Biblical Hebrew Forum

[James Christian <jc.bhebrew AT googlemail.com>]

Hi Yigal (and anybody else who feels like answering),


> El-Paran is not known from other sources, but "the wilderness of Paran" is
> well known in the south, and is reflected by the modern Arabic name of Wadi
> Faran. I would assume that "El-Paran" refers to a place dedicated to the
> worship of El in or near the wilderness of Paran, but that's just a guess.
>
>
Am I to understand that you are identifying the wilderness of Paran with
Wadi Faran. I also was invited by the etymology here. In fact, Wadi Faran is
an important part on the rout to Mt Sinai taken by Moses as advertised by
the local Bedouine. As compared with the rest of the Sinai peninsula you get
the biggest and best Oasis in this valley and water in the most abundance.
My understanding was that the wilderness of Paran is identified with the
desert at the North of the gulf of Aqaba making Wadi Faran and the
wilderness of Paran two completely different places many kilometres apart.

James Christian