They Come To Succoth. Series

They come to Succoth.

Ex 12:37-40.

37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

40Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years.

The Succoth description given in the Bible is pretty straightforward, yet the name, Succoth, is mentioned in two different places.

1. Jerome places it "beyond Jordan" (Quaest. Hebrew). In Joshua 13:27-28, Succoth is assigned to Gad. The mention of the "house" and "booths" marks where Jacob stayed for a long time, in contrast to his previous pilgrim life in tents. Succoth lay on the route between Pentel on the East of Jordan and Shechem on the West of Jordan (Genesis 32:30; Genesis 33:17-18). (See PENUEL; SHALEM.) Subsequently, in Gideon's days, Succoth had 77 chiefs and elders (Sequenom, "sheiks," i.e., headmen, literally, old men). See also 1 Kings 7:46; 2 Chronicles 4:17. The Talmud makes Succoth a district (so Psalm 60:6, "the valley of Succoth") as well as a town called Ter'alah; this corresponds to the tell or mound Der'ala, thickly strewed with pottery, in the great plain North of the Jabbok, one mile from the river and three miles from where it leaves the hills. Close by is a more miniature mound with ruins. The Bedouin say a city existed formerly on the large mound. East of tell Der'ala is the ford of the Jabbok, "Mashra'a Canaan," i.e., Canaan's crossing.

The route into Canaan which the nomadic tribes, as Midian, always took ("the way of them that dwell in tents (tabernacles)," Judges 8:11) was along the course of the Jabbok and so across Jordan opposite Bethshean, thence spreading over the Esdraelon plain. In pursuing Midian, Gideon (Judges 8:4-17) took the same course in reverse order until he reached Succoth. The men of Succoth, as living on this excellent army route between Canaan and the East, and having regard only for self and no concern for Israel's deliverance and no compassion for the sufferings of Gideon's gallant little band, would give no bread to their brethren lest they should incur the vengeance of Midian; nay more, they added insolence to unkindness. As they classed themselves with the wicked, of whom thorns are the symbol, their retributive punishment was to be chastised with thorns of the wilderness (the most substantial thorns: Isaiah 5:6; Isaiah 27:4; Amos 1:3; 2 Samuel 23:6-7).

2. Israel's first camping place after leaving Egypt (Exodus 12:37, Genesis32:30; 33:37), halfway between Rameses and Etham, Succoth of the Birket Timseh ("the lake of crocodiles") on the road that led by the shortest way to the edge of the wilderness. Possibly from Hebrew sukkot "booths," but probably from the Egyptian sachet or sochot, the "domain of an officer of the state" in Lower Egypt not far from Memphis, in the time of Chufu (Exodus 12:37; Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:5-6).

Succoth

The first encampment of the Israelites after leaving Ramesses ( Exodus 12:37 ); the civil name of Pithom.

A city on the east of Jordan, identified with Tell Dar'ala, a high mound, a mass of debris, in the plain north of Jabbok and about one mile from it ( Joshua 13:27 ). Here Jacob ( Genesis 32:17 Genesis 32:30; 33:17 ), on his return from Padan-aram after his interview with Esau, built a house for himself and made booths for his cattle. The princes of this city churlishly refused to afford help to Gideon and his 300 men when "faint yet pursuing" they followed one of the bands of the fugitive Midianites after the great victory at Gilboa. After overtaking and routing this band at Karkor, Gideon visited the city's rulers with severe punishment on his return. "He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them, he taught the men of Succoth" ( Judges 8:13-16 ). At this place were erected the foundries for casting the metal-work for the temple ( 1 Kings 7:46 ).

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Bibliography Information

Hitchcock, Roswell D. "Entry for 'Succoth.'" "An Interpreting Dictionary of An ancient town first heard of in the account of the homeward journey of Jacob from Padan-aram. ( Genesis 35:17 ) The name is derived from the fact of Jacobs having there put up "booths" (Succoth ) for his cattle as well as a house for himself. From the itinerary of Jacob's return, it seems that Succoth lay between Peniel, near the ford of the torrent Jabbok and Shechem. Comp. ( Genesis 32:30 ) and Genesis33:18. In accordance with this is the mention of Succoth in the narrative of Gideon's pursuit of Zebah and Zalluunna. ( Judges 5:5-17 ) It would appear from this passage that it lay east of the Jordan, which is corroborated by the fact that it was allotted to the tribe of Gad. ( Joshua 13:27 ) Succoth is named once again after this --in ( 1 Kings 7:46; 2 Chronicles 4:17 ) -- marking the spot at which the brass foundries were placed for casting the metal work of the temple. (Dr. Merrill identifies it with a site called Tell Darala, one mile north of the Jabbok. --ED.)