WHERE WAS SUCCOTH? Succoth had to be a place large enough for this tremendous amount of people and flocks to assemble. Long before I ever began my overseas field work, I had studied ancient Egyptian history. I had read numerous accounts of inscriptions which spoke of a place called variably "Tharu", T'aru" and "Takut," which fit the description of Succoth perfectly. The following are quoted from "Life in Ancient Egypt" by Adolf Erman:
p. 28- "The isthmus of Suez was of the greatest consequence also from a military point of view- it was doubtless fortified in very early times. Probably here stood the great fortress of T'aru, often spoken of as the starting-point for the expeditions into Syria,..."
p.537- "The line of fortifications which was intended to keep back these Beduins of the Delta, is met with as early as the time of the Middle Empire, and is still standing. It consisted of a wall strengthened by small towers,...; this formed an obstruction which the slaves who tried to escape from Egypt, and the Beduins who wanted to pasture their cattle on the fields of the Delta, found difficult to pass. At this time we also meet with a defensive work of another kind, namely a broad canal, which presumably connected the lakes of the isthmus together. At the point where a bridge crossed this canal were strong fortresses on both sides;... The great fortress which defended this bridge was the fortress of T'aru', which is so often mentioned as the starting point of the military expeditions."
To sum up what he has said, in ancient Egypt, there was a line of guarded fortifications along the canal which connected the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. This canal is known to have existed anciently by satellite photos and infrared photos which still show its path. At the point where one would leave Egypt proper and go into the Sinai desert, there was a fortress and a bridge. Inscriptions tell us that this fortress was called Tharu (or one of the various spellings).
This is also located near the Delta, or "Rameses," where the Israelites were living. "Tharu" was where the Egyptian army assembled in preparation for their military expeditions to the north. Armies consisted of a great deal of men, horses and chariots; and they required a large area to assemble properly.
Moses well knew Tharu, called "Succoth" in the Biblical account-- and it was here that he organized the people for their journey. They had left Egypt proper once they crossed this line of fortification, just as the Lord had promised. EXO 13:18 ;...and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
THEY LEFT "HARNESSED" We know of a surety that "harnessed" doesn't mean "armed with weapons" because they had no weapons until God provided them by washing the bodies of the dead Egyptian army upon the shore after the waters of the Red Sea closed back up. The chariot soldiers had to strap their weapons to their bodies, and when they were washed upon the shore, the multitude simply collected their weaponry.
So what does it mean? The Hebrew word "chamushim," which is the Hebrew word translated "harnessed" in the above verse, is found only 4 times in the Hebrew text-- Exodus 13:18; Joshua 1:14; Joshua 4:12; and Judges 7:11. The word means "in ranks." Apply that definition to the above texts and see for yourself if it does not seem appropriate. Also of note, is the fact that in Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua, the Hebrew word "chalats" is used in denoting "armed soldiers."
If we really study the Biblical account, and use good, common sense-- we can learn much from what is implied, but not actually spelled out for us. Moses, as "the son of Pharaoh's daughter," was the heir to the throne of Egypt. As such, he was the "crown prince." If you study any Egyptian history, you learn that the person in line for the throne was given very exacting training-- the Pharaoh was considered the "earthly embodiment of the god", so the "pharaoh-in-training" spent a part of his training studying with the priesthood: ACT 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
The next stage of a "crown prince's" training was military. Moses was thoroughly trained in all aspects of military leadership and would have known well how to assemble large numbers of peoples for travel.
While no specifics are given in the Bible as to Moses' life in Egypt, several ancient historians make reference to the fact that he was a general. And we admit that we do not accept all of what these people have to say as being totally accurate, but the fact that Moses was indeed a general in the Egyptian army seems to have been a well-known fact. Josephus writes about this in his "Antiquities of the Jews, Book II, Chapter X. As a military man, once again, Moses knew "Tharu", and it was here that he organized his largest "army" ever for travel. And from here, they travelled to Etham.
