Body: | The Exodus Route: Migdol (Egyptian Watchower)
Click to View
Migdol "Watchtower"
Click to View Exodus Route home page
Click to View
Overview map
(Click on photo for high resolution)
Click to View
Satellite map
(Click on photo for high resolution)
Click to View
Goshen
Succoth
Migdol
Etham
Pi Hahiroth
Baal Zephon
Straits of Tiran
Migdol "Watchtower"
Introduction:
1. The word "Migdol" in Hebrew means "watchtower".
a. It refers to one of many Egyptian military lookout posts
scattered across Egypt.
b. The existence of the Egyptian migdol's are confirmed by
archeology.
2. We have no archaeological evidence for any migdol at the
Straits of Tiran, but this is a very likely place for one to have existed,
given the tri-intersection of the Red Sea.
a. A migdol located on the summit of one of the hills
overlooking the sea would not require much additional architecture to
elevate.
b. Migdols would be equipped with passenger pigeons as
communication agents. A passenger pigeon was able to get a message to
pharaoh the Israel was "trapped by the wilderness" in only 4 hours
since they travel at 100 km/h.
c. If Egypt was about to be attacked the ships or troops
would be spotted and an early warning sent to pharaoh to ready his army to
counter the attack.
d. In the Late Bronze Age, Egypt controlled the mines at
Serabit el-Khadim on the east side of the Gulf of Suez and the Timna mines
15 km north of Elat on the Gulf of Aqaba. A watchtower located at this
important three-way shipping crossroads would be invaluable.
A. Bible texts where Migdol's are mentioned in the Bible:
1. Remember, there were many Migdol's and the one's mentioned in
Jeremiah and Ezekiel are not the same one as mentioned in the Exodus.
2. Migdol of the Exodus:
a. Exodus 14:2 :"Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp
before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of
Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.
b. Numbers 33:7: They journeyed from Etham and turned back to
Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.
3. Other migdols:
a. Jeremiah 44:1 : The word that came to Jeremiah for all the
Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in Migdol,
Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros Jeremiah 44:1
b. Jeremiah 46:14: "Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol,
Proclaim also in Memphis and Tahpanhes; Say, 'Take your stand and get
yourself ready, For the sword has devoured those around you.'
c. Ezek 29:10; 30:6: therefore, behold, I am against you and
against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and
desolation, from Migdol to Syene and even to the border of Ethiopia.
d. Ezekiel 30:6: 'Thus says the Lord, "Indeed, those who support
Egypt will fall And the pride of her power will come down; From Migdol to
Syene They will fall within her by the sword," Declares the Lord God.
B. The Migdol at the Straits of Tiran of Tiran:
1. We have no archaeological evidence of any Egyptian
watchtower at the Straits of Tiran.
2. Our proposed exodus migdol sat on top of the mountain with
an elevation of 500 meters.
a. The Migdol located at the three way intersection of the
Red Sea, gulf of Suez and gulf of Aqaba was one of the most important.
b. From the vantage point on the ridge of mountains near the
sea, you could get a view for 30 miles each way. It was of huge military
and defensive importance.
3. Homing pigeons had been used for communications in Egypt
since 2500 BC, a full 1000 years before the exodus.
a. Large numbers of pigeons were taken to each Migdol and
kept captive, until they were needed to fly back "home" to Pharaoh in
Egypt.
b. Homing pigeons fly at a cruising speed of 100 km per hour.
c. It would take less than 4 hours for a pigeon to send a
message back to Pharaoh.
4. Scripture says that Israel came to a dead end at Etham, then
God told them to turn back and retrace their steps and camp directly beside
the "Migdol" in order for pharaoh to say, "Now the Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth,
between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon,
opposite it, by the sea. "For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, 'They
are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.'
"Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I
will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will
know that I am the Lord." And they did so." Exodus 14:1-4
5. Israel spent arrived on day 17, spent 8 days camped beside
the Red Sea waiting for Pharaoh to arrive. It would take only five hours
for the message to get to Pharaoh that Israel was back tracking. Then it
took the army only 7 days to make the trip with horses and chariots.
6. God was deliberately baiting Pharaoh who knew the terrain.
Etham was the end of the 200 mile long coastal plain. When Israel started
back towards Egypt, Pharaoh chased towards them with his 600 chariots.
7. A migdol is a military watchtower and fortress structure.
Migdols were very common in the ancient world and Egypt had many of them
throughout their territory. Forest fire towers in national parks spot fires
and migdols spot foreign military attacks. Egyptian migdols can be
fortified structures with high walls and an elevated stone or wooden
platform or simple viewing stations perched on the top of hills. The
Straits of Tiran was is a critical strategic location for an Egyptian
migdol military watchtower to monitor mariner traffic and an early warning
system of military attacks on Egypt. The straits of Tiran overlook the
three-way intersection of the Arabian, Aqaba and Suez gulfs. Messenger
pigeons were used in Egypt at the time of Abraham and the migdol at Tiran
would be equipped with them as fast communication systems.
C. Travel Itinerary, distances and speeds from Goshen to Red Sea:
See also: Travel times, distances, days of the week
Itinerary from Goshen to Red Sea Crossing at Tiran
Bible texts
Day # from Red Sea
Weekday
distance from last stop
Goshen to Succoth
Exodus 12:37; 13:20; Numbers 33:5-6
1-9
Thursday- Friday
240 km
Etham: 460 km. (Passes Red Sea Camp at 436 km then 24 km to Etham)
Exodus 14:1-4: 13:20; Numbers 33:6-8
10-16
Saturday - Friday
220 km
Red Sea Camp: 484 km
Exodus 14:1-4
17-24
Saturday-Saturday
24 km
Cross Red sea: 500 km
Exodus 14:13-31
25
Sunday
16 km
Total
500 km
Calculating rates of travel from Goshen to Tiran
Trip
Distance
Total days
Camp days
Travel days
Daily rate of travel
Goshen to Red Sea (including Etham backtrack and Red Sea crossing)
(7 camp days at red sea)
500 km
24
7
17
29 km/day
18 miles/day
Etham backtrack distance from the camp by the Red Sea at the crossing point to Etham and back again (24 km x 2)
48 km
-
-
-
-
Red Sea Crossing at Tiran (16 km included in Goshen to Red Sea 500 km)
16 km
1
-
1
16 km/day
10 miles/day
Red Sea to Sinai
(Camp days: 7 days in wilderness of Sin including 1st sabbath, 3 days at Rephidim, 2nd sabbath)
200 km
22
11
11
18 km/day
11 miles/day
Goshen to Sinai (including Etham backtrack 44 km and Red Sea crossing 16 km)
700 km
47
18
29
24 km/day
14 miles/day
On day 17 when Israel backtracks from Etham, a message from Pharaoh's military "Migdol" to Egypt by homing pigeon at 80 km/hour (average speed is 100 km/hour): "They are moving aimlessly and the wilderness at Etham has shut them in."
400 km
5 hours
4 hours
-
-
80 km/hr.
48 miles/hr.
100 km/hr.
62 miles/hr.
On day 18 Pharaoh's army begin pursued Israel with horses and 600 choice chariots (and other standard chariots for a total perhaps of 2000) from Egypt to where the angel stopped them. (Ex 14:6-9)
400 km
7
0
7
57 km/day
34 miles/day
Herodotus (450 BC): Mediterranean to Gulf of Suez
150 km
4
-
-
38 km/day
D. The positioning of the camp of Israel:
Geographic reference
Israelite Camp: Exodus 14:2,9
Israelite Camp: Num 33:7
Pi-hahiroth "mouth of water"
before Pi-hahiroth
turn back to Pi-hahiroth
Migdol "watchtower"
between Migdol and the sea
camped before between Migdol
Baal-zephon (idol Baal)
camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it
Pi-hahiroth faces Baal-zephon
Exodus 14:2 :"Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before
Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of
Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.
Numbers 33:7: They journeyed from Etham and turned back to
Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.
Pi-hahiroth means a "mouth of water" in Hebrew. Notice that
"Pi-hahiroth faces Baal-zephon" in Num 33:7. If you look at the "mouth" it
indeed faces Baal-zephon!
E. Photos
Click to View
Click to View
Click to View
Click to View
Click to View
F. How the traditional choice for Migdol fails:
Click to View Excluded Exodus Routes: Nuweiba Beech, Bitter lakes, Gulf of
Suez, Mt. Musa, Mt. Karkom, Ein el-Qudeirat.
1. In the traditional exodus route, Migdol would be placed on
the Egyptian side of the crossing. It is important to remember that they
went past the Migdol to Etham, then back tracked to camp at the Red Sea.
For the Bitter lakes, such is impossible.
2. For the Port of Suez crossing, there is a nice mountain
range that would work well for a Migdol watch post. In fact we believe it
is likely one existed there, but the other serious problems with the Port
of Suez disqualify it as a candidate for the Red Sea crossing. For example
there is no logical place for Etham past the crossing point, since it opens
up into a huge flat plain.
3. No migdol at Nuweiba beach: Glen Fritz knew the Nuweiba
beach was a very unlikely location for a military watchtower, so being a
geographer instead of an archaeologist, he redefines "migdol" as a
large, massive mountain range west of the Nuweiba beach rather than an
Egyptian watchtower overlooking the Nuweiba beach.
a. There are no examples in ancient literary sources that a
migdol was merely a mountain range. In all cases it was a manned elevated
military fortress.
b. With no Egyptian military watcher at the Nuweiba beach it
removes the possibility of using messenger pigeons to fly back to Egypt
with the message Israel was trapped. The only other option to get a message
back to pharaoh from the Nuweiba beach was by sea or horseback. It would
take a messenger 5 days to ride from Fritz's location for Etham and 7
days from the Nuweiba beach to get a message to pharaoh. This is an
unsolvable problem for the Nuweiba crossing because Moses cannot reach the
Wilderness of Sin by day 31 from Goshen.
c. The Straits of Tiran on the other hand is a critical
location for an Egyptian migdol military watchtower to monitor mariner
traffic and an early warning system of military attacks on Egypt.
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
Click to View
Go To Start: WWW.BIBLE.CA
|