What happened right before Israel left Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy 1?
According to Moses' synopsis in Deuteronomy 1:19, before Israel departed from Horeb, that is Mount Sinai, the tabernacle had been constructed and then taken down, and the cloud moved them. After that they went through the great and terrible wilderness and came to Kadesh Barnea.
Les explains that Moses is writing a synopsis after the fact. In Deuteronomy 1:19, Moses writes that when they departed from Horeb—Mount Sinai—it was after the tabernacle had been constructed and taken down, and the cloud moved them. They then went through the great and terrible wilderness, which is the Sinai Peninsula with tremendous mountains and canyons. Les notes it was a miracle that God kept track of three to seven million people and their livestock. They came to Kadesh Barnea on the border, with the promised land just ahead. Moses told them, You are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord your God gives you. There was no hint of problems. Verse 21 says, Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee; go up and possess it. Les emphasizes God did not intend the twelve spies to go in; He intended Israel to go in by faith, knowing He would drive out the inhabitants, just as they crossed the Red Sea by faith.
And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
More Questions
Why does Deuteronomy chapter 1 retell the journey from Horeb instead of just listing new laws?
Moses wrote Deuteronomy after the fact as a synopsis or rehearsal of everything that had gone on before, which is why chapter 1 opens with the departure from Horeb.
What is another name for Mount Sinai?
Les explains that Moses writes in chapter 1, verse 19: 'And when we departed from Horeb, that's Mount Sinai.' This departure occurred after the tabernacle had been constructed and taken down, and the cloud moved them. They then went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which Les identifies as the Sinai Peninsula. He describes it as the most awesome geographical area imaginable—not flat desert, but tremendous mountains and canyons. Les marvels that God kept track of three to seven million people and all their livestock, calling that in itself a miracle. They eventually came to Kadesh Barnea, on the border of the promised land.
What is the book of Deuteronomy in relation to the earlier events at Mount Sinai?
The book of Deuteronomy is a synopsis or repeat of everything, with Moses going back over the account from when Israel first came away from Mount Sinai and were ready to enter the Promised Land.
What is the book of Deuteronomy about and where does it pick up Israel's story?
Deuteronomy is essentially a synopsis or repeat of Israel's earlier history, where Moses goes back to the time when the people had first departed Mount Sinai and were ready to enter the Promised Land.