The journey begins in the eastern Nile Delta at Pi-Ramesses. The city served as a massive military hub during the 13th century b.c. Slaves and conscripts worked in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit to build storage facilities. The written record lists 42 distinct stopping points across the arid wastelands separating Egypt from the Jordan River. This itinerary functions as a geographical ledger of human movement through hostile terrain.
The text traces a route marching southeast toward Ezion-geber near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. The path then hooks sharply north along the Arabah valley. This geological rift stretches over 100 miles and offers little relief from the sun. The ledger names Mount Hor as a pivotal elevation marker on the border of Edom. The journey north brings the travelers to the plains of Moab directly across the Jordan River from Jericho. The campsites in this region sit roughly 1,300 feet below sea level.
The final staging ground rests beside the Jordan River. Across the shallow water stands Tell es-Sultan, the ancient settlement mound of Jericho. The text records a single military directive issued on these plains. The instructions require the absolute destruction of carved idols and cast metal figures in the targeted territory. The mandate demands the expulsion of all current inhabitants. The command frames the physical landscape as a possession granted by the Lord. The text claims he demands the complete erasure of the indigenous culture. Such strict geographic conquests dictate a brutal reality.
A drawn border always requires the violent eviction of those who already live within its lines.
The instruction manuals for this eviction command the invaders to divide the acquired land by lot. Larger clans receive massive tracts of territory. Smaller families receive minor parcels based on their specific census numbers. The text warns that any remaining native populations will become sharp irritants in the eyes of the conquerors. The narrative leaves the invaders camped by the riverbanks. They stare across the water at a landscape marked for total acquisition.