SECT. III.

to truly pious souls; so they suppose that the number of CHAP. II. the twelve wells here mentioned at Elim did allude, not, only to the twelve tribes of Israel, but also to the twelve Apostles of Christ; and that the seventy palm-trees did allude, not only to the seventy Elders of the Israelites, mentioned Exod. xxiv. and Num. xi. but also to the seventy Disciples of our blessed Saviour, mentioned Luke x. But however this be, the place where the Israelites were now encamped seems to have been esteemed as a very pleasant and fruitful place, at least in comparison of the desert and barren parts about it. Insomuch that some learned men are of opinion, that this is the place particularly taken notice of by Agatharchides Gnidius in his treatise concerning the Red sea, and by Diodorus, lib. iii. and by Strabo, lib. xvi. We meet in Tacitus and Plutarch with a story, that the Jews being on a certain time ready to perish with thirst, springs of water were discovered to them by some (tame or wild) asses. Which story, Bochart thinks, took its rise from hence: that Josephus calls this place Elim by the name of Ilim, which word in the Syrian language denotes the foals of asses, or asses colts.

Thevenot tells us, that these twelve wells are now-a- 5. days shewn to travellers, in or near to a garden of the The place now-a-days monks of Tor, which is a small place, but has a good har- shewn for bour for ships, lying on the Red sea. But as this writer Elim. plainly confounds the wells of Elim with the waters of Marah; so it seems probable, from comparing the sacred history and the account of his travels, that Elim lay to the west or north-west of Tor; and that rather the encampment of the Israelites by the Red sea (Num. xxxiii. 10.) was near Tor.

6.

campment

From Elim the Israelites came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. Exod. xvi. 1. But of the enNum. xxxiii. where the sacred historian does professedly by the Red give an account of the several journeys of the Israelites, sea. we are informed, ver. 10, 11. that they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea; and they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. Whence

PART II. it is not to be doubted, but that the encampment by the Red sea, mentioned in this last place, is omitted in the former of Exodus, because nothing worth taking notice of happened there. This encampment seems to have been either in the plain, wherein stands the little sea-port town, called Tor, or else in the plain or valley near to the sea, and mentioned by Thevenot, as lying at some distance before one comes to the plain or valley of Tor.

7.

Of the wil

derness of

Sin.

8.

Encamp

As to the wilderness of Sin, which the Israelites came into, upon their decamping this second time from the Red sea, the forecited text of Exodus tells us, that it lay between Elim and Sinai. But now the Israelites, in their going from Elim to the wilderness of Sin, making an encampment by the Red sea, it hence seems probable, that either the Israelites were obliged to wind their course round some mountain that came in their way, and hindered them from going directly forward, or else that some bay or creek of the Red sea came up further into land in these parts, or both, as is expressed in the map hereunto belonging. During the Israelites' stay in this wilderness of Sin, it was, that God first sent them manna; which the divine Providence continued to do, for forty years, till they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. Exod. xvi. 35. Here also it was that God sent quails to eat, ver. 11— 13. Thevenot says, that the plain of Tor is called in Scripture the desert of Sin: but this seems not likely for several reasons; particularly because the encampment in the wilderness of Sin is expressly said in Scripture to be after the encampment by the Red sea.

Out of the wilderness of Sin the Israelites took their jourments be- ney, and encamped at Dophkah and they departed from tween the Dophkah, and encamped in Alush; and they removed from of Sin and Alush, and encamped at Rephidim. Num. xxxiii. 12—14. Rephidim. Now none of the stations or encampments here mentioned,

wilderness

between the wilderness of Sin and Rephidim, are taken notice of by Moses in the book of Exodus; and that in all probability for the reasons already mentioned, viz. because nothing remarkable fell out in these stations.

SECT. III.

9.

Of Rephi

dim.

But at Rephidim there fell out several remarkable oc- CHAP. II. currences. For the Israelites being come hither, and there being no water for them to drink, according to their usual way they presently murmured against Moses: who, applying himself thereupon to God by prayer, was ordered to take in his hand the rod, wherewith he was wont to work miracles, and to go and smite the rock Horeb; upon which water should come out of the rock for the people to drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, (i. e. temptation,) and Meribah, (i. e. chiding or strife,) because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not? Exod. xvii. 1-7. Another remarkable occurrence that fell out at Rephidim was the coming of the Amalekites, and fighting with the Israelites. But Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses-I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it JEHOVAH-nissi, i. e. The Lord my banner. Exod. xvii. 8-16. It has been before observed in the first Part, that Amalek was a descendant of Esau, namely, the son of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and so Esau's grandson. I shall only observe here farther, that his descendants settled in the parts adjoining to mount Seir, where Esau dwelt, and that to the west or north-west of it, at least at first. What more is requisite to be said concerning them, shall be taken notice of when we come to speak of the great defeat given them by Saul.

Horeb and

It will be more proper here to take more peculiar no- 10. tice of the occurrence first mentioned above, namely of of mount the rock smitten by Moses, and from which water gushed Sinai. out thereupon. This rock is expressly said in the sacred text to be in Horeb. But now it is evident, from several places of Scripture, that mount Horeb is either an adjoining mountain to mount Sinai, or that they are only two different heads or risings of one and the same mountain.

PART II. For what is in one passage of Scripture related as done at Horeb, is in another passage of Scripture related as done at mount Sinai, or at least in the wilderness of Sinai. And as, in the course of the journeyings of the Israelites, this miraculous bringing forth of water out of the rock in Horeb, is related to have been done at Rephidim, from whence the Israelites decamping, pitched next in the wilderness of Sinai, (Exod. xix. 1, 2.) so after they were there pitched or encamped, we read, Exod. xxxiii. 6. that the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by mount Horeb; namely, because there it was that they made the calf, as the Psalmist expressly tells us, Psalm cvi. 19. And the same is affirmed by Moses, Deut. ix. 8, 9. Also in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath,-when I was gone up into the mount (i. e. mount Sinai) to receive the tables of the covenant, &c. Nay, the covenant, which God made with the Israelites at mount Sinai, is also said to be made with them in Horeb; and accordingly the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, which are set down Exod. xx, as delivered from mount Sinai, are repeated, Deut. v. as delivered from mount Horeb.

11.

be under

decamp

Hence as it follows, that the difference between mount What is to Horeb and Sinai can be no other than one of them above stood by the assigned; so it follows also, that by the Israelites removment from ing their camp from Rephidim into the wilderness of SiRephidim nai, can be understood no more than their removing from derness of one end or side to another of the same mountain; or at most from one mountain to another adjoining.

to the wil

Sinai.

12.

The rock

that out of

Thevenot tells us, that he was shewn the rock, out of which Moses brought water; and that it is only a stone now-a-days shewn, for of a prodigious height and thickness, rising out of the which Mo-ground: that on the two sides of it he saw several holes, ses brought by which the water has run, as may be easily known by the prints of the water, that has much hollowed it; but at present no water issues out of them.

water.

13.

Three

The religious in these parts do (now-a-days at least) mountains distinguish mount Sinai, which they call the mount of Moses, from mount Horeb, making them to be different,

distin

guished

SECT. III.

mountain

but adjoining mountains; and, besides these, there is a CHAP. II. third, which they have a veneration for, and is called by them the mountain of St. Catharine. For on the top of here nowthis mountain there is a dome, under which is the place, whereof is a-days, one whither the body of St. Catharine, as they tell you, was called the brought by angels, immediately after she was beheaded at of St. CaAlexandria. They add, that the body remained there three tharine. hundred years, until a good monk, having had in the night a revelation, that the body was on the top of the hill, went next morning with all the religious, who in procession brought it down to the monastery, where it was put in a fine silver shrine, that is still there. But though these particulars are fabulous, yet there is one real curiosity observed by Thevenot; who tells us, that there are many stones on this mount, wherein trees are naturally represented, and which, if broken, retain the same figure within; and that some of them are prodigiously big.

14.

This St.

be; and of

The St. Catharine, from which this mount is denominated, is said to be the daughter of king Costa, a king of Catharine, Cyprus, who in the time of Maxentius converted many who said to unto Christ. She was for some time tortured on a wheel, the Cathawhence comes the Catharine wheel, not only talked of rine wheel. sometimes even in these parts of the world, but also frequently used for a sign in this very island, and to this very day. She was at last beheaded at Alexandria, where one or two pillars of Theban marble preserve the memory of the place, as was observed in the foregoing chapter.

15. Of the mo

rine.

For these thousand years, says Thevenot, the Greeks have been in possession of the monastery of St. Catharine, nastery of it being given them by the Greek Emperor, Justinian. It St. Cathais a great monastery, and very strong, and is, says Mr. Sandys, to entertain all pilgrims, having an annual revenue of sixty thousand dollars from Christian princes. They give also, adds Mr. Sandys, alms daily to the Arabs, to be the better secured from outrage; but they will not suffer them to come into the monastery, but let it down from the battlements. Thevenot gives us an account of a tradition they have among them, how they