CADES (CADES-BARNE). – A locality situated at the extreme southern limit of the Promised Land, formerly called 'En Mišpāš (Gen. 14:7), or “fountain of judgment.” Etymologically from Qādhēš, “sacred,” or Qādhēš-Barnēo (the meaning of the second term is unknown: Num. 20:14; 32:8, etc.). Already famous in the time of the patriarch Abraham (Gen. 14:7; 16:14; 20:1), C. became the Israelites’ encampment after their departure from Egypt, for a period of 38 years (Num. 20:1; Deut. 1:46; 2:14); from there the twelve scouts set out to explore the Promised Land (Num. 13); there the people quarrelled with Moses and Aaron because of the lack of water (hence the name Mē Mēribhath Qādhēš, that is, “water of the contention of C.,” given to the same locality (Num. 20:2-13; 27:14; Deut. 32:51); there also Miriam, the sister of Moses, died (Num. 20:1), and finally from there Moses sent ambassadors to the king of Edom (Num. 20:14-21).
Numerous texts describe the site of C. with sufficient precision: it was situated on the road leading from Horeb (Sinai) to the mountain of the Amorites (Deut. 1:19), that is, to the land of Canaan (Num. 13:30), south of the Nēgebh (Num. 13:17), in the wilderness of Pharan, the present-day Badjed et-Tih, or “wilderness of solitude” (Num. 13:4), or also in the wilderness of Sin (Num. 13:22; 20:1; 27:14; 33:36; Deut. 32:51)—the boundaries between the two wildernesses were not clearly defined, unless one wishes to regard the wilderness of Sin as the northern part of the wilderness of Pharan—near the border of Edom (Num. 20:16; 34:3); according to Num. 34:3-5, C. was situated at the apex of the angle formed by the eastern line Dead Sea-Acrabbim-Sin-Cades and by the western line Cades-Addar-'Asmonā-Torrent of Egypt (= Wādi el-'Arīš). All these data, coordinated with one another, agree in placing ancient C. at the site of present-day 'Ajn Qedejs (= “fountain of C.”). This is the opinion commonly accepted today.