The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1884-02-06

KADEsH-BARNEA: It's Importance and Probable
Site Including Studies of the Route of the
Exodus. etc. By II Clay Trumbull. D. D.,
editor of The Sunday School Tunes" Royal
octave, PIP. 47S New York Charles Serb
ner's Sons. 1884.
This is superb volume gotten up in the
Scribners' best style. 1t might seem out of pro-
portion to devote so much space to the identifi
cation of site, but this is merely apparent
Kadesh-Barnea is point of unusual historical
interest; it comes into view as a strategic point
in the earliest military campaign recorded in
the Bible; it is secondary in Importance only to
Sinai in the history of the Exodus; it was the
resting place of the Israelites or at least their
headquarters, for nearly the whole period Of
their sojourn in the Wilderness. Palmer re-
garded it Gas does Lowrie, the translator of
Lange's Numbers) "the key to the move
ments of the children of Israel during their for
ty years wanderings," and Dr. Smith in his val
liable Students Old Testament, declares that
Z" to determine the position of Kadesh itself is
the great problem of the whole route of the Is
raelites"
Nor is this all, says Dr. Trumbull in his In
PRODUCTION. To settle its whereabouts is to aid
in settling the boundary stretch of Edom; the
locality of the wilderness of Paran of the will
derness Of Tin; of the Negeb or South Country;
and to fix more definitely one of the homes of
Abraham the dwelling-place of rejected Hagar;
the sites of Mount Hor and Halak; the site of
lamar; and the route of Kedorlaomer"
The site of this place has been matter of dis
pute for twenty centuries Dr. Trumbull be-
lieves that he has discovered it,
In 1881, going into the desert of Arabia to
avoid study. on enforced vacation ramble
he was Unexpectedly enabled to discover long
lost site which had borne an important part in
this discussion. He delayed publishing any
thing Except mere announcement on the
subject, until he could examine the more impor-
tant works which had been written about it.
This carried him into very extended field of
study, as may be judged by the fact that he
cites four hundred volumes specifically in the
present work, and he remarks that these consti-
tuted but minor portion of the volumes
searched"
The topics treated in the chapters of the work
are Kadesh- Barnea-Its Manifold Importance;
Biblical Indications of the Site; Ancient Re-
ferences to it Outside the Bible; Later Attempts
at Identification Story of Hunt for it; The
Sites Compared The Route of the Exodus.
DIR. Trumbull reaches the following conclu.
sions: l. The site of Kadesh-Barnea was at
Ayn Qadees; 2. This Identification necessitates
the re-shaping of much of the geography of the
Southern border of Palestine; 3. at is clearer
than ever that many OF the supposed confusions
of geographical data in the Pentateuch are the
results of later error concerning the region in
question. And there. is even stronger reason
than before for believing, that Moses and Hobab
were more familiar with the desert of Sinai and
the Negeb border of Canaan, than the wisest of
the destructive critics of to day" L. The latest
discoveries indicate how much need there is of
fuller and more intelligent survey of all this
region.
The volume has two maps, aad number of
illustrations, and as many as FIVE indexes.
For sale in Richmond by West, Johnston &
Co Price 95