This is an ancient map created by the Belgian cartographer Michael van Bochum in 1641. The title is written in Latin and means “The Wandering of the People of Israel Through the Desert to the Promised Land.” The map was created in Paris and is part of the National Library’s collection of ancient maps.
This map focuses on the Nile Delta, Sinai, and the Land of Israel and portrays the stories that took place during the Jewish People’s journey from Egypt to Israel. Among the illustrations are the crossing of the Red Sea, the gathering of manna, Moses receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai, the Golden Calf, and the war against Amalek. The map tracks in green the route that the Jewish People took, complete with numbers and the names of places where they stopped along the way. In the bottom right corner there is an illustration of their camp with the tents of the tribes and the tabernacle (mishkan) in the centre. The map shows the sites of biblical cities and towns, and van Bochum also included in the sea two large painted warships which seem, due to the depiction of clouds of gunpowder, to be involved in a battle.
The main purpose of this map was to illustrate the journey of the Jewish People through the desert, and it is therefore not geographically accurate. (For example, in Canaan there are no topographical features whatsoever.)
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Connection to Parashat Yitro
The highlight of Parashat Yitro is the Jewish People’s arrival at Mount Sinai. Following a lengthy preparatory period, Moses ascends the mountain in order to receive the Torah from God. This important event in Jewish history is shown on this map created by a Christian cartographer in the seventeenth century portraying the common values and history of the Jewish and Christian people.
