Deuteronomy 2:1

The Journey from Kadesh Barnea to Moab

2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea ¹  just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time.

Deuteronomy 2:8

2:8 So we turned away from our relatives ²  the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the desert route, ³  from Elat ⁴  and Ezion Geber, ⁵  and traveling the way of the Moab wastelands.

Deuteronomy 4:43

4:43 These cities are Bezer, in the desert plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for the Manassehites.

Deuteronomy 8:15-16

8:15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents ⁶  and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow ⁷  from a flint rock and 8:16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you ⁸  and eventually bring good to you.

Deuteronomy 29:5

29:5 I have led you through the desert for forty years. Your clothing has not worn out ⁹  nor have your sandals ¹⁰  deteriorated.

[2:1]  ¹ tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.

[2:8]  ² tn Or “brothers”; NRSV “our kin.”

[2:8]  ³ tn Heb “the way of the Arabah” (so ASV); NASB, NIV “the Arabah road.”

[2:8]  ⁴ sn Elat was a port city at the head of the eastern arm of the Red Sea, that is, the Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilat). Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28), Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22), and Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:5-6) used it as a port but eventually it became permanently part of Edom. It may be what is known today as Tell el-Kheleifeh. Modern Eilat is located further west along the northern coast. See G. Pratico, “Nelson Glueck’s 1938-1940 Excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh: A Reappraisal,” BASOR 259 (1985): 1-32.

[2:8]  ⁵ sn Ezion Geber. A place near the Gulf of Aqaba, Ezion-geber must be distinguished from Elat (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 2 Chr 8:17-18). It was, however, also a port city (1 Kgs 22:48-49). It may be the same as the modern site Gezirat al-Fauran, 15 mi (24 km) south-southwest from Tell el-Kheleifah.

[8:15]  ³ tn Heb “flaming serpents”; KJV, NASB “fiery serpents”; NAB “saraph serpents.” This figure of speech (metonymy) probably describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire (שָׂרָף, saraf).

[8:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “the one who brought out for you water.” In the Hebrew text this continues the preceding sentence, but the translation begins a new sentence here for stylistic reasons.

[8:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2.

[29:5]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:5]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”