Then they piddled around for 40 years. So is this reality? Or is this a story? Nobody ever noticed these 6 MILLION people peeing in the desert???
And the freight train loaded with water (that always stayed fresh and uncontaminated!)...1800 miles long??
"37 That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children. And they were all traveling on foot. 38 Many people who were not Israelites went with them, along with the many flocks and herds. 39 Whenever they stopped to eat, they baked bread from the yeastless dough they had brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were rushed out of Egypt and had no time to wait for bread to rise. 40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. 41 In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the LORD's forces left the land. 42 This night had been reserved by the LORD to bring his people out from the land of Egypt, so this same night now belongs to him. It must be celebrated every year, from generation to generation, to remember the LORD's deliverance. 43 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the regulations for the festival of Passover. No foreigners are allowed to eat the Passover lamb. 44 But any slave who has been purchased may eat it if he has been circumcised"...AND SO FORTH.
It is estimated that this would mean about 6 MILLION people left to wander in a hot and harsh environment for 40 years. This naturally suggests some rather immense problems.
The Quartermaster General in the Army in " Desert Storm " has estimated (and he really should know), that on the basis of feeding 2 to 3 million soldiers (rather than the far greater 6 MILLION men, women, and children!)-- Moses would require:
1500 tons of food daily
4000 tons of wood to cook the food each day
11,000,000 gallons of water each day for drinking & washing
To transport the food he would need two freight trains, each ONE MILE long!
Then there is the problem of 4000 TONS of firewood per day!
How about the water? 11MILLION gallons PER DAY?! The train for the water (assuming standard tank cars) would be 1800 MILES long!!!
Jacob Gebhart makes some good observations regarding the problem with the daily latrine!
"RSV Exodus 12:37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
According to this passage 600,000 men descended from Yaacov left Egypt. If each man is married with the average of 5 children, this brings the entire population of Israel to 6,000,000. This is not including the mixed multitude that came out with them (Exodus 12:38) or the flocks and herds that they also brought out. This large number of people creates a few problems. The first is the size of this "army" (Exodus 12:41 - hosts meaning army. Also Exodus 12:37 where the men are called "gevoriym" or warriors) compared to the size of Pharaohs army of 600 chariots (Exodus 14:7) which brought fear to the Israelites. How could 600 chariots be considered a threat to 600,000 warriors of Israel? Equally puzzling is the fear the Israelites felt at entering the promised land where each city probably contained no more than 5,000 warriors compared to their 600,000.
Another problem is the simple logistics to supply, feed, water and move such a large number. According to the Quartermaster General in the army, it would take 1,500 tons of food, 4,000 tons of wood as fuel and 11,000,000 gallons of water each day to supply the basic needs of this group. Another problem is the location of the Latrine.
RSV Deuteronomy 23:12,13 "You shall have a place outside the camp and you shall go out to it; and you shall have a stick with your weapons; and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it, and turn back and cover up your excrement.
A camp of this size would be approximately five miles by five miles square assuming only 1,000 square feet per family. One located in the center of the camp would require a hike of 2.5 miles to use the restroom.
Another problem is the estimated population of the nation of Israel compared to the estimated population of Egypt at this time. It is estimated that the whole population of Egypt at the time of the exodus was between 2 and 5 million. According to the above estimates of the population of Israel, the people of Israel would be the population of Egypt."
Then they piddled around for 40 years. So is this reality? Or is this a story?
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