The Wilderness of Sin?

My pastor is currently preaching a sermons from the Book of Exodus in the mornings. This morning we were in Exodus 16, and in verse 1 there was something that always caught my attention, but something I never looked into. Exodus 16:1 mentions the people of Israel left Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin. Now this has always puzzled me, why was this place called the "Wilderness of Sin? Considering the story and what Israel does there, the name seems fitting. It seems like it would be similar to naming a restaurant "The Place for Eating" or a store "Room of Buying" - there is no doubt what is going to happen there - it is in the name!!

However, this morning as my pastor was reading through his text I was following along in my Hebrew Bible as I try to do, and when he read "Wilderness of Sin" I saw the Hebrew word "Sin." Not the Hebrew word for sin, but the actual word Sin (samech-yod-nun). When you say that word "Sin" as it is found in Exodus 16:1, you are actually speaking a Hebrew word! This is common when English translations translate place names and even personal names. In fact in Exodus 16:1 the words "Elim" and "Sinai" are also the Hebrew words put into English phonetically.

Finally, at least from my very limited resources available to me here at home on a Sunday afternoon, I cannot see any connection between this Hebrew place name "Sin" and our English word "sin" except for coincidence. The actual Hebrew word for sin (hata - chet-tet-aleph; sorry, I am horrible at transliteration) is nothing like what is found in Ex 16:1. So when the Hebrews walked through the Wilderness of Sin they couldn't use that as an excuse for sinning!

So that is all, and sorry it has been so very long since I have posted. Maybe I will do more soon.