- Rephidim
Rephidim was one of the places (or "stations") visited by the
Israelite s during their exodus from Egypt.The Israelites had come from the
wilderness of Sin . At Rephidim, the Israelites found no water to drink, and in their distress they blamedMoses for their troubles, to the point where Moses feared that they would stone him (Exodus 17:4). God commanded Moses to strike a certain "rock inHoreb ," which caused a stream to flow from it, thus providing ample water for all of the people.Afterwards, the
Amalek ites attacked the Israelites while encamped at Rephidim, but were defeated (Exodus 17:8-16). They were the "first of the nations" to make war against Israel (Numbers 24:20).One proposal places Rephidim in the
Wadi Feiran , near its junction with theWadi esh-Sheikh . Leaving Rephidim, the Israelites advanced into the Sinai Wilderness (Exodus 19:1-2; Numbers 33:14-15), possibly marching through the two passes of theWadi Solaf and the Wadi esh-Sheikh, which converge at the entrance to theer-Rahah plain (which would then be identified with the "Sinai Wilderness"), which is two miles (3 km) long and about half a mile broad. See alsoMeribah .The name "Rephidim" ( _he. רְפִידִם) may mean "supports".
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