Bible Strands
Judges 11:16
But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jephthah addresses the king of Ammon, recounting Israel’s historical route to refute claims of territorial conquest. He places this statement within a diplomatic dispute over land ownership during the period of the judges.
The words — The Hebrew עֲלוֹתָם (a'lotam) literally means "their going up," describing the exodus departure from Egypt. The term יַם־ (yam-) simply denotes "sea," specifying the Red Sea as the geographic boundary of their wilderness journey.
The thread — The text states that Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and stopped at Kadesh, which aligns with Numbers 14:25 and Deuteronomy 1:40 where the same route is recorded. This geographic marker also corresponds to Numbers 13:26, where the spies return to Kadesh in the Wilderness of Paran.
Why it lands — The text first establishes the documented path of Israel’s movement out of Egypt before any legal argument about land ownership is made. It asks the reader to evaluate territorial claims strictly against recorded historical boundaries rather than assumed rights.
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
But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
Cross-references
- Numbers 14:25 Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
- Deuteronomy 1:40 But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
- Numbers 13:26 and they went back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.
- Numbers 20:1 In the first month, the whole congregation of Israel entered the Wilderness of Zin and stayed in Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
- Genesis 14:7 Then they turned back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
- Deuteronomy 1:46 For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.
- Joshua 5:6 For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.