Alush
Alush is a location mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Sinai in modern-day Egypt. Known today as Wadi el Esh. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Alush is mentioned twice in Scripture, both times in connection with the Israelite wilderness journey from Egypt to Canaan. Numbers 33:13–14 records that Israel encamped at Alush after departing Dophkah and before reaching Rephidim, where the famous water crisis and the battle with Amalek took place. As a station in the Sinai itinerary, Alush represents one of the many stopping points in the forty-year wilderness sojourn — a period that Scripture portrays as simultaneously a time of discipline and divine provision. The proximity of Alush to Rephidim, where God miraculously brought water from the rock (Exodus 17:1–7), situates it within a theologically rich stretch of the journey marked by Israel's complaints and God's patient, merciful response. The name Alush does not appear outside of the Numbers 33 itinerary, and it left no footprint in the later historical or prophetic literature, but its position in the sacred geography of the exodus narrative gives it enduring significance in the story of Israel's formation as a covenant people.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Alush is tentatively identified with Wadi el Esh in the southwestern Sinai Peninsula, a rocky wadi lying between the Gulf of Suez and the central Sinai massif. The precise route of the Exodus has been debated for generations, with scholars proposing northern, central, and southern routes through the Sinai. The central and southern routes would bring Alush within the terrain of the high Sinai mountains. Archaeological surveys in the Sinai conducted by Eliezer Oren, Beno Rothenberg, and others have documented ancient campsites, mining installations at Timna and Serabit el-Khadim, and road systems, but no definitive evidence for the specific Exodus stations has been established. The identification of Alush with Wadi el Esh remains a scholarly proposal rather than a confirmed finding.
Verse Appearances (2)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →