Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-02-04

place was Elm, noted for its wells and
palm trees. From thence they entered the
wilderness of Sin. which lay between
Elm and Sinai. Here was the vIsi-
tation of quails, the Israelites dying
IL great numbers, the place being called
kibroth hat Taavah' 1.-THE graves Of
lust" They then reached Rephidim,
where Moses, having gone on before,
caused the water TO flow through the
rlven rock, and thence they came to
Mount Sinai.
This account, it IS now urged, is con-
slStent, and not alone consistent with
a journey by the old caravan road which
existed in the time of the PharaohS
from Egypt across the desert to the
head OF the Gulf of Akaba, and thence
up the Arabah to Mount HOr. The
Egyptian has annually followed this
route from SueZ to Akaba. No water
is found until the end of the third days
journey, at NahId. At the next stage,
now called Abu Muhammad, the water
is salt and bitter, and two days more
Journey brings the caravan TO Akabah,
celebrated for Its wells and palm groves.
Rut Akabah was known to the Israel
ties rs Elath-Deut. rs; Kings 8: 20
the Greeks as Elana, and To the Ro-
mans as Ala, and as Elm and Elath
are only different plural forms of the
word el, "a palm grove" Mr.. Baker
Greene'S solution of the olde of his
torical enigmas lies in the identitica-
ton of the Film of the Book of Exodus
with the Elath of Deuteronomy and
the historical books, the place Justly
celebrated for its wells and palm trees.
If, however, the lsraelites took this
course across the desert. they would
then turn their steps up the Arabah, as
they confessedly did not pass round
Edom on the East till much later
period. But half way up the Arabah,
on the eastern side, stand Mount Hor,
rs il is rather unfortunately translated,
but literally lIar Ia Har, the Mount of
Mounts. which could have been no
other than Mount Sinai, and which
would fttingly receive such designa-
tion. II is curiously cOniirmatOry of
the accuracy OF the route thus indicated
that in the Arabah, about twenty miles
from Akaha, on the way to Mount
lior. is marsh which in Major kitch-
euer's report is named Et Taba, and on
lis borders are the remains of an anc-
cient BedOuin cemetery. Ii was, how
ever. in the W lernesS between Elm
aud Sinai that the israelites died in
great numbers, the place being called
kIbroth hat TIay.,h, 80 that now, after
the laspe of 300 years, this spot liter
ally bears the same description, "the
cemetery of Et Taba."
lt would lie impossible here now to
Summarize the arguments and the evil
dence adduced by Baker Greene in sup
port of his version of what he terms
The Hebrew Migration from Egypt"
hut Major kitchener's confirmation of
the soundneSs of his conclusions will,
10 doubt, induce Biblical critics and
Gthers TO examine them carefully. st.
Paul unquestionably placed Mount
sinai in Arabia, and it was not until
the second century that Ptolemy is
supposed to have extended Arabia
fetrea to the Tih and the SO called
Sinaitie peninsula. All Arabian ge-
osraphers made the Arabah the west
ern limit of their country, thus exclud-
ing the peninsula 1t is also notice
able that EusebiuS AMI jerome placed
the scene of the incidents which hap
pened in the neighborhood of Mount
Sinai i'll EdOm. and when the Crusaders
entered that country at the beginning
of the twelfth century the great chasm
of the Six, which enters Petrea from
the east, was pointed out rs the rock
riven 10y the wand Of Moses. Mount
HOr was declared TO be Mount Sinai,
and Ala, the modern Akaba, was de-
clared To be the Elm of the Book of
Exodus, noted for its wells and palm
I rpt.S