A 3-Days’ Journey to Mt. Sinai

A 3-Days’ Journey to Mt. Sinai
To help us discover the location of Mount Sinai, we must return to our earliest sources and follow the instructions which provide the distance from the eastern border of Egypt, as defined in the days of Moses, to Mount Sinai.

This evidence will begin to answer the question of whether or not the mountain of the eloahim could be as far away as the southern regions of the Sinai Peninsula, let alone somewhere in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, or Jordan.

3-Days’ Journey
According to our earliest sources, Mount Sinai was only a 3 days’ journey from the border of Egypt. For example, when Moses first met Yahweh at Mount Sinai, he was ordered to bring the Israelites “out of Mizraim (Egypt)” and bring them to this very mountain. At this point, Moses quotes Yahweh as having told him:

When you have brought forth the people (of Israel) out of Mizraim, you shall serve eloahim על ההר הזה (al ha-har hazah; upon this mountain). (Exod. 3:12)

This statement is our first indication that Mount Sinai was somewhere beyond the borders of Egypt, for it is only after Moses brings the Israelites “out of Mizraim” that they would “serve eloahim upon this mountain.”

Yahweh then tells Moses:

And you shall enter in, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Mizraim, and you will say to him, Yahweh eloahi of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us walk, please, דרך שלשת ימים (derek shalshath yomim; a road of 3 days) into the wilderness and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our eloahi. (Exod. 3:18)

Josephus (late 1st century C.E.) writes regarding the above-mentioned conversation:

Howbeit he (Yahweh) charged him (Moses), AFTER he had brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, to come to that spot and there offer sacrifices of thanksgiving.¹

Philo (mid-1st century C.E.) adds that Moses was told:

Take with you (out of Egypt) also the elders of the nation (of Israel), and tell him (Pharaoh) that the people have received a command from me (Yahweh) to make a 3 days’ journey beyond the Borders of the country (of Egypt).²

Taken all together, these statements make it clear that Moses was to bring the Israelites “out of Mizriam (Egypt)” and then continue “beyond the borders” of that country for a distance calculated as walking “a road of 3 days,” i.e., “a 3-days’ journey.” At the end of this journey, Moses would arrive at Mount Sinai to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to Yahweh.

Demetrius the Chronographer, while commenting on how the unarmed Israelites were able to obtain weapons to fight the Amuleq at Rephidim as they approached Mount Sinai,³ writes:

Someone might ask how the Israelites had weapons since they marched out ἄνοπλοι (anoploi; unarmed).⁴ For they said that after they had gone out on a 3-days’ journey and made sacrifices, they would return. It appears, therefore, that those who had not been drowned made use of the other’s arms.⁵

The “others” are the Egyptians, whose arms came to the Israelites after Pharaoh and his army drowned in the Suph Sea.⁶

Confronting Pharaoh
Other passages support these details. For example, the book of Exodus informs us that both Moses and his brother Aaron confronted Pharaoh in the land of Mizraim, telling him:

The eloahim of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we pray you, a 3-days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh our eloahi, lest he will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. (Exod. 5:3)

Josephus writes regarding this same encounter:

So he (Moses) went to the king (of Egypt) and urged him to let the Hebrews go to Mount Sinai to sacrifice there to the deity, for so he had commanded, and in no wise oppose his will, but to esteem his gracious favor above all else and permit them to exit.⁷

Accordingly, Josephus understood that Pharaoh had to give the Israelites permission to “exit” the country so that they could continue in the wilderness until they reached “Mount Sinai.” In Philo’s version, he states that when Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt, they first spoke secretly to the Israelite leaders.

In the Wilderness
The story then continues:

After this they were now emboldened to talk to the king, and lay before him their request that he should SEND out of his boundaries the people to sacrifice. They told him that their ancestral sacrifices must be performed in the wilderness, as they did not conform with those of the rest of mankind, but so exceptional were the customs peculiar to the Hebrews that their rule and method of sacrifices ran counter to the common course.⁸

The book of Yashar, which used records from as far back as the 1st century C.E., similarly records that Moses told Pharaoh:

Now, therefore, send us, so that we can take a 3-days’ journey in the wilderness and there will sacrifice to him (Yahweh).⁹

This evidence again points out that Mount Sinai was a 3-days’ journey in the wilderness beyond the boundaries of Egypt and, therefore, in a region outside of Pharaoh’s control. Moses indicates that this particular wilderness, across which a 3-days’ journey was to be made, was not part of any wilderness region within the country of Egypt.

To demonstrate, at one point during the plagues suffered in Egypt due to the fact that Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh repented and gave partial permission.

The book of Exodus reports:

And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said: Go, sacrifice to your eloahi in the land (i.e., of Mizraim). And Moses replied: It is not agreeable to do so; for that which is seen as loathsome to the Mizraim (people) we offer to Yahweh our eloahi. See, (if) we offer that which is loathsome to the Mizraim before their eyes, will they not stone us? A road of 3 days (3-days’ journey) נלך (nalak; we will walk) into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahweh our eloahi as he TOLD us. And Pharaoh said, I will send you away and you will sacrifice to Yahweh your eloahi in the wilderness; only do not go very far off. Pray for me (Exod. 8:25-28)¹⁰

Beyond the Borders of Egypt
This passage is fully supported by Philo, as cited above, who notes that the Israelites were to “make a 3-days’ journey beyond the borders of the country (of Egypt).” Nevertheless, Pharaoh did not want to let them go beyond his control, so he, at first, ordered them to sacrifice within the land of Egypt.

Nevertheless, Moses insisted the Israelites had to follow Yahweh’s instructions. Pharoah’s response was to agree but warned them “only do not go very far off,” i.e., do not go far beyond his border and his control. Therefore, the 3-days’ journey that Yahweh requested by the hand of Moses did not begin until one had actually left the borders of Egypt (Mizraim) and the power of Pharaoh.

Philo adds one more important dimension to the equation. As already pointed out, while the Israelites were at Rephidim, Philo reports that the Israelites “came within sight of the confines of the land οἰκουμένης (oikoumenes; inhabited with houses) and the outlying districts of the country in which they proposed to settle.

This country was occupied by the Phoenicians (i.e., Kanaani).”¹¹ Kanaan in the days of Moses only extended as far south as that part of the Negeb lying opposite Petra. Furthermore, Mount Sinai was only “short stages” from Rephidim.¹²

Philo then adds another important comment:

So, having received the authority which they (the Israelites) willingly gave him, with the sanction and assent of the deity, he proposed to lead them to settle in Phoenicia and Coelesyria and Palestine, then called the land of the Kanaani, THE BOUNDARIES OF WHICH WERE A 3-days’ JOURNEY FROM EGYPT.¹³

According to this statement, Mount Sinai was either on or very near to that part of the land of Kanaan “inhabited with houses,” for both the land of Kanaan and Mount Sinai were a 3-days’ journey from Egypt and one could see that part of Kanaan “inhabited with houses” from Rephidim.

From Where on the Border?
Most would assume that the 3-days’ journey began at the point on the eastern side of the Suph Sea where the Israelites exited from their crossing.

A closer look at Scriptures indicates otherwise. Yahweh first spoke to Moses regarding his mission to bring the Israelites out from the land of Egypt during the burning bush incident.

Of course, Yahweh knew that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened and that the departure route would be out of the ordinary.

And I (Yahweh) am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. (Exodus 3:19-20)

On Abib 15, the day after Phasekh (Passover), Moses led the Israelites to Succoth, located about 11 miles north of Ramses on the east side of the Nile. On Abib 17, the pillars of cloud and fire arrived and began to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

And they took their journey from Succoth, AND ENCAMPED IN ETHAM, IN THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS. (Exodus 13:20)

And they departed from Succoth, AND PITCHED IN ETHAM, WHICH IS IN THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS. AND THEY REMOVED FROM ETHAM, AND TURNED BACK TO PIHAHIROTH, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol. (Numbers 32:6-7)

Moses knew the roads out of Egypt very well and recognized this route as the most logical and shortest exit. Therefore, it was expected that Yahweh would take the leading company of the Israelites across the area north of the Suph Sea to the eastern side, the area of Etham, which was in the wilderness.

But then Yahweh did something unexpected. He instructed Moses to turn back to the western side and travel south to where the Israelites would be trapped at Pihahiroth, a pocket between the mountains and the Suph Sea. This was all done to demonstrate the mighty wonders to be enacted by Yahweh before Pharaoh and his army

In fact, Yahweh also showed Moses and Pharaoh that it was the road to Etham where the exit out of Egypt and into the wilderness would normally be expected.

Therefore, the starting point for the 3-days’ journey would not be where the Israelites exited the Suph Sea, but it was at Etham, several miles north of the head of the Suph Sea. We will address the specific area in a forthcoming article.

Yelleq Mountain Range
So far, the evidence places Mount Sinai quite a distance from places like Yemen, the southern Sinai, and Saudi Arabia. Instead, it points to the northern Sinai in an area bordering on that part of the Negeb, representing the southern part of the land of Kanaan. The highest mountain range in that district is named Yelleq, which has its highest peak called Ra’s Abu Qurun (3,547 feet).¹⁴

Even though this study has determined that Ra’s Abu Qurun is not the exact location of Mount Sinai, it is evident that we will discover the true Mount Sinai within the very mountain range of Yelleq.

40 Days
One of the techniques used to confront the evidence of only a 3-days’ journey is the fact that, after crossing the Suph Sea (LXX “Red Sea”),¹⁵ Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 days before they reached the sacred mountain.¹⁶

By using the 40-day figure and even allowing for the fact that they did not travel every day, especially on the Sabbath days, it can be argued that it gave the Israelites enough time to go all the way to the southern end of the Sinai, or to the Negeb, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or even to Yemen. However, this interpretation is a misapplication of the evidence, as it does not align with the historical context.

The Scriptures clearly state that Yahweh led the Israelites through the barren wilderness during this period, not because he was going directly to Mount Sinai, but rather, by a long way around because he was testing (proving) them, seeing if by experiencing the affliction of the desert they would continue to obey his voice and keep his commandments, statutes, and laws.

Indeed, periods of 40—whether days or years—were a common theme in Scriptures as a time of testing.¹⁷ The Israelites were to be a nation of priests.¹⁸ They represented Yahweh’s Assembly in the wilderness.¹⁹ Accordingly, as the apostle Saul (Paul) instructed Timothy, even the deacons in the Assembly must “first be tested, then let them serve, being unimpeachable.”²⁰

Josephus sums up this 40-day period before reaching Mount Sinai when he reports that Yahweh brought them into this part of the wilderness in order:

. . . to test their manhood, to see what fortitude they possessed, what memory of past services, and whether their thoughts would not revert to those services because of the troubles now in their path, so that he (Yahweh) was exercising them with these trials of the moment.²¹

Philo, likewise, reports that one of the reasons Moses led the Israelites on the road that he did was because Yahweh “wished, by leading them through a long stretch of wilderness country, TO TEST the extent of their loyalty when supplies were not abundant but gradually grew scarcer and scarcer.”²²

The Recognitions of Clement, as still another example, states:

After this, Moses, by the command of the deity, whose providence is over all, led out the people of the Hebrews into the wilderness; and, leaving the shortest road which leads from Egypt to Judaea, he led the people through long windings of the wilderness, so that, by the discipline of forty years, the novelty of a changed manner of life might root out the evils which had clung to them by a long-continued familiarity with the customs of the Egyptians. . . . On this account, leaving the short road which leads from Egypt to Judaea, Moses conducted them by an immense circuit of the desert, if haply he might be able, as we mentioned before, to shake off the evils of old habit by the change of a new education.²³

To demonstrate this principle of education, during the initial 40 days after leaving Egypt, Yahweh is said to have tested the Israelites at Marah to see if they would obey him,²⁴ then again in the “wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai,” where he also gave them manna to eat.²⁵ Then, once more, he tested them at Meribah, which is at Rephidim, where he gave them water from a rock to quench their thirst.²⁶

Regarding the above issue of the manna, Moses later told the Israelites, it was Yahweh:

. . . who in the wilderness fed you manna, which (food) your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and for the purpose of testing you to do you good at your latter end and (in case of) your saying in your innermost self, My power and the might of my hand have made this wealth for me. And you shall remember Yahweh your eloahi because it is he who gives to you the power to make wealth in order to establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as is this day. (Deut. 8:16-18)

Finally, after reaching Mount Sinai and seeing Yahweh come down upon the mountain in a terrifying manner, Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid because the eloahim has come in order to test you, so that his fear will be upon your faces so that you will not sin.”²⁷ The 40-day period of testing, as a result, has no bearing on the distance marked out as a “3-days’ journey.”

Three Days Away
The Hebrew expression חרך שלשת ימים (derek shalshath yomim; “a road of 3 days,” i.e., “a 3-days’ journey”) does not mean that the millions of Israelites would only spend three days walking in the wilderness.²⁸ Rather, it was a reference to a distance of march, either by the military or a caravan, much as the Assyrian term beru or the Persian parasang were used.²⁹ In Jonah, for example, the distance around the city of Nineveh and all its suburbs is defined as “a 3-days’ journey.”³⁰

A normal day’s travel for a military unit or caravan was roughly 20 to 25 miles.³¹ However, in some circumstances, depending upon the terrain, time of year, and climatic conditions, it could be as much as 30 miles.

J. D. Douglas writes:

In the East distances were commonly considered in terms of hours and days. Thus a day’s journey might be reckoned as 7–8 hours (perhaps 20–30 miles), but it was a somewhat indefinite expression appropriate to a country where roads and other factors vary greatly.³²

To demonstrate, during the late 5th century B.C.E., as reported by Xenophon, a Greek army that was retreating from the Persians took their march through Assyria northward along the Tigris River. Xenophon states that they marched 4 stages for 20 parasangs (about 70 miles), 6 stages for 30 parasangs (about 105 miles), and then 4 stages for another 20 parasangs (about 70 miles).³³

The total in this line of march, therefore, was 14 stages (or 14 days of marching) at 70 parasangs (about 245 miles). The average marching time in their retreat (which, of course, was committed with all due haste) was 17.5 miles per day. Yet the terrain, with its rivers and mountains, posed significant challenges, slowing their progress to some degree.

Herodotus (5th century B.C.E.), meanwhile, reckons an average day’s journey along the route from Sardis in Asia Minor to Susia in Persia, which crosses mountains, streams, and plains, to be 150 stadia, i.e., approximately 17.25 miles per day.³⁴ On the other hand, when one travels through the more open country of Scythia, this same author calculates 200 stadia per day, i.e., approximately 23 miles per day.³⁵

Itineraria Romana
For our purposes, a better picture is obtained from information dealing with the roads in the Sinai Peninsula. We begin by citing the ancient Itineraria Romana, which provides a list of stations along the coastal road of the Sinai and gives the distances between each in Roman miles. A Roman mile denotes a distance of 1,000 paces or 5,000 Roman feet. It is estimated to correspond to about 4,851 English feet,³⁶ some 429 feet shorter than an English mile (5,280 feet).

For the stations along the Palestim highway from Sile (Tzur), located close to modern El-Qantara in Egypt,³⁷ to Gaza in Palestine, we read:³⁸

Stations	Roman Miles
Sile (Tzur) to Magdolo	12
Magdolo to Pelusio (Pelusium)	12
Pelusio to Pentascino	20
Pentascino to Cassio	20
Cassio to Ostracena	26
Ostracena to Rinocorura (Rhinocolura)	24
Rinocorura to Rafia (Raphia)	22
Rafia to Gaza	22
Total	158 Roman miles (145.16 English miles)

In the time of Thutmose III of Dynasty XVIII, we are told that Pharaoh set out with his army on his expedition against Syria beginning from Sile (Tzur). He reached the city of Gaza, a trip of about 160 English miles, in 10 days.³⁹ His travel time results in an average daily march of 16 miles per day.

Yet Pharoah’s records do not reflect any reason for a forced march, thereby indicating a more cautious or slower pace for his rather large invasion force. Neither do we know how many days he rested at each station. Nevertheless, the evidence does show that his army travelled at a minimum of 16 miles per day.

Beginning in the latter part of the 4th century B.C.E., we have much better examples. It took Alexander the Great 7 days to march from Gaza, which was located in Palestine, to Pelusium in Egypt, a distance of about 134 Roman miles (123.11 English miles).⁴⁰ This renders us an average of about 17.58 miles per day.

Ptolemy, meanwhile, later made the march from Pelusium to a place located about 50 stades south from Raphia, the first city of Coele-Syria and Palestine, arriving on the 5th day.⁴¹ The distance was about 112 Roman miles (102.9 English miles) divided by 5 days, giving us a total of about 20.58 miles per day.

Finally, we have our best example from the 1st century C.E. During this period, Titus of Rome made a march from Pelusium to Rhinocorura (El-Arish), a distance of about 90 Roman miles (82.68 English miles) in 3 days.⁴² Therefore, he made the expedition, averaging about 27.56 English miles per day.

What is so important about this 3-days’ journey of Titus is that Pelusium laid on the ancient northeast border of Egypt and Rhinocorura set on the south side of the border of the land of Palestia proper. Palestia was counted as part of the ancient land of Kanaan and with this district one finds fertile land and settled regions, not bedouin travelers. It represents those parts of Kanaan “inhabited with houses,” as mentioned by Philo.

Philo Confirmed
Therefore, the words of Philo, who stated that this part of the land of Kanaan was a 3-days’ journey from the border of Egypt, is thus confirmed. Assuming good weather and 8 hours of travel time per day—intermixed with periods of rest, eating, and time to make and break camp—the Roman army of Titus marched at a rate of about 3.445 miles per hour.

This figure fits rather well with the conclusions of David Hughes. While discussing various routes that the Magi could have possibly taken to reach Jerusalem during the 1st century C.E., he remarks, “A fit man can walk easily at about three and a half miles an hour.”⁴³

These various examples reveal two things: First, it is clear that the miles-per-day ratio of the military gives us a minimum of 14.5 miles per day in the reign of Thutmose III to as much as 27.56 miles per day by Titus in the 1st century C.E. If we accept both the lowest and highest figures, a 3 days’ military march consisted of a journey of somewhere between approximately 43.5 (14.5 X 3) to 82.68 (27.56 X 3) English miles, the latter figure best representing the views of Philo and Josephus.

Conclusion
It is manifest that the 3-days’ journey by walking from the border of Egypt until one came to Mount Sinai is a measurement of an actual distance based upon normal travel time through that district.

On the other hand, the 40-day period, during which time Yahweh, in his divine guidance, led the Israelites circuitously through a harsh wilderness, was a planned extension of the trip designed to test the Israelites before they came to Mount Sinai to enter into a covenant agreement to serve Yahweh.

Meanwhile, military expeditions demonstrate that a typical journey through north Sinai would proceed at the rate of 20 to 28 miles a day, depending on the army’s size, weather, and other road conditions.

Therefore, the evidence reveals that the calculation for the 3-days’ journey began on the other side of the eastern border of Egypt, at Etham, an area north of the Suph Sea crossing located in the wilderness.

This means that Mount Sinai is located within a distance of about 90 miles from the area of Etham, west of the border of Egypt.

The mountain range that fits this criteria is none other than the one named Yelleq in the northwestern Sinai Peninsula. It is also evident that the true Mount Sinai is located within this mountain range. We will pinpoint the exact location of Mount Sinai in a forthcoming article.

Note: Adapted from a chapter of a forthcoming publication by R. Clover to be published by Qadesh La Yahweh Press.

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Footnotes:
Click for Bibliography and Abbreviations

1 – Jos., Antiq., 2:12:1.↩
2 – Philo, Moses, 1:14.↩
3 – Exod. 14:23-30; Wis.Sol. 10:20; Jos., Antiq., 2:16:6.↩
4 – For the Greek term , see GEL, 1996, p. 147, “generally, unarmed”; GEL, p. 74. Exod. 13:18, does not say that the Israelites went out of Egypt “armed,” as found in the Vulgate and popularly translated. The term חמשים (khamishshim; fifty[-wide]) means that they went out by “fifties,” i.e., in rows of 50 across (SEC, Heb. #2572; HEL, p. 89; CHAL, p. 109). The LXX of Exod. 13:18 also misunderstood the expression and gives “in the fifth generation.” The earlier writers, on the other hand, realized that the Israelites were unarmed.↩
5 – Demetrius, Chron., frag. 5. For the arms retrieved from the drowned Egyptians, cf., Exod. 14:23-30; Wis.Sol. 10:20; Jos., Antiq., 2:16:6.↩
6 – On the arms obtained by the Israelites from the drowned Egyptians, also see Exod. 14:23-30; Wis.Sol. 10:16-20; Jos., Antiq., 2:16:6 §349.↩
7 – Jos., Antiq., 2:13:4.↩
8 – Philo, Moses, 1:15:87. Colson, Philo, vi, loc. cit., renders the important part of his verse, “he should send the people out of his boundaries to sacrifice”; while Yonge, Philo, loc. cit., has “sending forth their people from his territories that they might sacrifice.”↩
9 – Yashar, 79:48.↩
10 – The animals that would be seen as loathsome to sacrifice by the Egyptians were cattle, and the Israelites were intent on sacrificing cattle as a freewill offering. The Egyptians held cows as sacred. As E. P. Evans writes, “The Egyptians worshipped two bulls, both sacred to Osiris, namely Mneuis at Heliopolis, and Apis at Memphis; the sign of the former was the sun, and that of the latter the moon” (ASEA, p. 14). Strabo, 17:1:22, states, “The Momemphitae (of Egypt) honor Aphrodite; and a sacred cow is kept there, as is Apis (a sacred bull) in Memphis and Mneuis (a sacred ox) in Heliopolis. Now these animals are regarded as gods, but those in the other places—for in many places, indeed, both in the Delta and outside of it, either a bull or cow is kept—those others, I say, are not regarded as gods, though they are held sacred.” For the Israelites to have sacrificed a bull, ox, or cow in front of the Egyptians would have caused a great outcry, especially as an offering to an eloahim considered alien by the Egyptians.↩
11 – Philo, Moses, 1:39:214.↩
12 – Jos., Antiq., 3:2:5.↩
13 – Philo, Moses, 1:29:163.↩
14 – Latitude/Longitude at 30.350472 N 33.523618 E (For 3,547 feet, see https://peakvisor.com/peak/ras-abu-qurun.html.)↩
15 – Cf., MT and LXX at Exod. 10:19, 13:18, 15:4, 22, 23:31; Num. 14:25, 21:4, 14, 33:10-11; Deut. 1:1, 40, 2:1, 11:4; Josh. 2:10, 4:23, 24:6; Judge 11:16; 1 Kings 9:26; Neh. 9:9; Ps. 106:7, 9, 22, 136:13, 15; Jer. 49:21; cf., Acts 7:36; Heb. 11:29.↩
16 – The Israelites crossed the Suph Sea on the 20th day of Abib, the 1st moon of the year and the last day of Phasekh (e.g., Seder Olam, 5; Yashar, 81:11-13; Philo, Moses, 1:30, who defines this festival meal as a αριστοποιεῖσθαι (aristopoieisthai; most virtuous meal); and cf., FSDY, 1, p. 148. They arrived at Mount Sinai on the 1st day of the 3rd moon (Exod. 19:1).↩
17 – E.g., for 40 years of testing in the wilderness, see Deut. 8:2, cf., Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:33, 32:13; Deut. 2:7, 8:4, 29:5; Josh. 5:6; Neh. 9:21; Ps. 95:10; Amos 2:10, 5:25; Acts 7:42, 13:18; Heb. 3:9, 17; for three periods of 40 days and 40 nights of Moses on Mount Sinai, see Exod. 24:18, 34:28; Deut. 9:9, 11, 18, 25, 10:10; for the 40 days to spy out the land of Kanaan (being directly correlated with the 40 years of sojourning in the wilderness), see Num. 13:25, 14:34; for the 40 years of desolation for Egypt, see Ezek. 29:11-13; for the 40 days to test Nineveh before it would be overthrown, see Jonah 3:4; for the 40 days of testing of the messiah before he began his ministry, see Matt. 4:2; Mark 1:3; Luke 4:2; for the messiah being seen by the assembly and providing proofs for 40 days after his resurrection, see Acts 1:3.↩
18 – Exod. 19:3-6.↩
19 – Acts 7:38; cf., Exod. 16:1, 10, 17:1; Num. 13:26, 14:2, 35, 20:4, 27:14.↩
20 – 1 Tim. 3:10.↩
21 – Jos., Antiq., 3:1:4, said in reference to the Israelites being at Elim, cf., Exod. 15:27.↩
22 – Philo, Moses, 1:29.↩
23 – Recog. Clem., 1:35.↩
24 – Exod. 15:23-26, esp. v. 25.↩
25 – Exod. 16:1-36, esp. v. 4.↩
26 – Ps. 81:7, cf., Exod. 17:1-7.↩
27 – Exod. 20:20.↩
28 – We can only understand by the phrase “3 days’ journey” that a consistent and normal march of three days was intended.↩
29 – For the Assyrian beru, as an example, see JAOS, 45 (25), p. 229, “The beru is here not an exact surveyor’s measure of length, but naturally the distance covered in an average march of two hours (beru = double-hour), that is, between four and five miles in a straight line, depending upon the nature of the country traversed.” For the Persian parasang, see Rawlinson, Herodotus, 3, pp. 212-213, n. 7, “The truth is, that the ancient parasang, like the modern farsakh, was originally a measure of time (an hour), not a measure of distance. In passing from the one meaning to the other, it came to make a different length in different places, according to the nature of the country traversed.” A day’s journey, like these other ancient measures, represents distance traveled in a certain period of time more than a definite distance.↩
30 – Jonah 3:3; cf., Gen. 30:36; Num. 10:33.↩
31 – EBD, p. 267, believes it was “between 32 and 40 km.,” i.e., 20-25 miles.↩
32 – NBD, p. 297.↩
33 – Xenophon, Anab., 2:4:25.↩
34 – Herodotus, 5:53. A stadia (about 607 feet) X 150 = 91,050 feet divided by 5, 280 feet (a mile) = 17.244318 miles. A stadia was approximately 606 feet and 9 inches (NBD, p. 1324; DB, p. 741).↩
35 – Herodotus, 4:101. A stadia (about 607 feet) X 200 = 121,400 feet divided by 5,280 feet (a mile) = 22.992424 miles.↩
36 – DGRA, p. 171. ↩
37 – Tz-r-u, also called Zar-u, Thar-u, Djar-u, Tjar-u, Tjel, Silu, Zile, and so forth.↩
38 – Itineraria Romana, #171 together with #151–152.↩
39 – Breasted, Egypt, p. 409; ARE, 2:409.↩
40 – Arrian, 3:1; Curtius, 4:7.↩
41 – Polybius, 5:80.↩
42 – Jos., Wars, 4:11:5. Titus made a day’s march through the wilderness from Pelusium and the Pelusiac mouth of the Nile to a place near the temple of the Casian Zeus (i.e., the temple of Zeus-Ammon near the summit of Ras el-Kasrun (Mons Casius), a sandstone range adjoining Lake Sirbonis (Thackeray, Jos., iii, p. 197, n. j). The second day he marched to Ostracine, along the coast, and on the third day he came to Rhinocorura.↩
43 – TSBM, pp. 60-61. Hughes adds that even a clumsy inexperienced camel rider could make 30 miles a day. Yet we must keep in mind that the Egyptian day’s journey was not measured by everyone riding horseback or on a camel but, rather, a walking distance. A military or caravan moved at walking speed, walking along with their animals, not riding speed.↩

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Bibliography and Abbreviations

ARE = Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt. 5 vols. New York, Russell & Russell, 1906, reissued 1962.

ASEA = E. P. Evans, Animal Symbolism in Ecclesiastical Architecture, London: W. Heinemann, 1896

CHAL = A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. William L. Holladay. Based upon the Lexical Work of Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971.

DB = Smith, William, ed. A Dictionary of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan, 1948.

DGRA = William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: John Murray (1875).

EBD = Easton’s Bible Dictionary, M. G. Easton, 3rd ed., published by Thomas Nelson, 1897

GEL = An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Founded upon the seventh ed. of Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon. At the Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1961.

HEL = Hebrew-English Lexicon. Zondervan Edition, 1970. Catalog #6264. Samuel Bagster & Sons, LTD., London. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

JAOS = Journal of the American Oriental Society

Jos. = Flavius Josephus (37–ca. 100 C.E.)
— Antiq. Jewish Antiquities
— Wars History of the Jewish Wars Against the Romans

LXX = The Greek Septuagint.

NBD = The New Bible Dictionary. Ed. by J. D. Douglas. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971.

SEC = Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, together with Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words. Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa.
– Heb. = A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible.
– Gk. = A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament.

TSBM = The Star of Bethlehem Mystery. By David Hughes, 1979

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Moses and Yahweh

It is clear from the numerous passages in Scriptures that the name Yahweh is an eternal name and that it was known and used since the days of Adam and Eve.

It can also be demonstrated beyond any doubt that Yahweh revealed the sacred name to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob and was utilized by their households.

How, then, is it possible that a popular interpretation—which contends that Yahweh never revealed his name to Abraham, Isaak, or Jacob and that it was only first revealed to Moses—can be used to offset the entire book of Genesis and numerous other verses throughout the Scriptures?

We invite you to investigate this seeming contradiction in Scripture and discover the facts of the matter with this podcast.

This audio presentation can be accessed and listened to at the following link:

M020. Moses and Yahweh – (22:13)

It can also be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean, among others.

32. Passover – Exodus Interrogated III

Passover – Exodus Interrogated III
In our last post, Passover – Exodus Interrogated II, we uncovered an additional eight points of evidence dealing with our investigation of the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread:

8. There are a total of 7 days of eating unleavened bread.

9. The first and seventh days are High Sabbaths.

10. It was during the night of Passover, Abib 14, that the Israelites came out of Egypt, the house of bondage.

11. The Hebrew terms arab (evening) and byn ha-arabim (between the evenings) are synonymous and mean the time period just after sunset and before dark which begins the scriptural day.

12. One is to eat unleavened bread from the beginning of Abib 14 until the beginning of Abib 21 for a total of seven days of eating unleavened bread.

13. After the killing of the Passover lamb, the sprinkling of blood on the door frame, and the Passover meal at the beginning of Abib 14, the Israelites were not to leave their houses until morning.

14. It was the destroyer named Yahweh who killed all the Egyptian firstborn.

15. The day of Passover is to be observed as an ordinance or statute until a future world-age lasting time.

We will now proceed to solve this case with our third and final installment.

Continue reading “32. Passover – Exodus Interrogated III” →

31. Passover – Exodus Interrogated II

Passover – Exodus Interrogated II
So far, the interrogation from Passover – Exodus Interrogated I has produced the following primary evidence:

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron on Abib 1 of the New Year.

2. The Passover lamb was to be taken on Abib 10.

3. The lamb was to be kept until the beginning of Abib 14.

4. The lamb was to be killed just after sundown at the beginning of Abib 14, and its blood was applied to the doorframe. It is immediately cooked and eaten.

5. All remains of the lamb were to be burned by early morning before sunrise of Abib 14.

6. Yahweh would pass through Egypt during the night of Abib 14, killing all the firstborn except Israelite houses applied with the blood of the lamb.

7. Abib 14 is a Festival Day.

Let us continue.

Continue reading “31. Passover – Exodus Interrogated II” →

30. Passover – Exodus Interrogated I

Passover – Exodus Interrogated I
What does the book of Exodus really say regarding the observance of the Festival of Passover? Also, what about the Festival of Unleavened Bread?

There are two main popular understandings:

• According to the Hasidic Jewish view (System B) the Passover lamb was killed during the afternoon of Abib 14 and the Passover supper took place after sundown on Abib 15.

Abib 14 is a preparation day and not a High Sabbath. Abib 15-21 is the 7-day Festival of Unleavened Bread. Abib 15 and 21 are High Sabbath days. There are 8 days of eating unleavened bread.

• Among the Sacred Name groups of today, most hold to the Modern Hybrid view (System G) whereby, at the Exodus, the Passover lamb was killed at the start of Abib 14 after sundown and the Passover supper eaten that night.

Like the Hasidic Jews holding to System B, they consider Abib 14 to be a preparation day and not a High Sabbath. Abib 15-21 is the 7-day Festival of Unleavened Bread. Abib 15 and 21 are High Sabbath days. There are 8 days of eating unleavened bread.

For the seeker of truth, we are only left with the following possibilities.

1. One system is right.
2. Both systems are wrong.

If you have a strange suspicion that the second answer is more correct, then it is suggested that you read on.

Continue reading “30. Passover – Exodus Interrogated I” →

Moses and the Name Yahweh

Moses and the Name Yahweh
It is clear from the numerous passages in Scriptures that the name Yahweh is an eternal name and that it was known and used since the days of Adam and Eve.

It can also be demonstrated beyond any doubt that the sacred name was revealed by Yahweh to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob and was utilized by their households.

How then is it possible that a popular interpretation—which contends that Yahweh never revealed his name to Abraham, Isaak, or Jacob and that it was only first revealed to Moses—can be used to offset the entire book of Genesis and numerous other verses throughout the Scriptures?

We invite you to investigate this seeming contradiction in Scriptures by reading on and discovering the facts of the matter.

ONE PASSAGE
When the argument that the name was only first revealed to Moses is closely examined, we find that the entire case rests with only one passage.

And eloahim spoke to Moses and he said to him, “I am Yahweh; and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaak, and to Jacob as el shaddai (the almighty one), and (by) my name Yahweh I did not reveal myself to them; and also I established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Kanaan, the land of their sojournings, which they sojourned in it.” (Exodus 6:2-4)

This statement, the explanation goes, proves that the sacred name was not revealed to any man, including the patriarchs Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob, until Moses, who lived hundreds of years later.

Further, since Moses was sent to the Israelites in Egypt with this name (Exod. 3:13-16), their thought continues, this proves that the name Yahweh was meant only for the Israelites.

Christian and Muslim groups hold this basic tenet as the reason why they need not use the sacred name.

The Jewish assemblies (who forbid the use of the sacred name by anyone except those they declare pious, and then only on special occasions), meanwhile, judge this passage to prove how extremely sacred the name Yahweh is. For the Jews it justifies their taboo against its use.

If one were to apply a cursory investigation, since most people already desire this popular interpretation to be valid, this commonly held understanding of Exodus 6:2-4 would seem plausible.

AN IMMENSE FLAW
But it is plagued with one immense flaw: if their translation and understanding of this verse is correct then large portions of the Scriptures are blatantly in error. One would be forced to choose between one of two assumed “traditions” of the Scriptures proposed by the priestly school as to when the personal name Yahweh first came into existence.

By definition, such a choice would entail a great contradiction between different parts of the Scriptures. Even if one is prone to believe in a totally human origin for the Scriptures, it would be hard to justify why its authors would have allowed such an obvious antithesis between this popular understanding of Exodus 6:2-4 and the rest of the Bible.

A close examination of Exodus 6:2-4 in context with the story being told, however, demonstrates that the presently popular interpretation of this passage is in error.

Yahweh was not informing Moses that the sacred name was unknown by Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob, but to the contrary, that he had in fact revealed it to them as part of his Covenants of Promise. For this reason Yahweh would bring the Israelites out of Egypt to take possession of the promised land.

AN EXAMINATION
To prove this understanding, we must first examine the background of the presently popular interpretation of Exodus 6:2-4 and then proceed with a detailed study of the context of the verse.

First it should be recognized that in ancient Hebrew there were no vowel marks written beneath the letters, as is customary today, nor were there commas, question marks, periods, quotation marks, or other such punctuation. How a sentence was to be understood and read depended entirely upon its context.

The next problem that arose was the lapse of time between when the original books were composed and understood until the return of the Jewish captivity from Babylonia during the 6th through 5th centuries B.C.E.

While in captivity in Babylonia (586-538 B.C.E.), the Jews had lost the continuity in such knowledge and upon their return to Judaea they had to be retaught (Neh. 8:1-18; Jos., Antiq., 11:5:5).

This knowledge was once again suppressed during the forced Hellenization period of Judaea by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who died in 163 B.C.E.

JEWISH TRADITIONS
The loss of various subtle understandings of scriptural verse was counterbalanced by the development of Jewish “traditions” and schools of “interpretations,” which flowered from the latter half of the 2nd century B.C.E. until the 2nd century C.E. These traditions and interpretations were the source of much contention between the messiah and the Jewish religious leaders of the 1st century C.E. (see Matt. 15:1-9; Mark 7:7-9; Gal. 1:13-14; Col. 2:7-10; 1Pet. 1:18; 1Tim. 4:1-7)

As the years proceeded these traditions and interpretations came to be finalized in written form and are now known as the Mishnah and the various Talmud and Midrash documents.

One of the mistaken interpretations developed by the Jewish religious leaders was the notion that the personal name Yahweh was far too sacred for any common man to utter. Beginning sometime after the mid-2nd century B.C.E., the high priest, on only special occasions, and a few other chosen (who learned the name in secret), were permitted to express its sound.

FORBIDDEN BY JEWISH LAW
For all others it was forbidden by Jewish law. When the Jewish religious leaders came to the verse in Exodus 6:2-4, they chose to understand it as further evidence of their new and radical interpretation about the sacrosanctity of the name Yahweh.

JOSEPHUS
Our earliest evidence of this interpretation comes in the works of the 1st century C.E. Jewish historian Josephus. With regard to Yahweh’s revelation of his personal name to Moses, as recorded in Exodus 3:1-16, Josephus writes:

Then the deity revealed to him (Moses) his name, which ere then had not come to men’s ears, and of which I am forbidden to speak. (Jos., Antiq. 2:12:4)

The belief that Moses was the first man to hear the personal name Yahweh is clearly disproved by numerous quotes from Genesis. Nevertheless, this inventive interpretation was needed in order for the Jewish religious leaders to justify their stand on not using the sacred name.

The debate over whether or not an average man should speak the personal name of the almighty also became the chief bone of contention between the messiah and the Jewish leaders.

PHARISAIC INTERPRETATION
The early assemblies following the messiah believed in speaking the sacred name. But during that period the Pharisaic elements which had joined these assemblies spread their own interpretation about.

By the 2nd century C.E. many of those calling themselves Christians had become adherents to the “ineffable name” doctrine of their Jewish brothers. It became official Christian dogma at the beginning of the 4th century when the Roman Church was founded under Constantine. From this point on it was considered “Jewish” to use the sacred name (despite the fact that the Jews forbade its use).

“TWO TRADITIONS” THEORY
To justify the apparent contradiction between the popular understanding of Exodus 6:2-4, and the evidence produced by the book of Genesis that the name Yahweh was previously known, biblical scholars developed the “two traditions” theory. This theory opened the door for some critics to argue that such books as Genesis and Exodus were not really composed until sometime in or after the days of kings David and Solomon (10th century B.C.E.).

If we accept this view then there exist grounds for the belief that the Jews invented the sacred name. To do so also entails an acceptance of a contradiction in the Scriptures of major proportions, a belief that Moses did not write Genesis or Exodus.

More to the point, it allows for the supposition that the Scriptures are a lie—all which are unwarranted when set against the evidence.

THE CONTEXT
The problem with the so-called contradiction between the popular interpretation of Exodus 6:2-4, and the prior revelation and use of the sacred name reported in the book of Genesis is solved once we take a much closer look at the context in which the statement at question takes place.

The comments given in Exodus 6:2-4 came as the result of events which had just recently transpired. We begin by observing that after the Exodus the Israelites sent a letter to the king of Edom recalling that before they came out of Egypt “we cried to Yahweh, and he heard our voice, and sent a messenger (i.e. Moses), and has brought us out of Egypt; and behold, we are in Qadesh, a city at the edge of your border” (Num. 20:14-16). This passage, written by Moses, reveals that prior to his calling the Israelites had pleaded to Yahweh to save them.

Next, in the first part of Exodus we are informed of how Yahweh appeared to Moses at Mount Sinai (Horeb) and revealed that he was “the eloahi of his fathers, the eloahi of Abraham, the eloahi of Isaak, and the eloahi of Jacob” (Exod. 3:6).

Yahweh enlightened Moses to the fact that he had now come to bring his people, the Israelites, out of Egypt and take them into the land of Kanaan as had been promised to their forefathers (Exod. 3:1-10; see Gen. 15:12-14). As part of this task, Yahweh was sending Moses both to Pharaoh and the Israelites in Egypt, advising them of this message.

One might think that Moses would have met this invitation with much enthusiasm. To the contrary, Moses had a great incentive to stay out of Egypt.

Earlier in his life he had killed an Egyptian whom he had found beating on a fellow Israelite. This act caused Moses to be placed under a sentence of death by Pharaoh. To save his life he fled to the land of Midian along the Gulf of Aqaba. There he found safety in the house of the priest-king named Jethro, whose daughter he married (Exod. 2:1-22).

Moses knew that as long as Pharaoh still lived he was under a death sentence in Egypt; Moses had not yet learned of the recent death of Pharaoh nor did he know that all the men who were seeking his life were now dead (Exod. 4:18-19).

Fearing the consequences of his arrival, Moses immediately tried to find an excuse for not going. As this story develops, Yahweh becomes increasingly upset with Moses because of his continuous efforts to evade the journey to Egypt:

And Moses said to eloahim, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)

We should immediately take note of the fact that Moses did not test out the identity of his divine visitor. He did not ask, for example, “Who are you,” but rather “Who am I.” This detail is our first indication that Moses already knew that the “eloahi” of his fathers was Yahweh.

Yahweh then assured Moses by telling him he would be with him in this endeavor. But, Moses, who at every opportunity sought a way to escape these orders, then tried to find another justification as to why he need not go. He asked Yahweh:

Behold, I shall come to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The eloahi of your fathers has sent me to you” and they will say to me, “What is his name?” What shall I say to them? (Exodus 3:13)

The first point to be cognizant of is that if the almighty’s name was “eloahi” there would have been no purpose for Moses to ask this question. Here is one more proof that eloahi is not a personal name.

Second, the above question was not asked by someone who was anxiously trying to follow the words of Yahweh, but rather, the words of someone trying to be relieved from going! If Moses knew who his ancestors were, then he would certainly have known the name of their eloahi.

ISRAELITES AND MOSES ALREADY KNEW
The entire discussion is set with the backdrop that both the Israelites in Egypt and Moses already knew the name of the eloahi of their fathers. What Moses was, instead, trying to do was find just cause not to go to the Israelites living in Egypt.

Moses was attempting to excuse himself on the grounds that the Israelites in Egypt knew the name of their eloahi and would test him on that issue. The eloahi who was now speaking to him, nevertheless, had not admitted to his name. How then could he go to them without this information?

In response, Yahweh said, “I am who I am!” and told Moses to tell the sons of Israel, “I am has sent me to you.” (Exod. 3:14) Later, we are told Yahweh “again” responded to the question of Moses by saying:

You shall say this to the sons of Israel, YAHWEH, the eloahi of your fathers, the eloahi of Abraham, the eloahi of Isaak, the eloahi of Jacob, has sent me to you; this is my name to forever, and this is my memorial to generation upon generation. (Exodus 3:15)

Yahweh’s initial reply, “I am who I am,” was not simply a casual remark to a man asking him a plausible question. It was spoken because Moses had asked such a foolish question in an obvious attempt to keep from traveling to Egypt.

This circumstance is verified by what happened next. After once more telling Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and then informing him of the events that were to transpire, Yahweh was met with still another excuse from Moses as to why he should not go:

And Moses answered and said, “And, behold, they will not believe me and will not listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’ ” (Exodus 4:1)

This passage is extremely important for understanding the context of all that was taking place. First, it shows that Moses was continuing to seek reasons why he should not go. Second, Moses does not say that he would be rejected because the Israelites did not know who Yahweh was.

Instead, Moses states that the Israelites would ridicule him with disbelief that Yahweh had appeared to him. If they had not known of Yahweh they would have said, “Who is Yahweh?,” as Pharaoh did (Exod. 5:2).

The fact that Moses expected them only to deny Yahweh’s appearance proves that the Israelites already knew Yahweh but they would doubt that he had sent Moses as a prophet.

Indeed, the very notion that the eloahi of Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob would have revealed himself to Moses by a different name is untenable. As A. B. Davidson observed, the name Yahweh “can hardly have been altogether new to Israel before their deliverance. A new name would have been in those days a new god” (Dict. of the Bible, 2, pp. 199-200)!

ABRAHAM, ISAAK, AND JACOB
Clearly Yahweh had revealed himself to Moses as being the same eloahi that Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob had served. He was the eloahi of the ancestors of the Israelites, not someone new.

The attitude of Yahweh demonstrated by these passages is further established by the fact that after Yahweh gave Moses signs to take with him into Egypt, Moses continued to seek ways to flee from his duty. This time his excuse was his inability to speak well:

And Moses said to Yahweh, “Please adonai, I am not a man of words, either from yesterday or from the third day (before) or since you spoke to your servant; for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

Yahweh, being increasingly upset, responded:

Who has made man’s mouth? or who makes (the) dumb, or (the) deaf, or (the) seeing, or (the) blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? (Exodus 4:11)

Yahweh then reassured Moses that he would provide him with what he needed to say. Seeing all of his objections answered, and no valid reason for not being sent, Moses now resorted to one final attempt. He simply asked Yahweh to send someone else in his place:

Please adonai, now send by the hand (another) who you will send. (Exodus 4:13)

This reply exceeded Yahweh’s patience, for as part of Yahweh’s response we are told:

And the anger of Yahweh glowed against Moses. (Exod. 4:14).

Yahweh now gave Moses his brother Aaron to act as a spokesman.

Moses, with all options exhausted, made preparations to return to his home in Midian and then to go to Egypt (Exod. 4:14-20). Yahweh, meanwhile, sent Aaron, the brother of Moses, to meet Moses at Mount Sinai while Moses was returning from Midian to go to Egypt (Exod. 4:18-5:1).

MOSES AND AARON IN EGYPT
Next, Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt and came to the sons of Israel, telling them all that Yahweh had spoken. The Israelites did not meet these words with, “Who is Yahweh?” Instead we are told, “the people believed; and they heard that Yahweh had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction; and they bowed down and worshipped (Exod. 4:31).”

All of these statements reveal that Moses and the Israelites were already fully aware of who Yahweh was. More importantly, they also show the attitude of Moses and Yahweh’s anger toward him. This anger was further accentuated after Moses spoke to Pharaoh. Instead of listening to Yahweh’s command, Pharaoh placed the Israelites under an even heavier state of servitude than had previously existed.

As a result, the overseers of the Israelites came to Moses and Aaron complaining that it was their fault that Pharaoh now sought to kill their people. Upset by these words and the turn of events, Moses returned to Yahweh and complained that Yahweh’s word had not been fulfilled:

And Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Adonai, why have you done evil to this people? Why then have you sent me? And since I came in to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people; and you did not certainly deliver your people.” (Exodus 5:22-23)

It was to this complaint and lack of trust that Yahweh made his important response in Exodus 6:2-4. Also, Yahweh’s reply must be gauged against the history of his anger and the impertinent comments just made by Moses.

Yahweh’s response, as a result, was one of chastisement, for Yahweh would indeed bring his people out of Egypt!

A RHETORICAL QUESTION
Yahweh’s anger toward Moses is vital to understanding the context in which his response in Exodus 6:2-4 was made to Moses. As part of his answer, Yahweh tells Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them, and with a strong hand he will drive them from his land!”

Affirming his intentions, Yahweh then continues by reminding Moses that he had appeared to Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob. With a berating tone in his voice, Yahweh follows these words with the Hebrew sentence (reading right to left):

<————

ושמי יהוה לא נודעתי להם

____them-to me-reveal-I not [did] Yahweh my-name-and

When these words are read in context with Yahweh’s tone of voice they become a rhetorical question, not a simple statement: “and (by) my name Yahweh, (did) not I reveal myself to them?”

Yahweh then adds that he had established his covenant with these men to give them the land of Kanaan. He emphasized his name because it was by his name that he swore to fulfill his oath and keep his word.

How then could Moses doubt that Yahweh would bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Was not the honor of his sacred name, which he had revealed to Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob, attached to the Covenants of Promise?

MOSES CHASTISED BY YAHWEH
Once we understand that Yahweh was chastising Moses utilizing a rhetorical question, all of the facts fit perfectly together. Exodus 6:2-4, rather than defeating, actually confirms Genesis and the other books of the Scriptures.

A CORRECT TRANSLATION
Cognizant that question marks must be supplied in any English translation, the correct understanding of Exodus 6:2-4 is as follows:

And eloahim spoke to Moses and he said to him, “I am Yahweh; and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaak, and to Jacob as el-shaddai (the almighty el); and (by) my name Yahweh, (did) not I reveal myself to them? And I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Kanaan, the land of their sojournings, which they sojourned in it.”

Neither are other translators of this Hebrew verse unaware of this inflection. For example, The Holy Bible, New International Version footnotes this sentence with the alternate reading, “and by my name the Lord [i.e. Yahweh] did I not let myself be known to them? (NIV, p. 45, n. c.)”

CONCLUSION
If we trust that the Scriptures do not contradict themselves, or even if one simply acknowledges that the original author of Exodus would not have been so ignorant as to have allowed for such a contradictory statement as the popular interpretation of Exodus 6:2-4 would contend, we are compelled to the conclusion that this verse must be understood as a rhetorical question.

Once arriving at this judgment, we find that there is no basis for the belief that the name Yahweh was only first revealed in the days of Moses or that it was meant only for the Israelites or Jews.

For more information regarding the name Yahweh, check out the publication by Qadesh La Yahweh Press titled The Sacred Name Yahweh.

Which Torah To Keep?

Which Torah To Keep?
Many professed followers of Yahweh believe they must keep the Torah to attain salvation and eternal life.

What is essential to recognize is that there is a general lack of understanding of the two Torahs described in the Scriptures. One is the “Torah of Trust,” and the other is the “Torah of Moses.”

It is vital to recognize that keeping the correct Torah leads to eternal life, and attempting to keep the wrong one would only reward a person with eternal death at the end of the Judgment Day.

Continue reading “Which Torah To Keep?” →