My article, “The Geographical Challenges of the Sinai” has been posted on my web page. The article was published in the Summer 2006 issue of the Biblical Illustrator.

Below is an excerpt from the article:

After the Israelites left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, they traveled through a huge and frightening wilderness. In the Sinai Peninsula, most of the land was devoid of water and vegetation, except in oases and wadis, dry river beds that were filled with water only during a winter flood. The wilderness was a harsh and inhospitable area. Because of the nature of the terrain, the Israelites faced many problems posed by life in the wilderness.

They experienced lack of food and water, plus disease, snakes, scorpions, and attacks from enemy tribes. The Bible indicates that the situation in the Wilderness of Sinai was inhospitable: “[God] led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions” (Deut. 8:15 NIV).

To the Hebrews, the wilderness was a desolate place devoid of civilization. In Hebrew, the word for “desert” reflects that which is beyond, that is, beyond the limits of settlement. Most people perceived the wilderness to be a dangerous place, the place of wild animals and wandering tribes. The psalmist portrayed the wilderness as “wastelands” (Ps. 107:4 NIV).

For 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, without finding a good place to live, without much food and water, hungry and thirsty, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.

The article is in PDF format. You can read or download the article by clicking here.

NOTE: For a complete list of studies on Moses, read my post Studies on Moses.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

NOTE: Did you like this post? Do you think other people would like to read this post? Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on Twitter or Tumblr so that others may enjoy reading it too!

I would love to hear from you! Let me know what you thought of this post by leaving a comment below. Be sure to like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, follow me on Tumblr, Facebook, and subscribe to my blog to receive each post by email.

If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of topics.