Bormah. This mention or llorma.h is ex- in the mountains beyond, u far u • pla.ce tremely perplexing, especially when we find CAlled Hormah, perhaps from this very from Deut. i. 44 that it 'WllS "in Seir" slaughter. Others have found Hormah (or (,"V~i'), which is the ordinary name for the ~phath, Judges L 17) and Seir among the t.erritory of the Edomites. The name Hor• multitudinous names of past or present liabit- mah meets us again in eh. m. 8 (see the ation in the south of P&!.estine ; the perplex- notes there), as having been beiitowed by the ing resemblances of which, ooupled with the Israelites upon the place where they de- vagueness of the sacred nan:ative, lead to the stroyed the people of King Arad. IC this be rise of as many different theories u there are the SIi.me Horma.h, it must be so named here commentetors. It must, however, be erro• by a.nticipation. It is, however, quite poll• neous to represent this ha.styincursiou of the sible that it is another place cltogether. Israelites, without their leaders, and without Again, if the Seir of Deut. i. 44 be the their d&ily food from heaven, 118 a campaign country nsually so called, we mu.st suppose in which they advanced for a considerable that the Edomites had at this time occupied diste.nce, and were only partially expelled at of the .A.zazimeh, contiguous to the last, It is cle1u- froIIl tb • Murreh, and westwards of the Araba.h. more from the r.raUeJ. Dent. i, ,oul.d t;he11 nipnisent the Israelites to that the expedition was e.ud igno- ourselves as being riven off the mountain, miniously repelled and avenged. Compare and across the Wady Murrell, and cut down the expressioD, "chased you 118 bees do.'
NOTE TO CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. ON THE POSITION OF KADESH AND THE ROUTE TAKEN BY THE ISRAELITES. The old name of Kadesh was En-~hpat (Gen. xiv. 7), or the "Well of Judg- ment." Its later llll.d more familiar name was equivalent to "the sanctuary" or "holy place" ( compare the Arabic name for Jerusalem, 11 El Kuds "). It is possible that it received this name from the long sojourn of the tabemaclo in its neighbour- hood (Deut. i. 46); but it is more likely that it possessed some character of sanctity from ancient times, a character which would very well harmonise with the fact that justice was administered there. It is evident that in order to obtain any clear and connected idea of the history of Israel between the departure from Sinai and the encampment upon the plains of Moab, it is above all necessary to fix approximately the position of this place, which for one generation was the most important place in the whole world. It was no doubt from the neighbourhood of Ka.desh tha.t the spies were sent, and it was certainly to Kadesh that they returned from searching the land (eh. xiii. 26). From Ka.desh the first disaatrous attempt was made to invade the country, and from thence again the final journey began which led the nation round the coasts of Edom to the plains of Moab. Thus Kadesh was of all placeB, ·next to Mount Sinai, the one associated with the most momentous events of those momentous years, marking at once the terminus of their first journey (which should have been their last), the beginning of their tedious wanderings, and the starting point of their final_ march. So far, however, from there being any certainty or .agreement as to the site of Kadesh, we find two sites proposed widely separated from one another, each maintained and ea.eh assailed by powerful arguments, which divide between them the sui!rages of geographers and commento.tore; and beBides these there are others less powerfully supported. The view adopted in the notes to this hook is that of the travellers Rowland and Williams, and of the great majority of the Gennan commentators: it ie fully stated and minutely argued in Kurtz's • History of the Old Covenant' (vol. iii. in Clark's 'Foreigu Theol. Lib.'). According to these authorities Kadesh is to be recognised in the plain and fountain of Kudes, iust within the north-west comer of the mountains OBB. XIII., XIV.] THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. 151