Stations of the Exodus

(Book of Numbers 33:1 - 33:49)
These are the stations of the Exodus, during which the people of Israel marched out of Egypt in military formation under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.  At Jehovah's instruction Moses kept a written record of the progress of their journey and these are the starting points of each stage of the journey.
   
    1. They departed the Egyptian city of Rameses on the 15th day of the 1st month (Nisan), on the day after Passover.  They marched out defiantly while the Egyptians were burying their firstborn whom Jehovah had struck down in their midst, for he exacted punishment even upon their gods.
    2. The Israelites left Rameses and camped in Sukkoth.
    3. They left Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert.
    4. They left Etham, turned back toward Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon, and camped near     Migdol.
    5. They left Pi Hahiroth, crossed the Red Sea, and journeyed into the desert.  Three days into the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.
    6. They left Marah and camped at Elim, where there are 12 springs and 70 palm trees.
    7. They left Elim and camped on the shore of the Red Sea.
    8. They left the shore of the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.
    9. They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
    10. They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.
    11. They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
    12. They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.
    13. They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaava.
    14. They left Kibroth Hattaava and camped at Hazeroth.
    15. They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
    16. They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.
    17. They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.
    18. They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.
    19. They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
    20. They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
    21. They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
    22. They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
    23. They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
    24. They left Tahath and camped at Terah.
    25. They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.
    26. They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
    27. They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
    28. They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.
    29. They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.
    30. They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
    31. They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
    32. They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.
    33. They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.
    34. They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.  At Jehovah's command Aaron ascended Mount Hor, where he died on the 1st day of the 5th month on the 40th year after the Israelites had departed Egypt.  Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
    35. At that time the Canaanite king of Arad in the Negev heard words that the Israelites were approaching his country.  The Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
    36. They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
    37. They left Punon and camped at Oboth.
    38. They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, the border of Moab.
    39. They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.
    40. They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.
    41. They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Mount Nebo.
    42. They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab beside the River Jordan across from Jericho.  Their camp along the Jordan stretched from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim on the plains of Moab.

Notes
1. While the specificity of the 42 stations of the Exodus would seem to make the itinerary very clear, the locations of most the stations is problematic and the actual course, a matter of long-standing controversy.  Suffice it to say, the Israelites left Egypt and wandered through the deserts of Sinai, eventually moving north into the Negev and then to the plains of Moab, east of the River Jordan.  Most of the journeying recounted by the biblical chronicle takes place during the first two years after the departure from Egypt.  There is a long hiatus in the narrative and suddenly we are brought up to a point 40 years after the Egyptian departure.  Why is this?  Did nothing happen for 38 years?   Were the records of that period lost?  Or perhaps the Exodus lasted only 3 years, not 40.

2. Many of the places and the names for them are anachronistic, from a time hundreds of years after the likely time of the Exodus.  Among these is the Egyptian Delta city of Rameses, leading to the popular fantasy that the Exodus occurred during the reign of Rameses the Great, which is the least likely period during which the Exodus could have occurred.

3. The list of stations agrees imperfectly with the narrative of the Exodus.  It rather seems like it was pasted on to the narrative from another account.  As a summary of the journey it is very unsatisfying and misses many of the highlights.  For instance, wouldn’t a reference to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments not been fitting?

3. The age of Aaron at his death is listed here -- 123 years old.  This, of course, is preposterous for several reasons, the most important being that no one lives or has ever lived to be that old!

4. Moses kept a record of the journey, and again we must ask, in which language, in what form of writing, for Hebrew would not exist for hundreds of years nor would any kind of alphabet.  Did Moses write everything down in Egyptian hieroglyphics?  And at what time was it translated and inscribed in Hebrew?