Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>]

I lived in Southern Ukraine. It's a steppe region with frequent droughts.
Sinai could be steppe (thus habitable for oxen), yet dry in particular time.

That the author related the events as miracle doesn't mean that miracle took
place. Very natural events are often perceived as miracles and described
thus in the literature. I'm sure you could name many examples.

Vadim Cherny

> You have missed my point.  The author of the Exodus story
> clearly intended to reader to understand the events
> described were the result of divine intervention, i.e
> miracles.  Miracles not need *explanations*.  Yahweh can do
> whatever Yahweh wants to do.
>
> In any event, as the later text unmistakely states, the
> cattle are in danger of dying from thrist (as are the
> Israelites).  So the author is conveying a dry, desolate
> Sinai, rather like the real one today.  The author is
> saying that the cattle and Israelites would have died of
> thirst in a barren wasteland without Yahwehs help.
> Climatology is not the issue.
>
> Jack Tladatsi
>
>