Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΚαὶ ἀνέβη Ἀαρὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς διὰ προστάγματος Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἐκεῖ ἐν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ ἔτει τῆς ἐξόδου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, τῷ μηνὶ τῷ πέμπτῳ μιᾷ τοῦ μηνός. (Kai anebaʸ Aʼarōn ho hiereus dia prostagmatos Kuriou, kai apethanen ekei en tōi tessarakostōi etei taʸs exodou tōn huiōn Israaʸl ek gaʸs Aiguptou, tōi maʸni tōi pemptōi mia tou maʸnos. )
BrTrAnd Aaron the priest went up by the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year of the departure of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
ULTAnd Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh and died there in the fortieth year of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on 1 of the month.
USTAaron the priest obeyed Yahweh and climbed up the mountain. There he died, on the first day of their fifth month, forty years after the Israelites left Egypt.
BSBAt the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt.
WEBBEAaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
NETAaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt on the first day of the fifth month.
LSVAnd Aaron the priest goes up to Mount Hor by the command of YHWH, and dies there in the fortieth year of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month;
FBVAaron the priest climbed Mount Hor as the Lord had directed, and he died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had left Egypt.
T4TAaron, the priest, obeyed Yahweh and climbed up the mountain. There he died, on the first day of their/our fifth month, 40 years after the/we Israelis left Egypt.
LEBAaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command[fn] of Yahweh, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites[fn] had gone out from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month on the first day of the month.
BBEAnd Aaron the priest went up into the mountain at the order of the Lord, and came to his death there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
JPSAnd Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
ASVAnd Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of Jehovah, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
DRAAnd Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord: and there he died in the fortieth year of the coming forth of the children of Israel out of Egypt, the fifth month, the first day of the month,
YLTAnd Aaron the priest goeth up unto mount Hor, by the command of Jehovah, and dieth there, in the fortieth year of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month;
DrbyAnd Aaron the priest went up mount Hor by the commandment of Jehovah, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month.
RVAnd Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
WbstrAnd Aaron the priest ascended mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel departed from the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.
KJB-1769And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month. (And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortyth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month. )
KJB-1611[fn]And Aaron the Priest went vp into mount Hor, at the commandement of the LORD, and died there in the fourtieth yeere, after the children of Israel were come out of the lande of Egypt, in the first day of the fift moneth. (And Aaron the Priest went up into mount Hor, at the commandment of the LORD, and died there in the fortyth year, after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fift month.)
BshpsAnd Aaron the priest went vp into mount Hor at the commaundement of the Lorde, and dyed there, euen in the fourteeth yere after the chyldren of Israel were come out of ye lande of Egypt, and in the first day of the fifth moneth. (And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, even in the fourteeth year after the children of Israel were come out of ye/you_all land of Egypt, and in the first day of the fifth month.)
Gnva(And Aaron the Priest went vp into mount Hor, at the commandement of the Lord, and died there, in the fourtieth yeere after the children of Israel were come out of the lande of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth moneth. ((And Aaron the Priest went up into mount Hor, at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, in the fortyth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month. )
CvdlThen Aaron the prest wente vp vnto mount Hor (acordynge to the commaundement of the LORDE) and died there in the fourtyeth yeare, after yt the children of Israel departed out of the londe of Egipte, in the first daie of the fifte moneth, (Then Aaron the priest went up unto mount Hor (acordynge to the commandment of the LORD) and died there in the fortyth year, after it the children of Israel departed out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifte month,)
WyclAnd Aaron, the preest, stiede in to the hil of Hor, for the Lord comaundide, and there he was deed, in the fourti yeer of the goyng out of the sones of Israel fro Egipt, in the fyuethe monethe, in the firste dai of the monethe; (And Aaron, the priest, stiede in to the hill of Hor, for the Lord commanded, and there he was dead, in the forty year of the going out of the sons of Israel from Egypt, in the fivethe month, in the first day of the month;)
LuthDa ging der Priester Aaron auf den Berg Hor nach dem Befehl des HErr’s und starb daselbst im vierzigsten Jahr des Auszugs der Kinder Israel aus Ägyptenland, am ersten Tage des fünften Monden, (So went the/of_the priest(s) Aaron on the mountain/hill Hor after to_him command the LORD’s and died there in_the vierzigsten Yahr the Auszugs the/of_the children Israel out_of Egyptland, in/at/on_the ersten days the fünften Monden,)
ClVgAscenditque Aaron sacerdos in montem Hor jubente Domino: et ibi mortuus est anno quadragesimo egressionis filiorum Israël ex Ægypto, mense quinto, prima die mensis,[fn] (Ascenditque Aaron sacerdos in montem Hor yubente Master: and there dead it_is anno quadragesimo egressionis of_children Israel from Ægypto, a_month quinto, the_first day month, )
33.38Aaron sacerdos in, etc. ISID. Eodem anno mortuus est Aaron, quo novus populus terram promissionis intraturus erat. Et quanquam in monte, Eleazaro sacerdotium dereliquerit, et lex eos qui eam impleverint perducat ad summum; tamen ipsa sublimitas non est trans fluenta Jordanis, sed in extremis terrenorum operum finibus. Et plangit eum populus triginta diebus: Aaron, plangitur, Jesus non plangitur; in lege, descensus ad inferos; in Evangelio, ad paradisum ascensio.
33.38Aaron sacerdos in, etc. ISID. Eodem anno dead it_is Aaron, quo novus populus the_earth/land promissionis intraturus was. And quanquam in monte, Eleazaro sacerdotium dereliquerit, and lex them who her impleverint perducat to summum; tamen herself sublimitas not/no it_is across fluenta Yordanis, but in extremis terrenorum operum finibus. And plangit him populus triginta diebus: Aaron, plangitur, Yesus not/no plangitur; in lege, descensus to inferos; in Evangelio, to paradisum ascensio.
33:1-56 This review of the entire wilderness period contains the longest integrated list of place-names in the Old Testament, from Israel’s departure from Egypt (33:3; cp. Exod 12:37) until their arrival in the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho (Num 33:49; cp. 22:1). The forty-two way stations on this itinerary represent far more than a geographical journey; they recall Israel’s forty-year spiritual pilgrimage. In their travels between Rameses in Egypt (33:3) and AcaciaAbel-shittim on the plains of Moab (33:49), Israel finally became the people who could invade the land of Canaan and claim the promises God made to Abraham. • This itinerary does not provide enough data to plot an accurate, specific route. Most of the places cannot be identified with certainty; many of the sites appear nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible, and there are not enough clues to pinpoint their locations precisely. Furthermore, this list is partial or selective, omitting some of the place-names mentioned earlier in the journey.
(Some words not found in UHB: and=he/it_ascended ʼAhₐron the=priest/officer to/towards Hor the,mount on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in command YHWH and=he/it_died there in=year the,fortieth after,come_out sons_of Yisrael of,land Miʦrayim/(Egypt) in/on/at/with,month the,fifth in/on/at/with,first of_the,month )
Here “fortieth” is the ordinal number for forty. Alternate translation: “40 years after”
After the Israelites received the law on Mount Sinai, which may have been located at Khashm et-Tarif (see also “The Route of the Exodus”), they traveled to Kadesh-barnea, a distance that took eleven days “by the way of Mount Seir” (Deuteronomy 1:2). The phrase “by the way of Mount Seir” suggests that more than one route existed between Mount Sinai and Kadesh, as shown here, but the road the Israelites took probably ran alongside the mountainous region of Seir. This route would have offered greater access to water from wells, natural springs, and seasonal streams flowing from the hills of Seir–a critical necessity for a large group traveling through this very arid region. Nearly every location identified on this map was essentially a small community centered around one of these life-enabling sources of water. After reaching Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan by sending spies to scout out the land. But when ten of the twelve spies brought back news about the strength of the Canaanites, the people became afraid to enter the land, so the Lord punished them by condemning them to travel in the wilderness for forty years until that generation died off. Some Israelites repented and tried to enter the land, but they were beaten back to Hormah by the Amalekites and Canaanites. So for forty years the Israelites traveled from place to place, probably in the general area of Kadesh-barnea, though very few locations mentioned are able to be established with much certainty. As the forty years of traveling drew to a close, the Israelites prepared again to travel to Canaan by requesting permission from the king of Edom to pass through his land. When the king refused, the Israelites “turned away” from the Edomites and set out from Kadesh to travel to Mount Hor. The Jewish historian Josephus located Mount Hor at Jebel Nebi Harun, a very tall mountain in eastern Edom, but this has been rejected by many scholars in favor of other sites such as Jebel Madeira to the northeast of Kadesh. This author is convinced, however, that any candidate for Mount Hor must be sought to the south of Kadesh-barnea. Numbers 33:30 and Deuteronomy 10:6 mention that, during their wilderness travels, the Israelites camped at Moseroth/Moserah, which was apparently located at Mount Hor, since both Moseroth/Moserah and Mount Hor are cited as the place where Aaron died (Numbers 21:29-29; 33:37-39; Deuteronomy 10:6-9). It is difficult to envision the Israelites traveling back to the edge of Canaan after suffering defeat there the last time they attempted to enter the land. These same passages also note that after their stay at Moseroth/Moserah the Israelites traveled to Hor-haggidgad/Gudgodah (probably located along the Wadi Khadakhid) and then to Jotbathah, with no mention of passing through Kadesh, which they would have had to do if Mount Hor was north of Kadesh (since they were avoiding the land of Edom). Also, in Deuteronomy 2:1 Moses says that after the Israelites left Kadesh, “we journeyed back into the wilderness, in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord had told me and skirted Mount Seir for many days,” and Aaron’s death on Mount Hor fits best during this time. Similarly, Numbers 21:4 says “from Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom,” but there would have been no way to the Red Sea around the land of Edom if Mount Hor were located northeast of Kadesh. One element of the wilderness narratives that appears to favor a northeast location for Mount Hor, however, is the story of the king of Arad, which the book of Numbers (chapters 21 and 33) places immediately after the death of Aaron on Mount Hor. At first glance, the narrative seems to imply that the king attacked the Israelites at Mount Hor, which fits better with a northern location. Yet, it is also possible that the story is simply noting that it was after the Israelites’ arrival at Mount Hor that the king of Arad first learned of the Israelites’ renewed intentions to enter Canaan, perhaps as a result of their request to pass through Edom. But it may have been later that the king of Arad actually engaged them in battle, perhaps as they were passing north of Zalmonah and appeared to be ready to enter Canaan by way of Arad (see Numbers 33:41-42 and the map “The Journey to Abel-shittim”). For these reasons, this author believes that Har Karkom is the best candidate for the location of Mount Hor. The site is appropriately located at the edge of Seir and along the way to the Red Sea. This site’s role as an ancient cultic center is also well established. Perhaps Aaron’s priestly duties and authority in Israel had grown out of a similar role he had previously held at Mount Hor (see also Numbers 12:1-2; Deuteronomy 33:2; Judges 5:4-5), where he was eventually buried.
The Route of the Exodus
Exodus 13-19; Numbers 33
Like several other events recorded in Scripture, the Bible’s account of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai includes an abundance of geographical references, yet it remains one of the most hotly debated topics among scholars, and numerous theories have been offered. The vast majority of geographical references provided in the story are disputed, including the place where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the location of Mount Sinai (see Proposed Locations for Mount Sinai map), and the various stops along the Israelites’ journey. A few locations have been established with some degree of scholarly consensus, but even these are not without opposing viewpoints. Amidst this incredible diversity of opinion, however, a single verse provides one of the most helpful clues for weighing the merits of one viewpoint over another: “By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb” (Deuteronomy 1:2). For those who assume the Bible’s account to be trustworthy, this verse appears to require the following for any theory to be considered viable: 1) Kadesh-barnea and Mount Sinai must have been located at a distance from each other that could reasonably have been expected to take eleven days for an entire nation of people with small children, flocks, equipment, and perhaps even elderly members to travel on foot; and 2) the pace established by this distance over eleven days should most likely be considered the typical pace for the Israelites as they traveled from place to place along the other parts of the journey. This two-pronged test clearly strains many of the theories put forth to this point, especially when one factors in the time references given for the start of the journey (Exodus 12:6; Numbers 33:3), the middle of the journey (Exodus 16:1; Numbers 33:8), and the end of the journey (Exodus 19:1). In short, the journey from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin took 31 days, since it included the 15th day of the second month, and the rest of the journey took another 16 days, assuming they arrived at Mount Sinai on the 15th day (not the first day, etc.) of the third month. Along with these criteria, a theory’s overall congruence with other established geographical and archeological data should bolster its credibility over other proposals. Another consideration is the extreme similarity between the events at Rephidim (Exodus 17) and the events at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 20:1-13; 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 32:51; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28), raising the question of whether Rephidim (meaning “resting places”) is in fact Kadesh-barnea. With these things in mind, the map below proposes a route for the exodus that meets virtually all of these criteria. A careful analysis and explanation of all the elements of the map is far beyond the scope of this article, but a few key points should be noted. The term Red Sea, in addition to referring to what we now regard it, must have also applied to the interconnected lakes and marshlands that lay along what is now the Suez Canal. Also, the portion of the journey that passed through the wilderness for three days without water (Exodus 15:22; Numbers 33:8) may have been comprised of a partial first day, a full second day, and a partial third day, much like Jesus’ time in the tomb is reckoned as three days in Matthew 12:40. Most notably, Mount Sinai is placed on this map at Gebel Khashm et-Tarif, which is appropriately located near, but not in, Midian (Exodus 3:1; 18:5; Numbers 10:29-30). It is also located 89 miles from Kadesh-barnea (assuming Kadesh is at Tall al-Quderat), which establishes a reasonable pace of 7.6 miles (12.2 km) per day to travel between them in 11 days. This lines up well with several known sources of water along that route (e.g., `Ain Qedeis [Hazar-addar?], Tamilat Suwelima [Hor-haggiggad?], and the spring at Kuntillet al-Girafi [unknown ancient identification]). This general pace then synchronizes very well with the timetable and distances required by this map for the other parts of the journey. The distance from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin (where it is located here) could be completed in under 26 days, leaving an acceptable buffer of about 5 days for the parting of the Red Sea and perhaps a slower pace through the Wilderness of Shur/Etham. The entire journey took about 60 days, and the journey from the Wilderness of Sin to Mount Sinai took about 29 days. This leaves an acceptable buffer of time to complete the rest of the journey (about 16 days of travel) with a very adequate two weeks of extra time for Jethro to visit Moses and the Israelites to do battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17-18). It should be noted that this timetable generally assumes (but does not necessarily require) that travel continued on sabbath days, but Scripture does not make clear whether travel was prohibited as work prior to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.
