Place Old Testament
Elim
Elim, a desert oasis where the Israelites camped during their journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. Mentioned in 4 verses across 2 books, first at Exodus 15:27.
Why it matters. Desert oasis on Israel's journey from Egypt to Sinai
- Primary passages
- Location
- 29.306, 32.981 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Elim
Elim was a place in the Sinai wilderness where the Israelites camped during their journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. It was the second encampment after crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 15:27). Elim is described as having twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, providing a refreshing oasis for the weary travelers.
The Israelites arrived at Elim after traveling three days in the wilderness without finding water (Exodus 15:22-26). At Marah, they complained about the bitter water, but God instructed Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water, making it sweet. Elim's abundant water and shade would have been a welcome relief after this trial.
Elim is also mentioned in the list of Israel's journey stages in Numbers 33:9-10. They camped there before setting out into the Wilderness of Sin, where God provided manna and quail for their hunger. The location of Elim is uncertain but is thought to be in the southwestern part of the Sinai Peninsula.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 4 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.