Deuteronomy 1:19

“And when we departed from Horeb, etc.] As the Lord commanded them to do, when they were obedient: we went through all the great and terrible wilderness; the wilderness of Paran, called “great”, it reaching from Mount Sinai to Kadeshbarnea, eleven days’ journey, as Adrichomius f11 relates; and “terrible”, being so hard and dry as not to be ploughed nor sown, and presented to the sight something terrible and horrible, even the very image of death; to which may be added the fiery serpents and scorpions it abounded with, (<050815>Deuteronomy 8:15), which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites; that is, in the way that led to the mountain: as the Lord our God commanded us; to depart…”

“we went through all that great and terrible wilderness--of Paran, which included the desert and mountainous space lying between the wilderness of Shur westward, or towards Egypt and mount Seir, or the land of Edom eastwards; between the land of Canaan northwards, and the Red Sea southwards; and thus it appears to have comprehended really the wilderness of Sin and Sinai [FISK]. It is called by the Arabs El Tih, "the wandering." It is a dreary waste of rock and of calcareous soil covered with black sharp flints; all travellers, from a feeling of its complete isolation from the world, describe it as a great and terrible wilderness.”

“That great and terrible wilderness - Compare Deuteronomy 8:15. This language is such as people would employ after having passed with toil and suffering through the worst part of it, the southern half of the Arabah (see Numbers 21:4 note); and more especially when they had but recently rested from their marches in the plain of Shittim, the largest and richest oasis in the whole district on the Eastern bank near the mouth of the Jordan. return to 'Top of Page'”

“1:19-25 See Num 13. 1:19 Kadesh-barnea, a great oasis with abundant wells and springs, was about fifty miles south of Beersheba, the traditional southern point of Israel (see 2 Sam 3:10; 1 Chr 21:2).”

“through: Deu 8:15, Deu 32:10; Num 10:12; Jer 2:6 we came: Deu 1:2; Num 13:26 Deuteronomy 1:20”

“Everything had been done on the part of God and Moses to bring Israel speedily and safely to Canaan. The reason for their being compelled to remain in the desert for forty years was to be found exclusively in their resistance to the commandments of God. The discontent of the people with the guidance of God was manifested at the very first places of encampment in the desert (Num 11 and 12); but Moses passed over this, and simply reminded them of the rebellion at Kadesh (Num 13 and 14), because it was this which was followed by the condemnation of the rebellious generation to die out in the wilderness. Deu 1:19-25 "When we departed from Horeb, we passed through the great and dreadful…”