Baal-zephon
Encyclopedia
Baal-zephon is a Hebrew name which means 'lord of the north', and refers both to a god the Hellenes knew as Zeus Kasios, the god of Mount Aqraa
on the Syrian shore and associated with thunderbolts, the sea and a protector of maritime trade, and a place named in the Bible
and described as being near Migdol
and Pi-hahiroth
where the Hebrews
(Israelites) were said to have made their Passage of the Red Sea
following their exodus from Egypt
.
, used to be widely accepted,
but this standard opinion has come under scrutiny beginning with Liverani (1998), based on doubt cast on the reading Ṣapuna itself (due to Albright 1943) in relevant passages in the Amarna letters
.
Gmirkin (2006) suggests Arsinoe
.
Gmirkin also notes that a Ptolemaic era geographical text in the Cairo Museum mentions the sites Baal Zephon and Migdol, listing four border guard stations and fortresses, the third being called 'Migdol and Baal Zephon thought to be located on a route to the Red Sea Coast and perhaps on the canal linking Pithom with the Red Sea, at or near Arsinoe.
The location of the Bronze Age city of Ṣapuna (alternatively Ṣa-BU-ma, i.e. Ṣabuma/Ṣapuma) has been placed at the mouth of Jabbok by Albright (1943). Ross (1967) suggests "the Shephelah
region, not far from the kingdom of Gezer
."
Vita (2005) rejects identification of Ṣa-BU-ma with Biblical Zaphon, opening the possibility of identity of the former with biblical Zeb`oim.
Mount Aqraa
Mount Aqraʻ ; also known as Zaphon in the Bible, and Mount Casius to the Greeks) is a mountain located near the mouth of the Orontes River on the Syrian-Turkish border around north of Ugarit....
on the Syrian shore and associated with thunderbolts, the sea and a protector of maritime trade, and a place named in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and described as being near Migdol
Migdol
Migdol, or migdal, is a Hebrew word which means either a tower , an elevated stage , or a raised bed . Physically, it can mean fortified land, i.e. a walled city or castle; or elevated land, as in a raised bed, like a platform, possibly a lookout...
and Pi-hahiroth
Pi-hahiroth
Pi-hahiroth is the fourth station of the Exodus. The fifth and sixth stations Marah and Elim Thebes Red Sea Port, are located on the Red Sea. The biblical books Exodus and Numeri refer to Pi-hahiroth as the place where the Israelites encamped between Baal-zephon and Migdol while awaiting an attack...
where the Hebrews
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
(Israelites) were said to have made their Passage of the Red Sea
Passage of the Red Sea
The Crossing of the Red Sea is a passage in the Biblical narrative of the escape of the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians in the Book of Exodus . This story is also mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah 26: Al-Shu'ara' in verses 60-67...
following their exodus from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Hebrew Bible
The Book of Exodus records that the Israelites were instructed by Yahweh to encamp at the face of Baal-zephon, on the shore, so that they would appear to Pharaoh to be trapped, and thereby entice him to pursue them.- "Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to camp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. So the Israelites did this" (Exodus 14:2-4, BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, NIVNew International VersionThe New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:...
)
Localisation
The identification of biblical Zaphon with Ugaritic/Assyrian Ṣapuna, and hence with Mount Zephon or KasiosMount Aqraa
Mount Aqraʻ ; also known as Zaphon in the Bible, and Mount Casius to the Greeks) is a mountain located near the mouth of the Orontes River on the Syrian-Turkish border around north of Ugarit....
, used to be widely accepted,
but this standard opinion has come under scrutiny beginning with Liverani (1998), based on doubt cast on the reading Ṣapuna itself (due to Albright 1943) in relevant passages in the Amarna letters
Amarna letters
The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom...
.
Gmirkin (2006) suggests Arsinoe
Arsinoe (Gulf of Suez)
Arsinoe or Arsinoites or Cleopatris or Cleopatra, was an ancient city at the northern extremity of the Heroopolite Gulf , in the Red Sea.-History:...
.
Gmirkin also notes that a Ptolemaic era geographical text in the Cairo Museum mentions the sites Baal Zephon and Migdol, listing four border guard stations and fortresses, the third being called 'Migdol and Baal Zephon thought to be located on a route to the Red Sea Coast and perhaps on the canal linking Pithom with the Red Sea, at or near Arsinoe.
The location of the Bronze Age city of Ṣapuna (alternatively Ṣa-BU-ma, i.e. Ṣabuma/Ṣapuma) has been placed at the mouth of Jabbok by Albright (1943). Ross (1967) suggests "the Shephelah
Shephelah
The Shephelah is a designation usually applied to the region in south-central Israel of 10-15 km of low hills between the central Mount Hebron and the coastal plains of Philistia within the area of the Judea, at an altitude of 120-450 metres above sea level. The area is fertile, and a temperate...
region, not far from the kingdom of Gezer
Gezer
Gezer was a Canaanite city-state and biblical town in ancient Israel. Tel Gezer , an archaeological site midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is now an Israeli national park....
."
Vita (2005) rejects identification of Ṣa-BU-ma with Biblical Zaphon, opening the possibility of identity of the former with biblical Zeb`oim.