Exodus study section

Exodus maps & timelines

Exodus moves from Egypt through the Red Sea and the wilderness to Mount Sinai. These places and dates anchor the story in real geography and history.

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Geographic context

Key Locations in Exodus:

Egypt (Goshen) - The land of Israel’s slavery in the eastern Nile delta
Pithom and Rameses - The store cities the Hebrew slaves were forced to build
Midian - Where Moses fled and met God at the burning bush
The Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) - Where God parted the waters and drowned Pharaoh’s army
Marah and Elim - Early wilderness stops: bitter water made sweet, then twelve springs and seventy palms
Wilderness of Sin - Where God rained down manna and quail
Rephidim - Water struck from the rock and the battle with Amalek
Mount Sinai (Horeb) - Where God gave the law, sealed the covenant, and filled the tabernacle with His glory

The route of the exodus

Exodus moves from the Nile delta, through the sea, across the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula, to the mountain of God. The map traces those stages to scale; the list below walks them in order.

The stages in the order Exodus gives them, drawn along the traditional southern route. Several of these places cannot be located with confidence, and the mountain itself is disputed: the crosses mark two serious rivals to the traditional Jebel Musa, one north of it and one across the Gulf of Aqaba in Midian. They are shown because the distance between them is the honest measure of what is not known.

Egypt (Goshen)

The land of Israel’s slavery, and the store cities of Pithom and Rameses they built.

The Red Sea

Where God parted the waters, brought Israel through on dry ground, and drowned Pharaoh’s army.

Marah and Elim

The first wilderness stops: bitter water made sweet, then twelve springs and seventy palms.

Wilderness of Sin

Where God rained down manna each morning and quail at evening.

Rephidim

Water struck from the rock, and the battle with Amalek while Moses’ hands were held up.

Mount Sinai (Horeb)

Where God descended in fire, gave the law, sealed the covenant, and filled the tabernacle with His glory.

Timeline of major events

Event	Approximate Date	Exodus Reference
Israel enslaved in Egypt	c. 1876-1446 BC	1:8-14
Birth of Moses	c. 1526 BC	2:1-10
Moses flees to Midian	c. 1486 BC	2:11-25
The burning bush and call of Moses	c. 1446 BC	3:1-4:17
The ten plagues on Egypt	c. 1446 BC	7:14-12:30
The Passover	c. 1446 BC	12:1-30
The exodus from Egypt	c. 1446 BC	12:31-42
Crossing the Red Sea	c. 1446 BC	14:1-31
Manna, quail, and water in the wilderness	c. 1446 BC	16:1-17:7
Arrival at Mount Sinai	c. 1446 BC (third month)	19:1-2
The Ten Commandments	c. 1446 BC	20:1-17
The covenant confirmed in blood	c. 1446 BC	24:1-18
The golden calf	c. 1446 BC	32:1-35
The covenant renewed	c. 1446 BC	34:1-35
The tabernacle erected and filled with glory	c. 1445 BC (first month, second year)	40:1-38