DEU 25:17 Remember what Amalekites did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

But why had God allowed this to happen if He had led them about to protect from these very people? In Egypt, He had allowed the people to become enslaved; He then showed Pharaoh His might and His power by setting them free. Here, He allowed the Amalekites to attack, but not on the open plain where the multitude would have been easily defeated. He again demonstrated His power and delivered the people:

EXO 17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalekites: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalekites: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalekites prevailed. 12 But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalekites and his people with the edge of the sword.

There could be no doubt who was responsible for the victory of Israel over the Amalekites, for only when Moses' held up his arms with the rod of God in his hands, did they win. Again and again, God was conditioning His people to rely solely on Him, not only for food and water, but for every victory in every phase of their life. The saddest part of the Exodus account is how the people were constantly gripping and fearful, placing little reliance on the God Who had wrought the most spectacular miracles in all of the earth's history for their benefit. Like many today, they believed the "promises" were for them, but they couldn't be bothered with keeping their part of the bargain. They believed they were the "chosen people" and God would take care of them regardless. Yet, because of their lack of faith and cooperation, only 2 people who left Egypt originally were allowed to enter the "promised land". The message is stern, that even though they were a "chosen people", God is no "respecter of persons:

ACT 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

HEB 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

With the defeat of Amalekites at Rephidim, Moses built an altar and called it "Jehovahnissi", which means "Jehovah is my banner". This altar is located just a few hundred yards from the "rock at Horeb". We can only estimate its size based on our video footage, but it appears to be between 20 and 25 feet long and perhaps 15 feet deep. Its height is 3 to 4 feet. We hope to get the exact measurements one day if our friends can safely return.

EXO 17:16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalekites from generation to generation.

There is no doubt in our minds that the structure in the photo at left is the altar Moses called "Jehovahnissi". There is a great amount of ancient remains in the area, but this is the only structure that is solid throughout, and that is rectangular in shape.

The Amalek continued their fierce attacks against Israel for many hundreds of years. Finally, David seems to have broken them as a great power, although the last remnants were finally destroyed by Simeon during the reign of Hezekiah, about 700 years later.

All throughout the region of Rephidim there are hundreds, perhaps thousands (we haven't counted) of ancient stone circles which are called "hut circles". No one knows exactly how they were used, but the evidence indicates that they were employed as sleeping quarters for a single family. A larger stone was placed in the middle; then cloth or covering of some type was placed over this stone forming a tent. The smaller stones which form the circle were then placed along the edge of the covering where it met the ground. This provided protection to the family while they slept from the wild animals, as well as their own flocks. They were quick and easy to make--just gather the rocks, which were plentiful.

The next event we are told about after Moses built the altar was the visit of Jethro:

EXO 18:1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; 2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, 3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: 4 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: 5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: 6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. 7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

There are several things to note in the above passage- first, Jethro went to see Moses at "the mount of God". Yet, he was still at Rephidim. This confirms the fact that Rephidim at the foot of Mt. Sinai, albeit on the western side, whereas the later encampment, where God gave the Ten Commandments and the Sanctuary was built, was on the eastern side. The second point is the fact that they went into Moses' tent- this confirms the presence of tents and the "hut circles", which are consistent with temporary camp-sites.

EXO 19:2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

Though they were at the foot of Mt. Sinai while at Rephidim, they had a long journey to reach the camp which would become their home for almost a year. Leaving Rephidim, they traveled west, back to the Wadi Afal where they then turned north. They then turned east and followed the Wadi al Suraym until it met the Wadi Abyad. Taking Wadi Abyad, they followed it south until it curved back to the west, leading them directly to the highest peak of Mt. Sinai.

There, they found themselves enclosed within the majestic mountains, with plenty of open flat land for the entire multitude to set up camp. Directly below the highest peak was the area at the foot of the mountain designated by God as "holy":

EXO 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

This was the first thing Moses was to undertake- the building of the "bounds". In 1985, when Ron had seen a number of 18 foot diameter round columns with only a few inches extending above ground level, he had concluded that these were the bounds, and that dirt and debris had settled around and over them over the years. We discussed these in our earlier newsletter on Mt. Sinai, and how they are constructed with 2 walls, with smaller rocks used to fill in between the 2 walls.

We now believe we were in error about these columns. The bounds were erected to keep both man and beast from even touching the border of the mountain. The 18 foot diameter columns are spaced 5 feet apart. This would have served as a boundary only in the sense that it would mark the limit- but, it wouldn't keep out children or unsuspecting animals who may wander through them. The Biblical account indicates that these "bounds" were constructed in such a manner that they were a physical barrier between the people (and animals) and the border of the mountain. After God had charged Moses to build the "bounds", He called him up into the mountain and had Moses go back down and be sure that the people wouldn't break through the "bounds"- the implication is that they were nearly riotous and were about to try to break through the "bounds". Moses' reply indicated that he though the "bounds" were secure, but God knew it was necessary for him to return and speak to the people about it:

EXO 19:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 23 And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 24 And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. 25 So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

After hundreds of hours of studying the photos and videos, we've found new evidence concerning the "bounds" and the columns which, to me, is very exciting. But we need to get an overview of the subject first. With that in mind, we will skip ahead and go on to the other features found at the site and the Biblical account. The evidence and the area is very large and it's necessary to understand the main features before we discuss these subjects.