Numbers 33:31-33

‘And they journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan. And they journeyed from Bene-jaakan, and encamped in Hor-haggidgad. And they journeyed from Hor-haggidgad, and encamped in Jotbathah.'

This can be compared with Deuteronomy 10:6 where we read, ‘And the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth (the wells of) Bene-jaakan to Moserah (chastisement). There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead. From there they journeyed to Gudgodah (similar to ‘the caves (hor) of ha-gidgad'); and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water.' But this latter description is a passing of this way a second time, for it refers to the time when Aaron died (compare Numbers 33:38), while Numbers refers to a time prior to the second arrival at Kadesh (33:37), well before the death of Aaron. It is not an unlikely event that they at some stage covered the same ground twice in view of the circumstances, especially as they knew that there was water there, and they were avoiding Edom. Either they visited Moserah in a different order the second time, or Moserah is different from Moseroth.

From Deuteronomy we gather that both Bene-jaaken and Jotbathah were selected out the second time precisely because they were sources of abundant water, and that would no doubt be why they were chosen as camp sites the first time. Thus a visit, and possibly a long stay, on the way from Kadesh to Ezion-geber, and a further visit on the way from Kadesh to Edom, at a time of such shortage that even Kadesh was lacking in water (Numbers 20:2), is not to be ruled out. During the wilderness wandering they would necessarily seek out abundant water supplies, and stay at such places as long as possible (they were not going anywhere).