(Jerusalem) - The world's leading expert on the Book of Exodus has concluded that the children of Israel could have avoided four decades of wandering in the desert searching for the Promised Land if they had simply asked for directions.
Dr. David Corbett, Professor of Biblical History at the University of Dayton, presented his findings at a conference held yesterday following a thorough review of recently discovered materials dealing with the departure of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. “There are numerous instances in the transcribed accounts of the journey where an Israelite notes that 'this looks familiar,' or inquires 'didn’t we just pass this?' It would appear that Moses, who had succeeded in delivering his people from slavery, could not bear to admit that he didn’t know where he was going.”
Dr. Corbett surmised that the stubbornness of Moses, and his reluctance to ask for assistance, resulted in unnecessary aggravation for his fellow travelers. “How much easier would it have been for everyone on the journey if Moses would have pulled over and asked the Amelikites something like ‘we’re trying to get to Canaan, are we going the right way?’” Most scholars agree that Moses possessed many extraordinary heroic qualities, but was a “typical man” when it came to the mundane tasks associated with day-to-day living. “For example, we know he never left his tent without asking Zipporah whether or not he was wearing the right sandals, or whether his robes matched his staff,” said Dr. Corbett.
