Kibroth Hattaavah
Encyclopedia
Kibroth-hattaavah is one of the locations at which, according to the Book of Numbers
, the Israelites passed through during their Exodus
journey. It was at this place, according to the biblical narrative, that the Israelites loudly complained about constantly eating only manna
, and that they had had a much more varied diet, of fish, vegetables, fruit, and meat, in Egypt
; the text states that this led Moses, in despair, to cry out to Yahweh
, who then promised them so much meat that they would vomit it through their nostrils. The narrative goes on to indicate that quails were brought by the winds to the Israelite encampment, which the people gathered, but Yahweh sent a plague as they were chewing the meat; the text had previously stated that the Israelites would have been able to consume quail for a month.
The biblical narrative argues that name of Kibroth-hattaavah, which appears to mean graves of lust, derives from
these events, since the plague killed the people who lusted after meat, who were then buried there. According to biblical scholars
, this is merely an aetiological myth to theologically justify a pre-existing place name; a number of biblical scholars have proposed that the graves (kibroth) in the name kibroth-hattaavah actually refers to a stone circle
or cairn
s, or to recently discovered Chalcolithic (~4th Millennium BC) megalith
ic burial sites known as nawamis
, meaning mosquitos, which are unique to the central Sinai Peninsula
and southern Negev
.
According to textual scholars
, the account concerning Kibroth-hattaavah is part of the Jahwist
text, and occurs at the same point in the Exodus narrative as the account of Taberah
in the Elohist
text; indeed, one or both of Tabarah (תבערה) and Hattavah (התאוה) may be phonological
and typographical
corruptions of the same original word. Taberah is not listed in the full stations list
later in the Book of Numbers, with the people going straight from Mount Sinai
to Kibroth-hattavah, and there is no hint that the Israelites had to travel from Taberah to Kibroth-hattaavah, implying that they were the same location; nevertheless, Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah are listed as different places by a passage in Deuteronomy
, which textual scholars ascribe to the deuteronomist
, and consequently date to over two centuries later than the Jahwist and Elohist, and also later than the combined JE
text.
Taberah is described by the Torah
as being three days journey from Mount Sinai
, and therefore its modern identification relies heavily on the identification of Mount Sinai. The traditional identification of Mount Sinai as one of the mountains at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula would imply that Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah was/were probably in the Wadi Murrah, about 30 miles north-east of the southern tip, and exactly a day's journey from 'Ain Hudherah; in this area, at the Erweis el-Ebeirig, an ancient encampment has been found, but it dates to the Early Bronze Age (the early 3rd century BC). The traditional location of Mount Sinai has been rejected by the majority of scholars, as well as theologians, who favour a location at Mount Seir
or in north western Saudi Arabia
, and others views propose locations in the Negev, or the central or northern Sinai desert.
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
, the Israelites passed through during their Exodus
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
journey. It was at this place, according to the biblical narrative, that the Israelites loudly complained about constantly eating only manna
Manna
Manna or Manna wa Salwa , sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of an edible substance that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert according to the Bible.It was said to be sweet to the taste, like honey....
, and that they had had a much more varied diet, of fish, vegetables, fruit, and meat, in 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...
; the text states that this led Moses, in despair, to cry out to Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
, who then promised them so much meat that they would vomit it through their nostrils. The narrative goes on to indicate that quails were brought by the winds to the Israelite encampment, which the people gathered, but Yahweh sent a plague as they were chewing the meat; the text had previously stated that the Israelites would have been able to consume quail for a month.
The biblical narrative argues that name of Kibroth-hattaavah, which appears to mean graves of lust, derives from
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
these events, since the plague killed the people who lusted after meat, who were then buried there. According to biblical scholars
Biblical criticism
Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of Biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings." It asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work...
, this is merely an aetiological myth to theologically justify a pre-existing place name; a number of biblical scholars have proposed that the graves (kibroth) in the name kibroth-hattaavah actually refers to a stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
or cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
s, or to recently discovered Chalcolithic (~4th Millennium BC) megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ic burial sites known as nawamis
Nawamis
Nawamis are tombs located in the Sinai desert. They are circular stone structures. The dating of bones found in the tombs is from 4000 – 3150 BCE....
, meaning mosquitos, which are unique to the central Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
and southern 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'...
.
According to textual scholars
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
, the account concerning Kibroth-hattaavah is part of the Jahwist
Jahwist
The Jahwist, also referred to as the Jehovist, Yahwist, or simply as J, is one of the sources of the Torah. It gets its name from the fact that it characteristically uses the term Yahweh for God in the book of Genesis...
text, and occurs at the same point in the Exodus narrative as the account of Taberah
Taberah
Taberah is one of the locations at which, according to the Book of Numbers, the Israelites passed through during their Exodus journey. The biblical narrative states that the place received its name, which means burning, because Yahweh had set fire to the Israelites there, as vengeance against...
in the Elohist
Elohist
The Elohist is one of four sources of the Torah described by the Documentary Hypothesis. Its name comes from the term it uses for God: Elohim; it is characterised by, among other things, an abstract view of God, using "Horeb" instead of "Sinai" for the mountain where Moses received the laws of...
text; indeed, one or both of Tabarah (תבערה) and Hattavah (התאוה) may be phonological
Phonological change
In historical linguistics, phonological change is any sound change which alters the number or distribution of phonemes in a language.In a typological scheme first systematized by Henry M...
and typographical
Typographical error
A typographical error is a mistake made in, originally, the manual type-setting of printed material, or more recently, the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but usually excludes errors of ignorance, such as spelling errors...
corruptions of the same original word. Taberah is not listed in the full stations list
Stations list
The Bible lists 42 locations or "stations" visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt. They are definitively listed in , but also are given at length in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Biblical commentators like St Jerome in his Epistle to Fabiola, Bede and St Peter Damian discussed them...
later in the Book of Numbers, with the people going straight from Mount Sinai
Biblical Mount Sinai
The Biblical Mount Sinai is the mountain at which the Book of Exodus states that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God...
to Kibroth-hattavah, and there is no hint that the Israelites had to travel from Taberah to Kibroth-hattaavah, implying that they were the same location; nevertheless, Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah are listed as different places by a passage in Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
, which textual scholars ascribe to the deuteronomist
Deuteronomist
The Deuteronomist, or simply D, is one of the sources underlying the Hebrew bible . It is found in the book of Deuteronomy, in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings and also in the book of Jeremiah...
, and consequently date to over two centuries later than the Jahwist and Elohist, and also later than the combined JE
JE
JE is a hypothetical intermediate source text of the Torah postulated by the DH. It is a combination and redaction of the Jahwist and Elohist source texts. According to this hypothesis, J was composed c. 950 BC, E was composed c. 850 BC, and the two were combined into JE c. 750 BC. JE was...
text.
Taberah is described by the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
as being three days journey from Mount Sinai
Biblical Mount Sinai
The Biblical Mount Sinai is the mountain at which the Book of Exodus states that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God...
, and therefore its modern identification relies heavily on the identification of Mount Sinai. The traditional identification of Mount Sinai as one of the mountains at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula would imply that Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah was/were probably in the Wadi Murrah, about 30 miles north-east of the southern tip, and exactly a day's journey from 'Ain Hudherah; in this area, at the Erweis el-Ebeirig, an ancient encampment has been found, but it dates to the Early Bronze Age (the early 3rd century BC). The traditional location of Mount Sinai has been rejected by the majority of scholars, as well as theologians, who favour a location at Mount Seir
Mount Seir
Mount Seir formed the south-east border of Edom and Judah, it may also echo the older historical border of Egypt and Canaan.-Tanakh:Mount Seir is specifically noted as the place that Esau made his home . It was named for Seir, the Horite, whose sons inhabited the land...
or in north western Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, and others views propose locations in the Negev, or the central or northern Sinai desert.