Rephidim

Rephidim (Hebrew: רפידים‎) is one of the places visited by the Israelites in the biblical account of the Exodus from Egypt.

For the former Israeli air base, see Bir Gifgafa Airfield.
Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Refidim, assisted by Hur and Aaron, in John Everett Millais' Victory O Lord! (1871).
Battle with the Amalekites, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1860), representing Exodus 17:8-16.

This episode is described in the Book of Exodus. The Israelites under Moses have come from the wilderness of Sin. At Rephidim, they can find no water to drink, and angrily demand that Moses give them water. Moses, fearing they will stone him, calls on Jehovah for help and is told to strike a certain "rock in Horeb," in God's name which causes a stream to flow from it, providing ample water for the people. He names the place Massah (meaning 'testing') and Meribah (meaning 'quarreling').[1]

Afterwards, the Amalekites attack the Israelites encamped at Rephidim, but are defeated. The Israelites are led in the battle by Joshua, while Moses, Aaron and Hur watch from a nearby hill. Moses notices that when his arms are raised the Israelites gained the upper hand, but when they are down the Amalekites prevail. He sits with his hands held up by Aaron and Hur until sunset, securing the Israelite victory.[2]

In the Book of Numbers a similar event is described as taking place near Kadesh.[3] In this version, Jehovah tells Moses to speak to the rock. Moses strikes it twice with his staff and water pours out. Jehovah then reproaches Moses and Aaron for their lack of trust in him and tells them that for this reason they will not see the Promised Land.[4]

Interpretation

The reason why YHVH is angry at Moses and Aaron is debated, although some sort of disobedience is evidently involved.[5] One possibility is that the earliest version had YHVH standing on the rock before Moses, whose faith that he could strike it without hitting the Lord was being tested. According to this view, the Masoretic Text edits the account to remove any suggestion that YHVH would stand before a mortal.[6] A more orthodox view compares the two miracles of water from the rock with the revelation of God. First, God is revealed with Law (striking the rock), and secondly, God is revealed as Person (speaking to the rock). God's anger at Moses for not speaking to the rock on the second occasion, highlights that this is not the spiritual picture He wanted portrayed.

Location

One proposal places Rephidim in the Wadi Feiran, near its junction with the Wadi esh-Sheikh.[7] When they leave Rephidim, the Israelites advance into the Sinai Wilderness,[8] possibly marching through the passes of the Wadi Solaf and the Wadi esh-Sheikh, which converge at the entrance to the er-Rahah plain (which would then be identified with the "Sinai Wilderness"), which is three kilometers long and about eight hundred metres wide. See also Meribah. Wadi Feiran was an oasis, which would explain the battle with the Amalekites in terms of a struggle for control of water sources.[7]

Another proposed location for Rephidim is in northwestern Saudi Arabia near the town of al-Bad, the ancient city of Midian. Some researchers suggest that Mount Sinai was not in the Sinai Peninsula, but in Midian, which is modern-day Saudi Arabia, and subsequently place Rephidim here as well. Jabal Maqla has been the subject of several explorations since the early 1980s. To the northwest of this mountain is a large plain and a massive split rock that reportedly shows signs of water erosion (Rephidim is also where Moses is recorded as striking a rock and water coming from it for the parched Hebrews).[9] In the area, there are also allegedly proto-Hebrew inscriptions, some of which say "died Amalekite."

The name "Rephidim" (Hebrew: רְפִידִם‎) may mean supports.

References
  1. Exodus 17:1–7
  2. Exodus 17:8–16
  3. Frank Moore Cross (2009). Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic: Essays in the History of the Religion of Israel. Harvard University Press. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-674-03008-4.
  4. Numbers 20:1–7
  5. Mark McEntire, Struggling with God: An Introduction to the Pentateuch (Mercer University Press, 2008) page 102.
  6. Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Baker Academic, 2011) page 264.
  7. James K. Hoffmeier, Ancient Israel in Sinai (Oxford University Press, 2005) page 169.
  8. Exodus 19:1-2; Numbers 33:14-15
  9. "The Split Rock And Battlefield At Rephidim". Jabal Maqla. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
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