Later Interpretation As Wadi El-Arish
The disappearance of the Pelusian arm of the Nile led to much confusion regarding the Biblical geography of Sinai.
According to Exodus 13:18-20 the locality from which the Israelites journeyed after departing Egypt was Sukkot. The name Sukkot means "palm huts" in Hebrew and was translated El-Arish in Arabic. It lies in the vicinity of Fayyum, the hometown of the Jewish commentator Saadia Gaon who identified Nachal Mitzrayim with the wadi of El-Arish. Later Jewish commentators from Egypt, Radbaz and Kaftor Vaferech followed suit. This description did not refer to the modern locality known as El-Arish as is seen from the fact that Kaftor Vaferach places it approximately 180 km from Gaza. This is in the vicinity of the former Pelusian arm of the Nile and is thus still consistent with the traditional interpretation. The modern El-Arish in contrast lies only 77 km from Gaza.
The Septuagint translates Nachal Mitzrayim in Isaiah 27:12 as Rhinocorura. This name and its variant Rhinocolura were used for the region in Sinai containing Pelusium and this translation is thus also consistent with the traditional interpretation. However the name was also used for a coastal town in the region lying on the road to Egypt further east. The disappearance of the Pelusian arm of the Nile led to the interpretation of the Rhinocorura of the Septuagint as the wadi providing water to this town. Pilgrims subsequently misidentified the Arab settlement at the mouth of this wadi (either identical to or near the town) with the Biblical Sukkot and the names El-Arish and Wadi El-Arish were applied to the settlement and wadi respectively.
The translation of the term nachal as "brook" in English, a word implying a small stream, also influenced the interpretation amongst later commentators. This translation is generally regarded as erroneous however, for although in later Hebrew the term nachal tended to be used for small rivers, in Biblical Hebrew, the word could be used for any flowing stream. Its usage, even in modern Hebrew, does not match that of the Arabic wadi.
The identification with the Wadi El-Arish is still widely accepted in popular literature but has been generally rejected by archaeologists.
Read more about this topic: Brook Of Egypt