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Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat)

The oasis where Israel camped for a generation; fortresses found, but from later kings

Egypt & the Exodus · city / site, fortification / gate · Debated · found 1914

Desert oasis with palm trees beside a low mound
Photo: רוני קניגסברג · CC BY 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons

Found 1914 — C. Leonard Woolley and T. E. Lawrence (survey, 1914); excavated by Moshe Dothan (1956) and Rudolph Cohen (1976–1982)

Where Tell el-Qudeirat by Ein el-Qudeirat, northeastern Sinai (Egypt)

Dates from c. 1000–586 BCE (fortresses); Late Bronze Age camp not found · Iron Age IIA–C (with scattered earlier finds) · Wilderness wanderings (38 years at Kadesh)

Now at Site (northeastern Sinai); finds in the Israel Antiquities Authority collections

How Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat) was found

The largest spring in northeastern Sinai was identified with Kadesh-Barnea by Henry Clay Trumbull (1881). Excavations uncovered three successive Judahite fortresses of the 10th–6th centuries BCE.

What it is

A small tell beside the best spring in the region, with the remains of an oval fortress, then a large rectangular fortress with eight towers, then a rebuilt fortress destroyed in the Babylonian period. Ostraca in Hebrew and Egyptian numerals were found.

Why it matters for the Bible

The Bible says Israel spent most of the wilderness years at Kadesh. Excavation found no Late Bronze camp, only Iron Age forts, which is often cited as evidence against a large Exodus. Defenders reply that a tent camp of nomads leaves almost nothing, and that Israel's own memory of the place made it a Judahite border post later. Either way, Kadesh-Barnea is the clearest test case for what desert archaeology can and cannot show.

Debated: The identification with Kadesh-Barnea is widely accepted. The absence of Late Bronze remains is undisputed; its meaning for the Exodus is debated.

The Hebrew word: kah-DESH

קָדֵשׁ

קָדֵשׁ is pronounced kah-DESH and means Kadesh, 'holy'; the oasis-camp of the wanderings (Strong's H6946).

People this discovery connects to

Places

Events

Sending of the twelve spies · Death of Miriam · Waters of Meribah

Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat) in Scripture

Genesis 14:7 First mention of Kadesh-barnea in Scripture.

Numbers 13:26 The spies return to Kadesh; this spring is the leading candidate for the camp.

Deuteronomy 1:46 'You stayed in Kadesh many days'; the long stay is what archaeologists went looking for and did not find.

Questions people ask

What is Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat)?
A small tell beside the best spring in the region, with the remains of an oval fortress, then a large rectangular fortress with eight towers, then a rebuilt fortress destroyed in the Babylonian period. Ostraca in Hebrew and Egyptian numerals were found.

When was Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat) discovered?
It was found in 1914 by C. Leonard Woolley and T. E. Lawrence (survey, 1914); excavated by Moshe Dothan (1956) and Rudolph Cohen (1976–1982), at Tell el-Qudeirat by Ein el-Qudeirat, northeastern Sinai.

Where is Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat) today?
Site (northeastern Sinai); finds in the Israel Antiquities Authority collections.

Which Bible verses does Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat) relate to?
Genesis 14:7, Numbers 13:26, Deuteronomy 1:46.

Is Kadesh-Barnea (Tell el-Qudeirat) authentic?
The identification with Kadesh-Barnea is widely accepted. The absence of Late Bronze remains is undisputed; its meaning for the Exodus is debated.

Related discoveries

Sources

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