Two Caravan Routes East Out Of Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim

Ancient Caravan Routes

From Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim and Mi•dᵊbârꞋ Sin•aiꞋ, there were only two caravan routes through the deserts and mountains northward into the Levant (Kᵊna•anꞋ) —

1. DërꞋëkh ha-Yâm, along the coast of Yâm ha-Ti•khōnꞋ (the Mediterranean Sea), and

2. DërꞋëkh ha-MëlꞋëkh, along the east bank of Nᵊhar ha-Ya•rᵊd•einꞋ (in present-day Jor­dan).

Passage from Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim through DërꞋëkh ha-Yâm, in the area around the crook turning north, was controlled and taxed by the Pᵊli•shᵊt•inꞋ. Road taxes and caravansary income from trader caravans represented a significant part of the Pᵊli•shᵊt•inꞋ economy that they would not be willing to jeopardize; and they were too powerful for fledgling Israel to challenge militarily. So marching Israel's military through DërꞋëkh ha-Yâm was never viable.

Topographical map: Sin•aiꞋ, el-Arish, Mi•dᵊbârꞋ Shūr, Tzin (Sin), & Pârân, Qâ•deishꞋ Bar•neiꞋa, A•mâ•leiqꞋ (Ë•dōmꞋ) (Google Mapa GISrael ORION-ME, 2018.01.04)

This left DërꞋëkh ha-mëlꞋëkh — caravan­ning up the east bank of Nᵊhar ha-Ya•rᵊd•einꞋ, from where they could cross into Kᵊna•anꞋ at Yᵊri•khoꞋ.

However, from the region of al-Arish in the northeastern Sin•aiꞋ where Israel was, they could only reach DërꞋëkh ha-mëlꞋëkh either by going south through difficult terrain, via Har Sin•aiꞋ, to merge with DërꞋëkh ha-mëlꞋëkh at Eil•atꞋ or, more directly, by negotiating peaceful passage through the territory of — A•mâ•leiqꞋ. This was Mōsh•ëhꞋ's "Plan A".

A•mâ•leiqꞋ Attacks Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ

Qâ•deishꞋ Bar•neiꞋa (al Qosima), Tel Wadi Ain al-Qudeirat archeological excavations (yellow arrow in valley).

Israel was growing its military and training for war in Mi•dᵊbârꞋ Tzin, which is located in the northeast Sin•aiꞋ, then abutting the Pᵊli•shᵊt•inꞋ, to the northwest and A•mâ•leiqꞋ to the north and east, in today's Israeli NëgꞋëv.

Israel's objective was to recover their promised native lands, which had been occupied by Kᵊna•an•iꞋ tribes to the north – on the far side – of A•mâ•leiqꞋ, in the interior of Kᵊna•anꞋ adjacent to Mi•dᵊbârꞋ Pâ•rânꞋ.

Viewing Israel's military training in plain, ominous and threatening, view in front of them, the next valley over, however, the tribe of A•mâ•leiqꞋ increasingly worried that the Israeli build-up was aimed at maturing into an attack, that Israel secretly intended to conquer them, taking their land as a base to continue straight north into the Israeli homeland.

Consequently, quite opposite to negotiating safe passage for Israel through their territory to access DërꞋëkh ha-mëlꞋëkh, A•mâ•leiqꞋ launched what they regarded as a preeminent attack against Israel at Rᵊphid•imꞋ.

Millennia Before Invention Of Phones & Radios

Mōsh•ëhꞋ Directs TzaꞋh"l By Hand-Signals

Egyptian heqa (l) & שְׂכֶם (r) scepters. Rulers would hold one in each hand when adjudicating a matter; the שְׂכֶם in the right hand and the heqa in the left hand.

Then Mōsh•ëhꞋ ordered Yᵊho•shuꞋa, "Put together a select unit to stop A•mâ•leiqꞋ's advance. Tomorrow, I'll stand on top of the hill, where I can see all that's going on and all of the troops can see me, with the scepter of the ël•ōh•imꞋ in my hand to signal maneuvers."

So Yᵊho•shuꞋa went out with his hand-picked unit as Mōsh•ëhꞋ had directed and engaged the forces of A•mâ•leiqꞋ. Meanwhile, Mōsh•ëhꞋ, A•ha•ronꞋ and Khūr went to the summit of a hill overlooking the battle.

As the war raged, Mōsh•ëhꞋ monitored the battle from the summit above the valley where he could see all troop movements, both Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ and A•mâ•leiqꞋ, for a great distance – and, critically, his field officers could see him.

Stationing himself at such a vantage point enabled Mōsh•ëhꞋ to monitor the entire battlefield; quickly identifying any enemy ambush, instantly seeing from afar any possible approaching reinforcement forces – and instantly transmitting early warning to his field commanders engaged in combat with the A•mâ•leiqꞋ forces in the valley below. This afforded Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ's field officers constant, up-to-the-second battlefield awareness of the enemy's tactics, in the heat of battle; and immediate tactical orders from the former Egyptian Pharaonic Prince and General – Mōsh•ëhꞋ.

Sho•phârꞋ

His field officers on the battlefield then gave orders to their sho•phârꞋ-blowers, to blow the appropriate blasts signalling the appropriate intelligence and battle orders to Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ forces, giving them the advantage to remain on the offensive – so that Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ prevailed.

But, when Mōsh•ëhꞋ's arms became tired and his legs grew tired of standing (from where he could see afar and be seen from afar), he could no longer signal enemy troop movements nor communicate tactical orders to his field commanders – and A•mâ•leiqꞋ began to prevail.

Thinking quickly, A•ha•ronꞋ and Khūr rolled a large stone in place for Mōsh•ëhꞋ to sit atop. Then they propped-up and manipulated his arms and scepter, as he directed. As a result, Mōsh•ëhꞋ's signals to the troops below were unfailing until the sun went down and, by their military proficiency, Yᵊho•shuꞋa repulsed the attack by A•mâ•leiqꞋ and his am.

4-Qᵊrân•ōtꞋ Mi•zᵊbeiꞋakh Tël Bᵊeir ShëvꞋa – reconstructed from original remnants. Original was probably hollow, housing an oven for a fire and equipped with a bronze (later iron) grate to support the sacrificial animal being grilled. The qᵊrân•ōtꞋ were likely angled outward at the outside corners to fa­cilitate tying-down the sacrificial animal. The Mi•zᵊbeiꞋ­akh of the Beit ha-Mi•qᵊdâshꞋ was bronze-plated. (photo: Dr. Avishai Teicher, Pikiwiki, Israel)

Then י‑‑ה said to Mōsh•ëhꞋ,

“Write this remembrance in a book and make it a priority in the ears of Yᵊho•shuꞋa because I'm going to utterly blot-out the memory of A•mâ•leiqꞋ from under the heavens.”

So Mōsh•ëhꞋ constructed a mi•zᵊbeiꞋakh and called it "י‑‑ה נִסִּי", saying, "As the Yâd is on the [qërꞋën] Keis-יָהּ: so Mi•lᵊkhâm•âhꞋ la-​SheimꞋ shall rage from generation to generation."