Exodus 12:37

Exodus 12:37

And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

a. NLT: That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children.

b. NIV: The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.

c. YLT: And the sons of Israel journey from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, apart from infants;

d. Amplified Bible Classic: The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.

e. Septuagint: And the children Israel departed from Ramesses to Socchoth, to [the full number of] six hundred thousand footmen, even men, besides the baggage. 

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: The Children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children.

1. “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth…”

a. the children [1121 * ben] [Strong: from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

b. of Israel [3478 * Yisra'el] [Strong: from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: --Israel.]

c. journeyed [5265 * naca`] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e. start on a journey:--cause to blow, bring, get, (make to) go (away, forth, forward, onward, out), (take) journey, march, remove, set aside (forward), X still, be on his (go their) way.]

d. from Rameses [7486 * Ra`mcec; or Raamcec] [Strong: of Egyptian origin; Rameses or Raamses, a place in Egypt:--Raamses, Rameses.]

e. to Succoth [5523 * Cukkowth; or Cukkoth] [Strong: plural of 5521; booths; Succoth, the name of a place in Egypt and of three in Palestine:-- Succoth.]

1). Upon leaving Egypt, they did not take the straight forward route to the Promised Land of Canaan. They went south and then west across the Sinai Peninsula to the shores of the Red Sea. There were two reasons for this, the first, as Gordon Lindsay writes in his Old Testament Series: "the warlike Philistines stood in the path, and the people were not ready to take on such a formidable antagonist.”

 a). Exodus 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

13:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

2). The second and most important is after leaving Egypt, Moses was to lead Israel back to the mountain of God in Midian, which is why they had to cross the Red Sea. Mount Sinai is not in the Sinai Peninsula, but is actually in present day Saudi Arabia.

a). Exodus 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

2. “…about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.”

a. six [8337 * shesh; masculine shishshah] [Strong: a primitive number; six (as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.]

b. hundred [3967 * me'ah; or metyah] [Strong: properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.]

c. thousand [505 * eleph] [Strong: prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand:--thousand.]

d. on foot [7273 * ragliy] [Strong: from 7272; a footman (soldier):--(on) foot(- man).]

e. that were men [1397 * geber] [Strong: from 1396; properly, a valiant man or warrior; generally, a person simply:--every one, man, X mighty.]

f. beside [905 * bad] [Strong: from 909; properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of a tree, bar for carrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besides:--alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.]

g. children [2945 * taph] [Strong: from 2952 (perhaps referring to the tripping gait of children); a family (mostly used collectively in the singular):--(little) children (ones), families.]