well.  

The Palestinians taking the straight coastal road from Gaza City to the southern end is taking a long time with less than half the population moved from Monday till Wednesday (today).  

 It takes between 6.5 and 11 hours to walk 19 to 20 miles, depending on your walking speed, which is influenced by fitness, terrain, and environmental factors. At a moderate pace of 3 mph, it would take about 6.5 to 6.7 hours, while a slower pace of 2.5 mph would take around 8 hours. 

The driving distance from Gaza City to the southern tip of the Gaza Strip is approximately 19 to 20 miles (about 30 km). The southernmost city is Rafah, which borders Egypt. 

Hamas is attacking those leaving for their use of hiding behind them.  

They must be the descendants of Amalek as well, especially after what

they did on October 7, 2023 to the Israelis.  They have been seen to

shoot their own civilians in order to scare them all in staying;  thus

a slow-down in the journey to safety from the war effort.  

A 2nd road has been opened for a short period The second evacuation route recently opened from Gaza City to the south is Salah al-Din Street, a main north-to-south artery that runs through the middle of the Gaza Strip.  This is a distance of 49 min (15.7 mi) via Salah Al Deen.