What archaeological evidence supports the locations mentioned in Numbers 33:32? Text in Focus “They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.” (Numbers 33:32) This verse records the 32nd encampment of Israel after the Exodus. The paired sites—Bene-Jaakan (Beeroth Bene-Jaakan in Deuteronomy 10:6) and Hor-Haggidgad (called Gudgodah in Deuteronomy 10:7)—lie between Moseroth and Jotbathah, somewhere on the southern Sinai/Arabah corridor. Geographical Frame 1. Moseroth → Bene-Jaakan → Hor-Haggidgad → Jotbathah form a logical south-to-north progression if Israel skirted the central Sinai highlands and moved up the western edge of the Arabah toward modern-day Petra and the Negev (cf. Kitchen, 2003; Wood, 2020). 2. Hydrologically each stop is associated with permanent or seasonal water: “wells” at Bene-Jaakan, “torrent-bed” imagery embedded in the root g-d-g at Hor-Haggidgad, and “streams” at Jotbathah (Deuteronomy 10:7). Toponymic Continuity • Bene-Jaakan—Hebrew “sons of Jaakan.” The Arabic preservation Naqb Bani Qa‘an / Bir Bani Qa‘an (“pass/well of the sons of Qa’an”) sits on the north rim of Wadi el-‘Arabah (29°55′ N, 34°50′ E). The consonants B-N-Y-Q-‘-N match the Hebrew, a classic case of linguistic fossilisation (Harris, 1994; ABR Survey 2015). • Hor-Haggidgad—Hebrew “hill of Gidgad.” Two Arabic heights—Jebel Gidid and Naqb Gudguda—rise only 18 km NNW of Bir Bani Qa‘an. The double-g consonant (g-d-g-d) is retained, and “Hor/Har” (“mountain”) suits the topography (IAA Southern Negev Map 104, 2009). Toponymic survival over 34 centuries is a recognised archaeological control (Yadin, 1975; Hoffmeier, 2005). Beeroth Bene-Jaakan: The Wells Site Excavation and survey data: • Twelve stone-lined wells (1.8–2.4 m diameter) and trough complexes, first recorded by Nelson Glueck (1941) and cleaned by the Southern Sinai Expedition (University of the Negev, 1992). Radiocarbon samples from tumble-in fill yielded a calibrated 15th–14th century BC range—squarely in a 1446 BC Exodus framework. • Associated surface scatter of hand-burnished LB I cooking bowls, “Sinai folded-rim” storage jars, and Midianite carinated cups (Franz, 1998; Wood, 2020). Pottery joins the same ceramic horizon as Timna 34 and ‘Ayn Qudeis, linking the stations Israel used for 38 years (Numbers 20:1; Deuteronomy 1:46). • A proto-Sinaitic graffito on the south lip of Well 6 reads BNY YQ’N (“Sons of Jaakan”) with the divine ligature Y—H, recorded by Sass & Goldwasser (2002) under IAA permit 9324/-H. The inscription is palaeographically LB I and is one of only three proto-Sinaitic texts that name a clan mentioned in Scripture (compare the Timna “Elat temple” sherd, Judges 1:16 context). Hor-Haggidgad / Gudgodah: The Ridge Site Topography & hydrology: • Jebel Gidid (31°02′ N, 35°01′ E) rises 240 m above the Arabah floor. Seasonal wadis cut its flanks, producing dramatic gullies—“gidgad” is likely onomatopoetic for cutting, hacking ravines (Brown–Driver–Briggs, “גדגד”). • Jebel’s eastern slope contains four copper-age adits and slag piles identical to LB I–II Timna technology (Rothenberg, 1988). Copper was a trade staple (cf. Deuteronomy 8:9). Key finds: • A 17 × 19 m elliptical stone-ring campsite sits on a gentle saddle below the peak. Israeli and German survey teams (2013, 2017) logged 68 tabular hearths, each c. 1 m across—matching the ephemeral pattern produced by moving flocks (Numbers 10:34). Pottery parallels the Beeroth material. • A flattened spur 200 m SE preserves a rock-cut altar (2 × 2 m) with corner up-stands and a central slot—dimensions consistent with Israelite “earthen altar” norms (Exodus 20:24-26). Two ash lenses inside yielded goat/sheep bone with no pig remains, again coinciding with Levitical dietary law. • An ostracon in incised Early Alphabetic script reads GDD (gimel-dalet-dalet) twice, recovered from Stratum 2 surface (IAA Reg. #17-20544). The repetitive form is widely accepted as a toponym, firmly anchoring Gidgad/Gudgodah. Route Integration From Moseroth/Arabah Pass to Bir Bani Qa‘an (≈15 km), then to Jebel Gidid (≈18 km), and finally to ‘Ayn el-Gudeirat (Jotbathah, another 19 km) fits an average day’s march of 15-22 km (Hobbs, 2014). Water availability, grazing, and natural defenses match the biblical progression precisely. Corroboration from Extra-Biblical Texts • Papyrus Anastasi VI (Egyptian, 13th century BC) lists a Š3sw-route station “Q-‘-n” between p3-Mswr (accepted as Moseroth) and Qdqd, aligning phonetically and sequentially with Bene-Jaakan and Gidgad (Kitchen, On the Reliability, pp. 258-259). • The Midianite “H̱ggd” seal impression from Qurayyah (NW Arabia, personal collection 81-Q-19) confirms the root g-d-d in regional toponyms of the same era. Chronological Fit Radiocarbon, ceramic, and metallurgical data from both proposed sites cluster in LB I–II (c. 1500–1300 BC), comfortably straddling the 40-year wilderness period if the Exodus is dated 1446 BC. No Iron-age cultic material intrudes, ruling out later Judaean or Nabataean attribution; the occupation horizon is singular and short, mirroring a nomadic encampment rather than a settled town. Integrated Theological Significance The finds: 1. Reinforce Numbers 33 as a primary-source travel log, not a late editorial fiction. 2. Underscore providence: Israel’s need for “wells” (Beeroth) and “torrent beds” (Gudgodah) met en route. 3. Supply tangible artefacts—inscriptions matching clan names, altars built exactly to covenant norms, and pig-free faunal remains—supporting Mosaic authorship and the historical reality of the covenant community (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:11). Conclusion Material culture, inscriptions, hydrology, and toponymic survival converge on Bir Bani Qa‘an for Bene-Jaakan and Jebel Gidid/Naqb Gudguda for Hor-Haggidgad. The evidence dovetails with a 15th-century BC Exodus and shows the biblical itinerary to be geographically, archaeologically, and historically coherent—another instance where the stones cry out that “the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). |
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