Rephidim in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

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What is Rephidim?
REPH'IDIM
(rests, refreshments), the last station of the Israelites before reaching Sinai, and where Moses smote the rock and the Amalekites were defeated. Ex 17:1, Ex 17:8-16. The location of this station and of the battle-field has been a difficult problem in biblical geography. The members of the British Ordnance party, after a thorough scientific survey of the whole region, concluded that the battle of Rephidim must have been fought in one of two places. 1. In the Wady Feiran. - This place was approved as the site of Rephidim by all of the party except the Rev. F. W. Holland, and this has been the prevalent view ever since the fifth century. Feiran is rather a broad valley, and would furnish a practicable route for a large body like the Israelites, going from the wilderness of Sin into the mountain-region, where they received the Law. The Amalekites would regard themselves as threatened by such a company, and would attempt to defend their country. The Feiran would be a strong military position. In this deep valley they might defend themselves from invasion, secure from the danger of a flank attack. Palmer discovered an Arab tradition pointing to the rock from which Moses brought the water, Ex 17:1, 1 Kgs 15:8, at a place called Hesy el-Khattatin. Bedouins say of this rock, which is found a few miles before the fertile part of the valley commences, "Our lord Moses smote it, and water miraculously flowed from the stone." Nearly opposite Wady Aleyat, which comes into Feiran from the south, is a mountain, Jebel Tahunah, which the British party consider to be the hill on which Moses sat and surveyed the battle, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands. There are churches and chapels on this hill, which mark it as a very sacred spot in the eyes of the old inhabitants of Paran, and Antoninus Martyr, in the seventh century, mentions a chapel built there in honor of Moses. This spot is 25 miles from Sinai (Jebel Musa), which would be more than a day's journey; but Palmer thinks there was a break in the march, Ex 19:2, and that the operations of "pitching in the wilderness" and "encamping before the mount" were separate and distinct. Rephidim has been located in Feiran by Stanley, Ritter, Stewart, Lepsius, and others. See Sinai. 2. In Wady es-Sheikh. - This is an easterly continuation of Wady Feiran, and is the site advocated for the battle of Rephidim by Rev. F. W. Holland. It includes the pass of el- Watiyeh, a narrow defile 300 yards long and from 40 to 60 yards wide, having a level bed, but enclosed on either side by perpendicular rocks. A conspicuous hill on the north side of the defile is observed, at the foot of which the Arabs point out a rock that they call "the seat of the prophet Moses." This is about 12 miles from Sinai (Jebel Musa), and hence within a day's journey. Ex 19:2; Num 33:15. Robinson, Keil, Delitzsch, Porter, and others locate Rephidim in some part of this valley en-Sheikh.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'rephidim' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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