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Commentary in Talmud Sotah 34b appears to suggest the people might have crossed over in the formation of their encampment, but there is another suggestion they crossed in single file. One commentary says they achieved the crossing by packing together into a space little more than one square kilometre and moving forward. The Talmud is a commentary on The Bible, so it should not be regarded as definitive. If the Bible is literally true, there were 600,000 fighting men, plus women, children, the elderly and infirm, plus their livestock, wagons and possessions, which suggests that a single-file crossing would be entirely impractical. Packing, say, 2.5 million people together in such a small space, even if physically possible, would have resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, so we can also rule this out.

In the melee that would no doubt have ensued, we could imagine 100 men crossing at a time, spread out along the reach of the river, each assisting his womenfolk and children in the crossing. If the next 100 followed down the river banks just one minute later, then 6000 family groups would cross per hour. With no mishaps and crossing throughout day and night, the people could be across in a little over 4 days.


The Book of Joshua is a stirring story of conquest, but almost all modern scholars believe the Israelites never invaded Canaan or conquered the cities. The Israelites did not need to cross the River Jordan to invade the land of the Canaanites, because they were already there: the evidence is of peaceful, internal migration rather than of conquest. This is consistent with the modern scholarly consensus that the Israelites were never in Egypt and that there never was an Exodus from Egypt as described in the Bible.

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How long did Israel stay in Shittim before crossing the Jordan River?

Although the exact duration is not given, it was a matter of months - not more.


How long did crossing the Jordan river probably take?

The crossing of the Jordan River, as accounted in the Book of Joshua would not have taken very long. The River itself is not powerful (aside from the fact that they crossed on dry land) and it is not terribly wide. It probably took a few hours considering how many Israelites were crossing.


How long did it take the Children of Israel to cross the River Jordan?

The Bible does not really this question, although the story implies a fairly quick passage. But we can do some calculations to determine how long it would have taken.The Bible says that there were 600,000 fighting men. Scholars calculate that this would mean at least 2.5 million Israelites, including women, children, priests and the elderly. The Bible also says that the Israelites had cattle, which would also have been driven across.Travelling several persons abreast, we could start by assuming that on average one person crossed every second, day and night for twenty four hours a day. Two and a half million people would take up to 29 days to cross.


What was the long journey during which Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and back to Canaan known as?

The long journey during which Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and back to Canaan is known as the Exodus.


How long is the saint john river?

The Saint John River is approximately 673 kilometers (418 miles) long, making it the second longest river in Eastern Canada. It flows through the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Maine in the United States.

Related Questions

How long did the Israelites spend at Mount Sinai making the tabernacle - consecrating the Levites for the Israelites - to march from Red Sea to Jordan River the first time?

11 months and 5 days


How long is the Jordan River?

The Jordan River is 251 kilometres (156 miles) long.


How long did Israel stay in Shittim before crossing the Jordan River?

Although the exact duration is not given, it was a matter of months - not more.


What is Jordan river?

The Jordan River is a 251-kilometre-long river in West Asia flowing to the Dead Sea.


How long did crossing the Jordan river probably take?

The crossing of the Jordan River, as accounted in the Book of Joshua would not have taken very long. The River itself is not powerful (aside from the fact that they crossed on dry land) and it is not terribly wide. It probably took a few hours considering how many Israelites were crossing.


How did the Hebrews cross the Jordan into Canaan?

Answer 1They didn't. The Jordan River is on the eastern border of Israel. The Ancient Hebrews entered from the South, through the desert.(Unless you are talking about Abraham's family, in which case, they did come from the East, but the Torah doesn't mention anything about how they crossed the river).Answer 2Although the Israelites entered what is today Israel through the Negev desert, they actually crossed into what is today Jordan and then crossed over the Jordan from the east. (This is the "long-way 'round".) This is recounted in the early part of the Book of Joshua and they crossed on dry land, similar to the crossing of the Reed Sea.As concerns Abraham's entry into Canaan, it is presumed that he entered Canaan via Lebanon and therefore would have been consistently west of the Jordan River.


How long does it take the Amtrak train to cross bridge over Mississippi River?

It takes 3.6 miles to cross the river


What is the Difference between cross section of a river and long profile of a river?

A cross section of a river would describe or show what is in the river from the top to the bottom. A long profile shows what is in it from one end to the other, that is, from the tributaries to the mouth.


How long do you have to cross the river styx?

eat a pie


What is the difference between the long profile and the cross profile of the river?

A cross section of a river would describe or show what is in the river from the top to the bottom. A long profile shows what is in it from one end to the other, that is, from the tributaries to the mouth.


Why is the London bridge so long?

It is as wide as the river it has to cross


How is a giraffe adapted to cross a river?

they have strong and long legs that help them cross deep rivers