2. were come to the desert of Sinai--The desert has its
provinces, or divisions, distinguished by a variety of names; and the
"desert of Sinai" is that wild and desolate region which occupies the
very center of the peninsula, comprising the lofty range to which the
mount of God belongs. It is a wilderness of shaggy rocks of porphyry
and red granite, and of valleys for the most part bare of verdure.
and there Israel camped before the mount--Sinai, so called from
Seneh, or acacia bush. It is now called Jebel Musa. Their way into the
interior of the gigantic cluster was by Wady Feiran, which would lead
the bulk of the hosts with their flocks and herds into the high valleys
of Jebel Musa, with their abundant springs, especially into the great
thoroughfare of the desert--the longest, widest, and most continuous of
all the valleys, the Wady-es-Sheikh, while many would be scattered
among the adjacent valleys; so that thus secluded from the world in a
wild and sublime amphitheatre of rocks, they "camped before the mount."
"In this valley--a long flat valley--about a quarter of a mile in
breadth, winding northwards, Israel would find ample room for their
encampment. Of all the wadys in that region, it seems the most suitable
for a prolonged sojourn. The 'goodly tents' of Israel could spread
themselves without limit" [BONAR].
JFB.
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