Where is Etham in the Bible?
Etham is mentioned in the Book of Exodus and Numbers as one of the places where the Israelites camped during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. After leaving Succoth, the Israelites camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness (Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6). Etham appears in 4 verses across 2 books of the Bible.
What happened at Etham?
Etham is mentioned in the Book of Exodus and Numbers as one of the places where the Israelites camped during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. After leaving Succoth, the Israelites camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness (Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6). The location of Etham is described as being on the edge of the wilderness, likely referring to the Sinai desert. It was the last stop before the Israelites turned back and camped near Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea (Numbers 33:7). The name Etham may be derived from the Egyptian word "khetam," meaning "fortress" or "castle," suggesting that it was a border fortification marking the edge of Egyptian territory. Some scholars propose that Etham was located near the present-day Ismailia, on the eastern edge of the Nile delta, but the exact location remains uncertain. The wilderness of Etham is also mentioned in Numbers 33:8, referring to the area through which the Israelites passed after crossing the Red Sea. This suggests that the name Etham was associated with a larger region, extending from the edge of the Nile delta to the Sinai desert.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Etham appear in the Bible?
Etham is referenced in 4 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- Exodus 13:20
- Numbers 33:6
- Numbers 33:7
- Numbers 33:8
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Etham.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Etham?
Etham appears in 4 verses across 2 books, most often in Numbers, which accounts for 3 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Etham?
Numbers, Exodus.
Where can I read every verse about Etham?
This page lists 4 of them. Protos carries all 4, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
