HAZEROTH ; 'Aanoths ; Haseroth), one of the stations of the. Israelites in the wilder ness. It was situated apparently four days' march from Sinai (Num. x. 33 ; xi. 35), towards the north-west It was also the first place after Sinai where the camp remained for a number of days. Here Aaron and Miriam attempted to excite a rebellion against Moses ; and here the guilty Miriam was smitten with leprosy (Num. xii.) The accurate determination of the site of Hazeroth is of considerable importance, as it enables us to define with a near approach to accuracy the line of march of the Israelites from Sinai to Kadesh.
In a wild and dreary waste, among naked hills, eighteen hours from Smai, is a little fountain called el-Hudherah, a word radically identical with Hazeroth. Its distanc-e from Sinai accords with the Scripture narrative, and would seem to warrant us in identifying it with Hazeroth. This was first suggested by Burckhardt (Travels in Syria, P. 495) ; and is advocated by Robinson tE. R. i. 151). There is some difficulty, however, in the position. The country around the fountain is exceedingly rugged, and the approaches to it difficult It does not seem a suitable place for a large camp. Dr. Wilson mentions an undulating
plain about fifteen miles north of Sinai, and running a long way to the eastward,' called el-Hadherah ; and here he would locate Hazeroth (Lands of the Bible, i. 256). Professor Stanley thinks that the fountain called A in, some distance north of the fountain of Hudherah, ought rather to be regarded as the site of Hazeroth, because 'Ain is the most important spring in this region, and must, there fore, have attracted around it any nomadic settle ments, such as are implied in the name Hazeroth, and such as tlt.t of Israel might have been' (Sinai and Pal. 82). The approach to 'Ain is easy ; the glens around it possess some good pastures ; and the road from it t3 the Aelanitic gulf, along whose shore the Israelites appear to have marched, is open through the sublime ravine of Wear. Still those familiar with the East know with what tena city old narnes cling to old sites ; and it seems in the highest degree probable that the old name Hazeroth is retained in Hudherah. But probably the name may have been given to a wide district (Handbook for S. and P. i. 37, sq.)—J. L. P.