40 Years of Wandering and the Exodus Population
Farrell Till errancy@infidels.org
Mon, 17 May 1999 18:45:12 -0700 (00927009912, 2.2.32.19990518014512.00956ba4@midwest.net)
At 05:23 PM 5/17/99 -0500, you wrote:
>WALT
>
>JAlw@aol.com wrote:
>>
>> Farrell Till:
>>
>> The exodus stories ask us to believe that about 3 million people wandered in
>> this wilderness for a period of
>> 40 years, but how likely is it that 3 million people could do that in a
>> relatively confined area without finding their way out of the wilderness?
>>
>> Let's suppose that these 3 million traveled, say, 200 abreast, taking with
>> them their tents, herds, and other possessions as they marched along. How
>> long would this line of humanity have been? If they traveled this way, there
>> would have been 15,000 columns, and if they had only 3 feet between the
>> columns, they would have been strung out over a distance of almost 9 miles.
>> ===============
>> Joe Alward:
>>
>> I have one question, and then a comment.
>>
>> First, does the Bible says that the Hebrews were *lost* in the wilderness?
>> I've seen references to "wandering", but I've not seen any that make it clear
>> that they made continuous efforts to find Canaan but failed.
>>
>
>> On another matter of less importance: I think that Till must mean that there
>> were 15,000 "rows", not columns.
>
>WALT
>Joe,
>All military movements of massed troops(except in battle) are performed
>in "columns". I can well-remember morning parades and the command, "Pass
>in review", followed by, "Columnn of companies, leading company, right
>turn".....and we were off. Also, you may wish to check any dictionary,
>or maybe not, 'cause you might consider that to be "research".
>
TILL
Well, you know how it is, Walt. Unless Alward picks a few nits, he thinks
that his day has been a waste.
The American Heritage dictionary gives the following as one of the
definitions of "column":
"A formation in rows or ranks, as of troops."
Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net