KADESH
KADESH (
Καδής, LXX) , or KADESH-BARNEA, a site on the SE. of Palestine, with a fountain, ENMISHPAT (
Gen. 14.7, 16.14), where the Israelites encamped with the intention of entering the Promised Land (
Num. 32.8), and the point from which the spies were sent. (
Num. 13.14.40--45, 21.1--3;
Deut. 1.41--44; comp.
Judg. 1.17.)
The supposition that the Kadesh-Barnea, to which the Israelites first came, is different from the Kadesh-Meribah, which formed their later encampment, where the wants of the people were miraculously supplied from the smitten rock (
Num. 20.14), reconciles some difficulties. On the hypothesis that there were two places of this name, the first Kadesh and its localities agrees very well with the spring of
‘Ain Kădēs or
Kŭdēs, lying to the E. of the highest part of
Djebel Halal, towards its N. extremity, about 12 miles from
Moilâhhi Hadjar. (Beer-lahai-roi,
Gen. 16.14), and something like due S. from
Khalasa (Chezil,
Josh. 15.30), which has been identified by Mr. Rowlands (Williams,
Holy City, vol. i. App. pp. 466--468) with the rock struck by Moses.
The second Kadesh, to which the Israelites came with a view of passing through the land of Edom, coincides better with the more easterly position of
‘Ain-el-Weibeh which Dr. Robinson (
Bib. Res. vol. ii. pp. 582, 610, 622) has assigned to it (comp. Kitto,
Scripture Lands, p. 82). Ritter (
Erdkunde, vol. xiv. pp. 1077--1089), who refers to the latest discoveries in this district, does not determine whether one Kadesh would sufficiently answer all the conditions required.
[
E.B.J]
