Page:Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine.djvu/60

36 fine ridge of limestone fully 2,000 feet in elevation. To the west, bordering the sea, was the corresponding limestone ridge of Jebel Hammân, at the base of which break forth the warm springs of the Hammân Faroûn. The valley is dotted with tamarisks and a few palms, as well as with numerous herbs and shrubs; but except after rain is dry and sandy. Water, however, is close under the surface; and a short distance from our camp were the wells, whither our camels wended their way to slake their thirst after an abstinence of 24 hours, during which they had marched a distance of about 47 miles.

The Wâdy Gharandel is considered, with much probability, to be the Elim of the Exodus, "where were twelve wells of water and threescore and ten palm-trees," and where the Israelites encamped by the waters; —a view in which I concur; nor can it be urged as an objection that there are fewer wells at present than those named in the passage above quoted. Water can easily be obtained in many of the dry valleys simply by digging a shallow well, and I have no doubt any number of wells with water might be dug along the line of the Wâdy Gharandel. After the long dry march of the Israelites southwards along the tract we had come during the last two days, it must have proved a most refreshing rest to the weary multitude to enter this leafy valley and find abundance of water.

While on this subject I may refer to one point connected with the Exodus which has not generally been considered. It is taken for granted that the physical geography of the Isthmus of Suez was at the time of the Exodus just as it is now; and if so, we might well ask, why was there any necessity for the performance of the great miracle by which the Israelites were delivered out of the hands of the Egyptians? Why, in short, could they not have crossed over on dry land, without the intervention of Almighty Power to cleave for them a channel through the waters, there being a long stretch of dry land to the south of the Great Bitter Lake?

It has been supposed that the passage may have been made through the waters of the Great Bitter Lake; but this is scarcely a fair interpretation of the text which states that the waters of the Eed Sea were divided. In the face of the remarkable topographical accuracy of the Book of Exodus, I am not prepared to admit that the term "Red Sea" (Yam Suf)