Suph

Suph (Deut. 1:1, Revised Version; the Authorized Version renders it as "Red Sea") appears in the geographical introduction to Deuteronomy as part of the location formula: "on this side Jordan, in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red Sea [Suph], between Paran and Tophel." Some scholars identify Suph with Suphah (Num. 21:14, margin) as a specific place name on the desert route, while others take it as an abbreviation for the Sea of Suph — the Red Sea or Gulf of Aqaba.

The identification is uncertain. If a place name, Suph lies somewhere in the wilderness south or southeast of the Dead Sea. The formula in Deuteronomy 1:1 is a geographical anchor for Moses's farewell addresses, placing the speeches firmly in the Transjordanian wilderness east of the Jordan just before Israel's crossing into Canaan.