1 Samuel 15:7

15:7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to ¹  Shur, which is next to Egypt.

Genesis 16:7

16:7 The Lord’s angel ²  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ³ 

Genesis 25:18

25:18 His descendants ⁴  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ⁵  to Egypt all the way ⁶  to Asshur. ⁷  They settled ⁸  away from all their relatives. ⁹ 

Exodus 15:22

The Bitter Water

15:22 ¹⁰ Then Moses led Israel to journey ¹¹  away from the Red Sea. They went out to the Desert of Shur, walked for three days ¹²  into the desert, and found no water.

¹ tn Heb “[as] you enter.”

² tn Heb “the messenger of the Lord.” Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, it is more likely that the angel merely represents the Lord; he can speak for the Lord because he is sent with the Lord’s full authority. In some cases the angel is clearly distinct from the Lord (see Judg 6:11-23). It is not certain if the same angel is always in view. Though the proper name following the noun “angel” makes the construction definite, this may simply indicate that a definite angel sent from the Lord is referred to in any given context. It need not be the same angel on every occasion. Note the analogous expression “the servant of the Lord,” which refers to various individuals in the OT (see BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד).

³ tn Heb “And the angel of the Lord found her near the spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the way to Shur.”

⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

⁶ tn Heb “as you go.”

⁷ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

⁸ tn Heb “he fell.”

⁹ tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

¹⁰ sn The first event of the Israelites’ desert experience is a failure, for they murmur against Yahweh and are given a stern warning – and the provision of sweet water. The event teaches that God is able to turn bitter water into sweet water for his people, and he promises to do such things if they obey. He can provide for them in the desert – he did not bring them into the desert to let them die. But there is a deeper level to this story – the healing of the water is incidental to the healing of the people, their lack of trust. The passage is arranged in a neat chiasm, starting with a journey (A), ending with the culmination of the journey (A'); developing to bitter water (B), resolving to sweet water (B'); complaints by the people (C), leading to to the instructions for the people (C'); and the central turning point is the wonder miracle (D).

¹¹ tn The verb form is unusual; the normal expression is with the Qal, which expresses that they journeyed. But here the Hiphil is used to underscore that Moses caused them to journey – and he is following God. So the point is that God was leading Israel to the bitter water.

¹² sn The mention that they travelled for three days into the desert is deliberately intended to recall Moses’ demand that they go three days into the wilderness to worship. Here, three days in, they find bitter water and complain – not worship.