Verse 1
"And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of Jehovah, and encamped in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink."
"By their journeys ..." From the list given by Moses in Numbers 33:12-13, it is clear that there are omitted here the two stations of Dophkah and Alush. It should also be remembered that Israel was not deployed in a single camp, despite the consistent use of the singular camp. By the very nature of providing tenting for 2,000,000 people, there would have been numerous "camps," spoken of collectively as "the camp."
"According to the commandment of Jehovah ..." Israel was guided by Jehovah by means of the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. When the pillar stayed, they remained; when it moved, they moved.
"Rephidim ..." This word means "resting place."[2] The exact location of the particular places mentioned in this chapter is impossible to determine, but Rephidim was somewhere in the vicinity of Horeb, because it was there that God provided the water they needed.
Be the first to react on this!
