Suph
Suph is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Sinai in modern-day Egypt. Known today as Gulf of Aqaba. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Suph appears only once in Scripture, in Deuteronomy 1:1, as one of several geographical markers used to locate the speeches Moses delivered to Israel in the wilderness: "These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan — that is, in the Arabah — opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab." The precise identification of Suph has long puzzled scholars, with some equating it with Yam Suph, the "Sea of Reeds" or Red Sea, which Israel crossed at the Exodus. If so, the reference would situate Moses' farewell address geographically in relation to the body of water most associated with God's redemptive act of deliverance. Others identify Suph as a specific location in the Arabah wilderness distinct from the sea itself. In either reading, Suph serves as a geographical anchor for the book of Deuteronomy — Moses' final and most extensive address to Israel before his death and Israel's crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land. The word suph in Hebrew means "reeds" and is associated with the sea imagery of deliverance throughout the Pentateuch.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The identification of biblical Suph remains uncertain. The Hebrew term Yam Suph (Sea of Reeds) is associated variously with the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, or marshland in the eastern Nile Delta, and scholarly opinion remains divided. The Gulf of Aqaba identification, which places Suph near modern Eilat/Aqaba, is supported by geographical references in 1 Kings 9:26. Archaeological surveys of the Arabah region and the northern Gulf of Aqaba have documented Bronze Age and Iron Age activity consistent with Israelite wilderness movements, but no site has been definitively identified as the Suph of Deuteronomy 1:1. The region continues to be studied through surveys and limited excavations.
Verse Appearances (1)
Deut
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →