Numbers 20

Most scholars say Zin Desert was in what is now Israel’s southern wasteland called the Arabah, and along with parts of the Negev. Arabah is a below-sea-level basin south of the Dead Sea. It’s along Israel’s border with Jordan. Scholars most often identify Kadesh, also called Kadesh Barnea, as the spring-fed oasis at Tel el-Qudeirat, on Egypt’s side of the border with Israel. Another contender is Ain Qadeis, also on Egypt’s side of the border. Bible writers put the location in different deserts: Zin Desert (Numbers 20:1) and Paran Desert (Number 13:26). Some theorize there were two Kadesh oases. West Kadesh and East Kadesh. But not many scholars seem to buy into that.

The month falls around Eastertime, in March or April.  Nisan is the name of the first Jewish month of the year. It’s when Jews celebrate one of their most revered holidays: Passover. The writer didn’t say which year. Many scholars say it’s during the fortieth year of the sentence God imposed on the Israelites. By this time, most of Israelite adults who fled Egypt had died. It was a new generation that would carry the exodus into the Promised Land. The Israelites followed a lunar calendar, with every month starting at the first tiny crescent after the new moon. A new moon is when the moon is hidden behind earth’s shadow for one day. The sun, moon, and earth are aligned, with earth in the middle.

God’s presence is often described as a physical manifestation of some kind, often shining, such as the pillar of cloud or smoke by day and fire by night.

Scholars debate why God reacted this way. Two popular guesses: God told Moses to merely speak to the rock, but Moses angrily hit it with a stick—twice. Also, Moses seemed to take some credit for the miracle when he said “Do we have to bring water from this rock” (verse 9). As in God and Moses, the tag team? Some scholars say God’s complaint about Moses and Aaron in verse 12 and 24 seem like an overreaction to what the men did. So, another guess is that the writer didn’t want to report what really happened. Instead, he wanted to protect the reputation of the men.

Literally “the waters of Meribah.” Meribah means to fight, argue, complain, rebel. The story, as reported in Exodus, says Moses named the site “Pushy Complainers,” or literally in the Hebrew name, “Massah Meribah.” Massah means to test or to get pushy.

The people of Israel and Edom descended from two brothers, the sons of Issac: Esau and Jacob. Esau moved into what is now Jordan, where his descendants became the nation of Edom. Jacob stayed in what is now Israel and Palestinian land. God renamed him “Israel,” (Genesis 32:28). So, the people of Israel were the people of Jacob—his descendants.

King’s Highway was an ancient trade route that linked African nations such as Egypt to what are now Middle Eastern nations including Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. One part of the trail passed through the ancient kingdom of Edom, in what is now the Arab country of Jordan, a next-door-neighbor to Israel and Palestinian territories.

It’s unclear where Mount Hor was. There’s a long tradition that connects it to Jebel Nabi Harun (Mountain of Prophet Aaron), roughly a day’s walk south of Edom’s capital city of Petra. Some scholars say that mountain was well inside the country of Edom, which is where the Israelites were forbidden to go. Another contender is Jebel Madurah. It was about a two-day walk northwest of Petra. The mountain is southwest of the Dead Sea, along what would have been the border of the Promised Land and Edom.

The original language doesn’t say they “honored him,” but it’s implied by the 30 days of mourning. Typically, the mourning period lasted a week.