Exodus 13:17-22 comments: Moses took the bones of Joseph with them

13:17 ¶  And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18  But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. 19  And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. 20  And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22  He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

We see again here that God did not let them go the way of the coasts where Philistine territory was. Repeating what I said previously, a coastal march would have been most efficient but that would have them walking right into a fiercely warlike group of people, descendants of Ham and Mizraim, the founder of Egypt; the Philistim or Philistines. See Genesis 10. So, they marched south into the wilderness of the Red Sea, the sparsely inhabited area bordering the Red Sea as logically the center of Pharaoh’s power would be in Lower Egypt, the most fertile and rich area with less control the further south one went.

Here is a definition of repent in verse 17. To repent is to change your mind and do something!

From Succoth they went to Etham. This is said to be in the edge of the wilderness, an unpopulated area near to the Red Sea. And remember, this is a huge body of people and animals walking, probably not very fast. Most of the speculation about where this place was is just that, speculation. You will read a lot of, “perhaps,” and, “maybe,” in the writings about this place’s location.

People will choose to believe their favorite Bible expositor as long as it doesn’t require them to think and pray themselves. Cross-references don’t help in this case. We just need to pray and use common sense. The Hebrews would naturally be moving east but God did not want them to go in the direction of the Philistines and He turns them in a southerly or southeasterly direction.

Verse 21 and 22 show that God went ahead of them operating in a very spectacular way.