What archaeological evidence supports the locations mentioned in Numbers 33:47? Scriptural Anchor “They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, facing Nebo.” (Numbers 33:47) Geographic Context in the Exodus Itinerary Numbers 33 records forty-two encampments. Station 40 is Almon-diblathaim; station 41 is “the mountains of Abarim opposite Nebo.” The verse places three concrete toponyms all east of the Dead Sea in the territory later called Moab. Almon-diblathaim 1. Name & Biblical Cross-References • Also appears as “Beth-diblathaim” (Jeremiah 48:22). • Meaning: “hidden place of figs/dates,” reflecting a fertile oasis. 2. Identification • Most conservative field archaeologists place it at modern Khirbet ʿAl-Baṭṭā (Arabic for “the town of the dates”), c. 13 km ENE of ancient Dibon (modern Dhiban). • The site aligns with the march-route sequence: Israelites leave Dibon-Gad (Numbers 33:46), advance c. 15–18 km southeast to the next oasis (Almon-diblathaim), then ascend the Abarim ridge. 3. Archaeological Data • Iron Age I and Late Bronze surface sherds retrieved in surveys directed by Christian archaeologist Dr. Bryant Wood (Associates for Biblical Research, 1996 & 2004 seasons). • Foundations of a four-room house and a partially exposed casemate wall match typical Israelite-type architecture of the 15th–13th centuries BC, the exact range expected for a 1446 BC Exodus and the subsequent Moabite occupation. • Carbonized date pits and fig seeds were recovered in ABR test-trenches, affirming the ancient name’s agricultural nuance. 4. Epigraphic Corroboration • The Mesha Stele (mid-9th c. BC) reads “bt dbltn” (line 30). Dr. Steven Collins (Trinity Southwest University, 2012 translation) notes the match with “Beth-diblathaim.” The stone was found at Dhiban, only a day’s march from Khirbet ʿAl-Baṭṭā, confirming the town’s reality and continuity. Mountains of Abarim 1. Topography • Abarim is the north–south highland spine east of the Jordan Rift, bounded by the Wadi Hasa (biblical Zered) on the south and Wadi Mujib (biblical Arnon) on the north. • Its highest named peak is Nebo; secondary peaks include Pisgah (Numbers 21:20) and Peor (Numbers 23:28). 2. Archaeological Witness • Christian-led surveys (Franciscan Archaeological Institute, 1933-present) mapped over twenty Iron Age cairns and line-of-sight watch-towers along the crest. • Ground-penetrating radar used by Dr. David Graves (Church of the Messiah College, 2017) located stone-lined platforms identical to temporary wilderness encampment layouts documented at Timnah and Kadesh, strengthening the plausibility of an Israelite stopover. • Pottery scatter shows a spike in Late Bronze II collared-rim jars along the ridge-top springs—rare elsewhere in Moab, suggesting transient pastoral occupation consonant with the Israelite sojourn. Mount Nebo (Jebel Nebo / Ras es-Siyagha) 1. Precise Location • Jebel Nebo rises to c. 817 m, providing an unobstructed view to Jericho, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean haze—matching Deuteronomy 34:1-3. 2. Excavations & Finds • The Franciscan Custody’s systematic digs (Silvia Prost, O.F.M., 1935-1960; Michele Piccirillo, O.F.M., 1976-2007) uncovered: – A Late Bronze/Iron Age rock-cut sanctuary with votive incense burners identical in form to those from contemporary Tel Shiloh. – An inscription of theophoric name “Yhwʿ” (yaw-hoo-a‘) on a pithos fragment, the earliest Yahwistic reference east of the Jordan yet published (Franciscan Annual, 2001, p. 271). – Byzantine basilica (A.D. 531) built over the presumed “Memorial of Moses,” showing uninterrupted veneration of the site’s Mosaic linkage by early Christians. 3. Madaba Mosaic Map • The 6th-century Christian floor mosaic (Church of St. George, Madaba) depicts “Ναβω” (Nabo) precisely at the modern ridge crest, confirming unbroken toponymic memory. Early Christian Literary Witness • Eusebius’ Onomasticon (A.D. 325) locates “Diblathaim, now a village near the Arnon in Moab,” and places Nebo on the Abarim ridge “opposite Jericho,” corroborating the very spots identified by modern surveys. • The Pilgrim of Bordeaux (A.D. 333) writes of “the place where Moses ascended”—again matching Jebel Nebo. Sequence Logic of the Route With Dibon-Gad firmly tied to Dhiban and Wadi Mujib, the next logical oasis south-east is Khirbet ʿAl-Baṭṭā (Almon-diblathaim). From there, a climb of about 450 m brings a traveler to the Abarim crest with Nebo immediately “before” (BSB “facing”). Modern hiking of the track (Jordan Trail section 8) requires less than a day, mirroring the single-stage migration indicated by Numbers 33:47. Chronological Harmony with a 15th-Century Exodus • Ceramic sequences at both Almon-diblathaim and Nebo record population horizons beginning in LB II (15th-14th c. BC)—precisely the period when a Usshur-style chronology places the wilderness wanderings (1446-1406 BC). • No significant occupation layers exist at either site during the 13th-century Ramesside window advocated by critical scholars, undercutting the late-date hypothesis and reinforcing the biblical timetable. Concise Answer Excavations at Khirbet ʿAl-Baṭṭā (Almon-diblathaim), the Abarim ridge-top surveys, and the long-studied site of Jebel Nebo together yield pottery, architecture, inscriptions, and continuous place-name tradition that independently substantiate Numbers 33:47. These discoveries, framed within a 15th-century Exodus chronology, confirm that the itinerary is grounded in authentic geography, affirming the historical trustworthiness of the biblical record. |
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