Which Way Did They Go? Exploring Alternate Routes Of The Exodus -- By: Alan D. Ingalls

Journal: Journal of Ministry and Theology
Volume: JMAT 19:2 (Fall 2015)
Article: Which Way Did They Go? Exploring Alternate Routes Of The Exodus
Author: Alan D. Ingalls


Which Way Did They Go?
Exploring Alternate Routes Of The Exodus1

Alan D. Ingalls

Professor of Old Testament Languages and Literature
Baptist Bible Seminary
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

When I was in high school I had very poor experiences with history instruction. History classes normally consisted of a coach, who had to do something in a classroom to justify coaching, scribbling a few notes on the board each morning and then showing movies or supervising Euchre tournaments. In American history class, we never made it to the Civil War. What I know of the Civil War I’ve learned from visiting Civil War sites like Gettysburg, Bull Run, and Vicksburg and from reading on my own. Nevertheless, these coaches—I mean teachers—made sure we learned a bit about the Revolutionary War and the settlement of Michigan (Michigan history was state–mandated). The founding of a nation is such an essential element of the people’s identity that even the poor instruction in history that I received included the basics of the founding of my nation and my state. The exodus from Egypt, the miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea, and the receiving of the law at Mount Sinai which the events which marked the founding of the nation of Israel in 1446 BC. These events are referenced or alluded to numerous times in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps 78; Jer 2). Intriguingly, we cannot pinpoint many of the locations named in the wilderness itineraries, nor even the location of Mount Sinai itself with certainty.

The traditional approach is to locate Mount Sinai on one of several mountains in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, often Jebel Musa. There have been suggestions that Mount Sinai should actually be

located east of the Gulf of Aqaba in what is today Saudi Arabia. From time to time I get questions from students or laymen who have seen a documentary on PBS or the History Channel suggesting an alternate site. When I actually began researching this topic, I was astounded at the number of sites suggested as the “real” Mount Sinai and the enormous volume of literature written on the topic—some of the older works, especially, are now difficult to obtain.2

There are at least thirteen sites suggested as possible locations for Mount Sinai. Many are offered with arguments that are tenuous or even highly suspect. Because of slick documentaries and popular interest, there is a significant need to address this issue. So, where did the Israelites go? Where did they cross the Red Sea and ...

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