The notion that 3 million people (Truman's estimate based on 600,000 fighting men) lived in the Sinai at Kadesh-Barnea for nearly 38 years is patently absurd. Respectable archaeologists laugh at the thought; today the evidence is such that serious archaeologists view the whole Exodus thing--along with Moses--as folklore.

One reason for rejecting the Exodus is the dramatic lack of evidence. Three million people would have matched the population of Los Angeles in the mid-1980s! Imagine the Los Angeles of the mid-1980s transported to Kadesh-Barnea in the Sinai, carrying on daily life there for nearly 38 years. It doesn't take a degree in archaeology to realize that huge trash dumps filled with animal bones and broken pottery, a million or more graves of those who were not permitted to enter the promised land, the foundations of thousands of mud and brick houses, a persistent scattering of lost metal items, and other debris would have been left behind. Yet, a determined search by Israeli archaeologists has turned up NOTHING. How can you lose a "Los Angeles?"

A second reason for rejecting the Sinai adventure is a total lack of resources. Again, imagine Los Angeles in the Sinai without its modern infrastructure, a place where nothing will grow (Numbers 20:5). The biblical wildernesses (read "deserts") of Shur, Paran, Sin, and Zin constitute most of the Sinai. There are no pastures for the herds of sheep, goats, and cattle that the Israelites brought with them. Except for an occasional oasis, hardly enough for 3 million people plus their herds, there was no water. Los Angeles survives in a much wetter (but still dry) environment by extending aqueducts all the way to the Colorado River and more distant places in Northern California. But food was no problem; God supposedly sent down manna every morning except on the Sabbath. (Scholars know that the Sabbath was not a big deal back then, so this account reflects a later view of the Sabbath.) Where did they get all that wood over the years to perform the millions of sacrifices so necessary for personal sins and other reasons? Care to calculate how many sacrifices per hour was needed to service 3 million people? They probably couldn't throw the meat on the altar fast enough!

A third reason for rejecting the Sinai adventure (with its ensuing conquest) is that archaeologists have turned up stunning evidence to show that the Israelites originated in situ as scattered villages in the highlands of Canaan. Apparently, they diverged peacefully from the general Canaanite population and took up a new identity in the highlands. No conquest, no Exodus!

A fourth reason for rejecting the idea that 3 million people were involved in the Exodus is that, in other passages, those numbers are plainly absurd. Exodus 24:14 has Moses informing his people that, while he was on the mountain, all disputes should be handled by Aaron and Hur. Shall we do a few calculations, assuming that 800,000 of the 3 million had the legal standing to make a dispute? If an Israelite had only one dispute each year, and if Aaron and Hur spent 16 hours a day doing nothing but hearing these cases, those two guys would each be handling something like 68 cases per hour! Then there is Exodus 32:26 which has Moses at the gate of the camp yelling at the people, saying that everyone on the LORD's side should come over to where he was. Try yelling instructions at the people of Los Angeles from the steps of city hall, even on a quiet holiday! Obviously, we are dealing with a small tribe where a good shout could reach all. Leviticus 8:3 is another winner. The whole community is called together at the entrance of the tent of God's presence! In Numbers 20:10 the whole community is assembled in front of a rock! If we assume that each person on the average took up 4 square feet, standing room only, then a hemi-spherical gathering would put those guys in the rear a HALF MILE AWAY!

Edward T. Babinski ("Leaving The Fold") estimated that a camp holding 1.4 million people would be 12 miles in diameter. For 3 million people that would bring the diameter to 17.5 miles. Now, in Deuteronomy 23:12-14, the Israelites are instructed to set up their potty outside of the camp. So, if your tent is near the center of the camp, and if you have to poop one night, it's a 17.5 mile round trip to that designated potty area! That goes for women and children too, so if two of mommy's kids need to take a poop at different times one night, that means a 35 mile hike! Obviously, this rule was not made for 3 million Israelites! In all these examples we are dealing with a small tribe a few thousand strong at best.