Mystery Of The Lost Biblical Kadesh Where Moses Was Punished By God

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - The Bible mentions many ancient places of great significance. Some of these have been located, while others still remain shrouded in mystery.

Western outer wall: showing Qadesh battle, Temple of Ramesses II, Abydos, Egypt.  Image credit: Roland Unger  - CC BY-SA 3.0

Biblical scholars and archaeologists have tried to find a place known as Kadesh, but it’s location still remains uncertain.

Kadesh was a major oasis in the Wilderness of Zin. According to the Bible, the Israelites stayed at Kadesh following their Exodus from Egypt and wanderings through the desert.

The journey from Egypt to Canaan, after the Israelites had left Mount Sinai was long and tiresome, and they stayed at Kadesh for a considerable amount of time. At that spot, there were three springs, which together would have supplied sufficient water to meet their needs, but they didn’t.

Left: Moses strikes a rock so people get water. Right: The site of Tell el-Qudeirat Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

During their stay at Kadesh, people became angry because of the lack of water. God had promised to provide them with everything they needed, but they wanted more.

Moses was frustrated and angry, even though he showed his lack of faith in God. So, he struck a rock with his staff, and staff and water poured out. However, Moses apparently, failed to give God the credit for this miracle, and because of this, he was punished by not being allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Kadesh is also called Kadesh-Barnea in some Biblical passages. The first Biblical reference to Kadesh is when Chedorlaomer, King of Elam, in Persia, in the time of Abraham led his alliance of kings against the Amalekites.

After the destruction of Sodom, Abraham moved to a region between Kadesh and Shur. It was from Kadesh that Moses sent the twelve spies to scout out the land of Canaan.

“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him an honest report.”
—Joshua 14:7

Kadesh was also the place where Moses’ sister Miriam died and was buried.

Many attempts have been made since the early 19th century to find Kadesh-Barnea and there are some theories about where the place could be. However, conclusive evidence is still lacking.

There are also two unimportant towns named, so to avoid confusion the name Kadesh-Barnea is often used to designate this oasis, although the origin of the term is unknown.

Fragments of Qurayyah Painted Ware discovered at Tell el-Qudeirat suggest that there was a presence at the site—believed to be Biblical Kadesh-Barnea—during the time of Moses and the Biblical Exodus. Pictured is a restored Qurayyah jug from Timna, Israel. Photo: Eretz Israel Museum.

According to Biblical scholars, Tell el-Qudeirat, located in the valley of the Wadi el-Ein in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, is the best candidate for Biblical Kadesh-Barnea.

Leonard Woolley and T.E. Lawrence conducted several archaeological excavations in the area between 1976-and 1982 and they were able to locate ruins of three Iron Age (Israelite) fortresses. However, the archaeologists uncovered no evidence dating before the 10th century B.C.E.-the time of King Solomon. There appears to be no evidence, therefore, that Tell el-Qudeirat was occupied during the time of Moses and the Biblical Exodus.

Many years later, archaeologists discovered pottery—from the Iron Age ruins shedding new light on the identification of Tell el-Qudeirat with Kadesh in the Bible.

Fragments of Qurayyah Painted Ware discovered at Tell el-Qudeirat suggest that there was a presence at the site—believed to be Biblical Kadesh-Barnea—during the time of Moses and the Biblical Exodus.

So, we cannot say with certainty where Kadesh-Barnea has been located, but there is great optimism the ancient place will be found soon in the near future.

Written by - Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com 

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