C. Waukin.
830
KAEZEEL
KADJIIEL
K
KABZEEL ('JK53B, B Ka.j3ot<rtXfi)\, A Kacrfff^X).— A towTi ill the extreme soulli of Judah, on the border of Edoiii, Jos 15-'. It is mentioned in 2 S '23» (B KojSeff«T)\ ; cf . I Ch 1 1'-^) as tlie native place of Ben- aiah, tlie son of .Jeh(iia<la. In Neh 11^ it appears under the naiiio Jekabzeel as reinhabited afler the Captivity (LXX omits in this verse botli .lekabzeel and IJibon). Its site has not been identilieil.
C. K. CON'DER.
KADESH, KADESH-BARNEA(Eiji3Gn 14' [where it is also called of;-:;-['i' ' well of decision '] * lU" 20', Nu 13"-« 20'- " et al. ; yi^; o-.^ in Dt P- '» 2'« 9», Nu 32» 34^ Jos 1U« H"'' 15' [all]; LXX KaS^s, KaJJ(5 [tov] Bapr/j). — Witli the exception of Sinai, no siHjt is more memoralile in the history of the wanderings of the Israelites than Kadesh-barnea. It was here tliat the host camped during the 38 years that intervened between the sendin" out of the spies and the entrance into Palestine (Nu 20'- " .1 E). It would appear, indeed, from Dt 2''' as if the time was spent aivaij from Kadesh. We may perhajis infer t that at Kadesh the tabernacle with tlie ark of the covenant was set up; that it was the aliode of Moses and the chiefs of the tribes, 'ind that it was the general centre to which the people resorted for worship and for judgment on disputed queslicms. But it by no means follows that tlie whole multitude with their flocks and herds congregated in the immediate neighbour- hood ; such a multitude of people and animals would, for the sake of pasturage alone, require a wide lield in which to pitch tlieir tents. It was at Kadesh that Miriam died (Nu 20') ; it was the scene of the rebellion of Korah and his company (Nu 16); it was from Kadesh that tlie spies were .■icnt in advance to ascertain and report to Moses on the physical character and the inhabitants of Canaan (Nu 13=") ; and it was at Kadesh that the miraculous supply of water was obtained (Nu 20'-'"), when, apparently, the fountains which had caused the spot to be selected as camping "round were dried up ; caused either by a prolonged drought, or by the blocking up of the underground clianiiels by the falling in of the limestone strata. Whatever may have been the cause, the restoration of tlie How of water was clearly miraculous, as it occurred at the moment of the interjiosition of Moses by command of God ; though in a manner at variance with precise directions, which were to ' speak unto the rock ' (Nu 20"), not to strike it with the rod. This departure from his instructions cost Moses his doom.
The position of Kadesh-bamea has been the subject of much controversy. By a comparison of various passages the site is brought witliin very n.arrow limits. It was on the borders of the Wil- derne.ss of Zin (Nu 2U'), a tract which lay along t he western margin of the valley of the Arabah ; it was also near the southern boundary of the territory of Judah and of the land of the twelve tribes (Nu 34*). It was eleven days' journey from Horeb (Mt. Sinai) by way of Mt. Seir, or, in other words, by the route of the Arabah,— doubtless the number of days occupied by the Israelitish host in their journey between these two important camps ; and it was not far distant from the border
•The name Kadeth implies that the place was a sanctuan' ; no doubt it bore liiis character before its occupation by Israel See, further, Driver on Dt 332, where Wellh. would read ' from Meribath-Kadesh' (B^nj; njns?) for pip ni3ip 'cut of holy myriads,' of SIT. . . •
t But Me Driver on Dt 2H.
of Edoni and the ba.se of Mt. Hor, a sit« which haj been recognized as indisputable by many competent authorities. It was from Kadesli-barnea that Mo.ses on the expiration of the ' forty years,' and the resumption of the journeys of the Lsraelites, sent messengers to the king of Edom askint; per- nii.ssion to pass through his land so as to reacn the tableland of Moab on their way northwards ; which request was refused (Nu 20'*"'-" E).* All these passages lead us to infer some position in the Badiet et-Tili — the great expanse of treeless lime- stone plateau which intervenes between the valley of the Arabah, opposite Mt. Hor on the east and the coast of Philistia about Gaza on the west. These conditions appear to be fully satisfied in the site discovered by the late Kev. John Rowland in 1842, to which he was guided by some Arabs when resident at Gaza. Here he found a lofty wall of limestone, at the base of which issued forth a copious spring, or several springs, which emptied themselves into a large artiliciallj' constructed, basin, then into another of smaller size ; and, continuing to flow down the valley, spread fertility on either hand until the waters ultimately dis- appeared beneath the sands of the de.sert. The spring is known amongst the Arabs by the name oi'Ain fCaclls, or Holy Well, a name which seems to preserve the original biblical one. It was clear from the stone troughs and the marks of cattle and sheep around that the well was a favourite resort of the tribes for water, and doubtless was so even prior to the visit of the Israelites. The presence of water is a first necessity of life in those districts, and such a copious supply pointed it out as one suitable for the camping ground of the host. This spot was afterwards visited by Dr. H. Clay TiTimbull, who confirms Rowland's identification, and who is the author of the most important work yet published on the subject.t The term 'city' applied to this spot probably means a camp or village of the Midianites (Nu 20"). E. HULL.