Deuteronomy 1:2-4

1:2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey ¹  from Horeb ²  to Kadesh Barnea ³  by way of Mount Seir. ⁴  1:3 However, it was not until ⁵  the first day of the eleventh month ⁶  of the fortieth year ⁷  that Moses addressed the Israelites just as ⁸  the Lord had instructed him to do. 1:4 This took place after the defeat ⁹  of King Sihon ¹⁰  of the Amorites, whose capital was ¹¹  in Heshbon, ¹²  and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was ¹³  in Ashtaroth, ¹⁴  specifically in Edrei. ¹⁵ 

¹ sn An eleven-day journey was about 140 mi (233 km).

² sn Horeb is another name for Sinai. “Horeb” occurs 9 times in the Book of Deuteronomy and “Sinai” only once (33:2). “Sinai” occurs 13 times in the Book of Exodus and “Horeb” only 3 times.

³ sn Kadesh Barnea. Possibly this refers to àAin Qudeis, about 50 mi (80 km) southwest of Beer Sheba, but more likely to àAin Qudeirat, 5 mi (8 km) NW of àAin Qudeis. See R. Cohen, “Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?” BAR 7 (1981): 20-33.

⁴ sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom. “By way of Mount Seir” refers to the route from Horeb that ended up in Edom Cf. CEV “by way of the Mount Seir Road”; TEV “by way of the hill country of Edom.”

⁵ tn Heb “in” or “on.” Here there is a contrast between the ordinary time of eleven days (v. 2) and the actual time of forty years, so “not until” brings out that vast disparity.

⁶ sn The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar.

⁷ sn The fortieth year would be 1406 b.c. according to the “early” date of the exodus. See E. H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 66-75.

⁸ tn Heb “according to all which.”

⁹ tn Heb “when he struck [or “smote”].”

¹⁰ sn See Deut 2:26–3:22.

¹¹ tn Heb “who lived.”

¹² sn Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesban, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south southwest of Amman, Jordan.

¹³ tn Heb “who lived.”

¹⁴ sn Ashtaroth is probably Tell àAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee.

¹⁵ sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31).