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Kadesh (South of Israel)
Encyclopedia
Kadesh or Qadhesh in Classical , also known as Qadesh-Barneʿa (קָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ), was a place in the south of Ancient Israel
. The name "Kodesh" means holy. The name "Barnea" may mean desert of wandering. There are two Kadeshes: one in the north Negev
, visited by Abraham
and by Moses
and the children of Israel two years after leaving Egypt; and the other, on the eastern border by Petra
in Transjordan.
The western Kadesh was an important site in Israelite history. Miriam, the sister of Moses
, died there (Nu. 20:1), and Moses disobediently struck the rock that brought forth water at this location (Nu. 20:11). [This is the western Kadesh.]
Moses
subsequently sent envoys to the King of Edom
from Kadesh , asking for permission to let the Israelites pass through his terrain. The Edomite king denied this request. [This is the eastern Kadesh.]
Since 1905 modern Ain el-Qudeirat in the Wadi el-Ain of the northern Sinai has been widely accepted as the location of biblical Kadesh Barnea. Several Iron Age
fortresses have been excavated there. the oldest, a small, elliptical structure dates to the tenth century BC. but was evidently abandoned for some time after the first fort's destruction. A second fort constructed during the eighth century BC. (probably during the reign of Uzziah
) was destroyed during the seventh century BC, most likely during Manasseh
's reign. Two ostraca engraved in Hebrew have been recovered there, suggesting the Israelites did indeed occupy this site. However, these Kadeh-Barnea ostraca are dated to the 8th or 7th century B.C.E. and therefore are hundreds of years too recent to be associated with the biblical Exodus.
However excavations at Kadesh conducted by Dr Rudolph Cohen (former head of the Israeli Antiquities Service) during the Israeli occupation of Sinai following the 1967 war uncovered copious remains of the Middle Bronze I period (sometimes known as Intermediate Bronze Age), which were also found a numerous other sites in the Negev. On the other hand, Late Bronze Age, the conventional time of the Exodus, is unattested in the Negev. In an article in Biblical Archaeology Review of July, 1983, Cohen put forward the suggestion that the Exodus took place at the start of MBI and that the MBI people were, in fact, the Israelites. The idea, fully accepted by those who have worked at sites such as Ein Hatzeva, has not been widely adopted.
Kadesh-Barnea is 11 days march by way of Mt. Seir from Horab.
There is a moshav
in the Negev
desert in Israel with the name Kadesh Barne'a, also called Nitzanei Sinai
.
Josephus
says he recognizes exactly where Miriam is buried and it is by the rock, but he refers to the rock (saleh in hebrew) while writing for the Romans in the langua franca at the time, which was Greek, and the word for rock in Greek is "petra". The Nabataeans
came to Petra
in about 400 B.C. knowing it to be an ancient burial ground of caves, and buried their dead on top of the graves used 100 years earlier by the Hebrews
.
History of ancient Israel and Judah
Israel and Judah were related Iron Age kingdoms of ancient Palestine. The earliest known reference to the name Israel in archaeological records is in the Merneptah stele, an Egyptian record of c. 1209 BCE. By the 9th century BCE the Kingdom of Israel had emerged as an important local power before...
. The name "Kodesh" means holy. The name "Barnea" may mean desert of wandering. There are two Kadeshes: one in the north Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
, visited by Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and by Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and the children of Israel two years after leaving Egypt; and the other, on the eastern border by Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
in Transjordan.
The western Kadesh was an important site in Israelite history. Miriam, the sister of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, died there (Nu. 20:1), and Moses disobediently struck the rock that brought forth water at this location (Nu. 20:11). [This is the western Kadesh.]
Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
subsequently sent envoys to the King of Edom
Edom
Edom or Idumea was a historical region of the Southern Levant located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC Iron Age kingdom of Edom, and in classical antiquity the cognate name Idumea was used to refer to a smaller area in the same region...
from Kadesh , asking for permission to let the Israelites pass through his terrain. The Edomite king denied this request. [This is the eastern Kadesh.]
Since 1905 modern Ain el-Qudeirat in the Wadi el-Ain of the northern Sinai has been widely accepted as the location of biblical Kadesh Barnea. Several Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fortresses have been excavated there. the oldest, a small, elliptical structure dates to the tenth century BC. but was evidently abandoned for some time after the first fort's destruction. A second fort constructed during the eighth century BC. (probably during the reign of Uzziah
Uzziah
Uzziah , also known as Azariah , was the king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah's sons, whom the people appointed to replace his father...
) was destroyed during the seventh century BC, most likely during Manasseh
Manasseh of Judah
Manasseh was a king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the only son of Hezekiah with Hephzi-bah. He became king at an age 12 years and reigned for 55 years. Edwin Thiele has concluded that he commenced his reign as co-regent with his father Hezekiah in 697/696 BC, with his sole reign beginning in...
's reign. Two ostraca engraved in Hebrew have been recovered there, suggesting the Israelites did indeed occupy this site. However, these Kadeh-Barnea ostraca are dated to the 8th or 7th century B.C.E. and therefore are hundreds of years too recent to be associated with the biblical Exodus.
However excavations at Kadesh conducted by Dr Rudolph Cohen (former head of the Israeli Antiquities Service) during the Israeli occupation of Sinai following the 1967 war uncovered copious remains of the Middle Bronze I period (sometimes known as Intermediate Bronze Age), which were also found a numerous other sites in the Negev. On the other hand, Late Bronze Age, the conventional time of the Exodus, is unattested in the Negev. In an article in Biblical Archaeology Review of July, 1983, Cohen put forward the suggestion that the Exodus took place at the start of MBI and that the MBI people were, in fact, the Israelites. The idea, fully accepted by those who have worked at sites such as Ein Hatzeva, has not been widely adopted.
Kadesh-Barnea is 11 days march by way of Mt. Seir from Horab.
There is a moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert in Israel with the name Kadesh Barne'a, also called Nitzanei Sinai
Nitzanei Sinai
Nitzanei Sinai , also known as Kadesh Barne'a , is a communal settlement in the western Negev desert in Israel. Located near Nitzana, it is named for its proximity to Sinai, as well as after Kadesh Barne'a in the Bible, one of the stations on the Israelites' journey during the Exodus .The...
.
Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
says he recognizes exactly where Miriam is buried and it is by the rock, but he refers to the rock (saleh in hebrew) while writing for the Romans in the langua franca at the time, which was Greek, and the word for rock in Greek is "petra". The Nabataeans
Nabataeans
Thamudi3.jpgThe Nabataeans, also Nabateans , were ancient peoples of southern Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus , gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea...
came to Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
in about 400 B.C. knowing it to be an ancient burial ground of caves, and buried their dead on top of the graves used 100 years earlier by the Hebrews
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
.
See also
- Nitzanei SinaiNitzanei SinaiNitzanei Sinai , also known as Kadesh Barne'a , is a communal settlement in the western Negev desert in Israel. Located near Nitzana, it is named for its proximity to Sinai, as well as after Kadesh Barne'a in the Bible, one of the stations on the Israelites' journey during the Exodus .The...
, a communal settlementCommunal settlement (Israel)A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
in modern-day Israel also known as Kadesh Barne'a