CADES (Cades-Barne). - A locality situated at the extreme southern limit of the Promised Land, previously called "Ēn Mishpat" (Gen. 14:7) or "the spring of judgment." Etymologically from Qādhesh, "sacred," or Qādhesh-Barnēa' (the meaning of the second term is unknown: Num. 20:14; 32:8, etc.). Already renowned in the time of the patriarch Abraham (Gen. 14:7; 16:14; 20:1), C. became the Israelites' encampment after leaving Egypt for a period of 38 years (Num. 20:1; Deut. 1:46; 2:14); from there the twelve spies departed to scout the Promised Land (Num. 13); there the people contended with Moses and Aaron over the lack of water (whence the name Mē Meribhath Qādhesh, i.e., "the waters of Meribah of C.," given to the same locality: Num. 20:2-13; 27:14; Deut. 32:51); there also Miriam, Moses' sister, died (Num. 20:1), and finally from there Moses sent envoys to the king of Edom (Num. 20:14-21).
Numerous texts describe the site of C. with sufficient precision: it was located on the route leading from Horeb (Sinai) to the Amorite mountain (Deut. 1:19), i.e., to the land of Canaan (Num. 13:30), south of the Negeb (Num. 13:17), in the wilderness of Paran, the present-day Badjed et-Tih, or "wilderness of solitude" (Num. 13:4), and also in the wilderness of Sin (Num. 13:22; 20:1; 27:14; 33:36; Deut. 32:51)—the boundaries between the two deserts were not sharply defined, unless one considers the wilderness of Sin as the northern part of the wilderness of Paran. It was near the border of Edom (Num. 20:16; 34:3); according to Num. 34:3-5, C. was situated at the vertex of the angle formed by the eastern line Dead Sea-Acrabbim-Sin-Cades and the western line Cades-Addar-'Asmon-Shihor Brook ( = Wādi el-'Arīs). All these data, when coordinated, agree in placing ancient C. at the site of modern 'Ajn Qedeis ( = "spring of C."). This is the opinion commonly accepted today.