Exodus 12:37

12:37 Succoth is usually identified with Tell el-Maskhutah. • 600,000 men: See Num 1:46. This large number implies about 2.5 million people in the community as a whole, which raises logistical problems: (1) The area of encampment would be 400 sq. mi.; (2) A column of people 1,000 across would be nearly a mile wide and would take 20 hours to pass a single point; (3) As best we know, there were no other armies nearly so large in the ancient Near East at that time. As a result, scholars have proposed two viable alternatives: (1) The number might be symbolic, communicating not an actual number but the fact that God had greatly blessed Israel. While this use of a number seems strange to us, it would be acceptable in the ancient world. (2) The Hebrew word for “thousand” (’elep) might have been confused with the word for “troop” (’allup). If so, the original would have read “600 troops of fighting men.” With a troop size of approximately 100 men, the total population would be significantly reduced. But despite the logistical difficulties, it is possible that there were in fact 2.5 million Israelites.