And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.
Encamped by the Red sea. This station is omitted in the historical itinerary of Exodus. The distance between the Elim station and the sea is only one mile and a-half; so that it could with propriety be left unnoticed in the principal account; and perhaps there may be some truth in the conjecture of Lepsius, that a large portion of time people moved down from the headquarters at Elim 'to refresh themselves with a good repast of fish, as they had been in the habit of doing out of the Nile.'
The road from Wady Ghurundel leads into the interior, in consequence of a high continuous ridge which excludes all view of the sea, At the mouth of Wady-et-Tayibeh, after about three days' march, it opens again on a plain along the margin of the Red Sea. The minute accuracy of the Scripture narrative, in corresponding so exactly with the geographical features of this region, is remarkably shown in describing the Israelites as proceeding by the only practicable route that could be taken. This plain, where they encamped, was the Desert of Sin (see the note at Exodus 16:1).