And they took their journey from Elim
And came again to the Red sea, as appears from ( Numbers 33:10 ) perhaps to some bay or creek of it, which ran up from it, and lay in their way, and where for a short time they encamped to look at it, and recollect what had been done for them in bringing them through it; but as their stay here was short, and nothing of any importance or consequence happened, it is here omitted, and their next station is only observed:
and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the
wilderness of Sin,
which still bears the same name, as a late traveller
which is between Elim and Sinai
according to the above writer F4, it was twenty miles from Elim the Israelites travelled, and forty more ere they came to Sinai. Dr. Shaw F5 says, after traversing the plains in nine hours, we were near twelve hours in passing the many windings and difficult ways which lie beteen those deserts and these of Sinai; the latter consists of a beautiful plain more than a league in breadth, and nearly three in length:
on the fifteenth day of the second month, after their departing out of
the land of Egypt;
the month Ijar, as the Targum of Jonathan, which answers to part of April and part of May, and has its name from the beauty of the flowers, which appear at this time of the year: the Israelites were now come from thence a month or thirty days; for they came out the fifteenth of Abib or Nisan, and now it was the fifteenth of Ijar; and as the first day of this month, as Jarchi says, was on the first day of the week, this day must be so likewise; and yet sometimes the Jews say F6 this was a sabbath day.
F1 Shaw, p. 314.
F2 lb p. 444.
F3 Travels, p. 82.
F4 Ib.
F5 Travels, p. 314.
F6 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 87. 2.