Thursday, April 5 2007

The Wilderness of Sin

"They set out from the Red Sea and encamped in the wilderness of Sin"

The Wilderness of Sin was encountered early in the Israelites' Wilderness Journey (see also Why Did Paul Say That Sinai Was In Arabia?). Note that "the wilderness of Sin" and "the wilderness of Sinai" are not the same; they arrived at "the wilderness of Sin" well before "the wilderness of Sinai."

"And they set out from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea. And they set out from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. And they set out from the wilderness of Sin, and encamped at Dophkah. And they set out from Dophkah, and encamped at Alush. And they set out from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. And they set out from Rephidim, and encamped in the wilderness of Sinai." (Numbers 33:10-15 RSV)

Although the Wilderness of Sin was early in their journey, the Israelites had already begun to complain. In response, The Lord gave them manna.

"They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of The Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

Then The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily." (Exodus 16:1-5 RSV)

After The Lord fed them with manna, the Israelites journeyed "from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of The Lord," but they then began to grumble about water. The Lord then gave them water.

"All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of The Lord, and camped at Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people found fault with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink."

And Moses said to them, "Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put The Lord to the proof?"

But the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"

So Moses cried to The Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me."

And The Lord said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel."

And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the faultfinding of the children of Israel, and because they put The Lord to the proof by saying, "Is The Lord among us or not?" (Exodus 17:1-7 RSV)

Fact Finder: How were various Hebrew and Greek words describing thorns used in the Bible?
See Thorns

Today's Word
The Holy Bible was primarily written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. Today's Word examines the pronunciation and literal meaning of one of those actual words of the Holy Scriptures and how it is usually translated into English-language Bibles.

The Hebrew word pronounced tseer-ah means hornets. It is most often translated for use in English language Bibles as the hornet or hornets.

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This Day In History, April 5

347 BC: The Greek philosopher Plato died.

1242: The Russians repelled an invasion by the Teutonic Knights.

1340: Islamic naval forces fought the Spanish in a battle in the Straits of Gibraltar.

1355: In Rome, Charles IV was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

1513: Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, Henry VIII of England, Ferdinand of Aragon and Pope Leo X signed the Treaty of Mechlin, an alliance to invade France.

1614: Indian princess Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe.

1621: The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth on its return trip to England.

1792: George Washington cast the first presidential veto.

1843: Queen Victoria proclaimed Hong Kong as a British crown colony.

1896: The modern Olympic Games began, in Athens.

1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for giving U.S. atomic secrets away to the Russians.

1955: Winston Churchill resigned as British prime minister. He was succeeded by Anthony Eden.

1964: Douglas MacArthur, U.S. general and Pacific commander during the Second World War, died at age 84.

1974: The 110 story World Trade Center opened in New York.

1979: Pioneer 11 was launched toward Jupiter.

1989: The Polish government legalized the Solidarity union, and allowed democracy in government.