Bible Strands
Exodus 16:1
On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — On the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel departs Elim and arrives at the Desert of Sin. This passage fixes the precise chronological and geographical coordinates of the wilderness journey.
The words — וַ/יִּסְעוּ (va/i.yis.'U) means "and they set out," and מֵֽ/אֵילִ֔ם (me./'ei.Lim) means "from Elim." These verbs and proper nouns mark a documented departure point rather than an open-ended wander.
The thread — Exodus 15:27 records the twelve springs and seventy palms where the congregation previously camped. Numbers 33:10 places a camp at the Red Sea between Elim and the Desert of Sin, showing the itinerary is not a direct line to Sinai. Exodus 17:1 later notes the congregation's departure from the Desert of Sin.
Why it lands — The text requires tracking exact dates and locations before the community begins to complain. It establishes the grumbling in Exodus 16:2 as occurring within a specific, recorded phase of the journey rather than in a void.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
Cross-references
- Numbers 33:10 They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
- Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.
- Exodus 17:1 Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
- Ezekiel 30:15 I will pour out My wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the crowds of Thebes.