He intended by his saying to go towards Midian and its vicinity. And Midian is the village of Shu'ayb, blessings and peace be upon him. It was named after Midian, the son of Ibrahim. It was not under the rule of Pharaoh, and there is a journey of eight days between it and Egypt. Musa did not know the way to it. Ibn Abbas said: He left without any knowledge of the path except for his good opinion of his Lord. And 'the middle of the way' refers to its center and most of its path. It is said that he left barefoot and lived only on the leaves of trees, and he did not reach until his shoe fell off his foot. It is also said that an angel came to him on a horse with a spear in his hand, and he took him to Midian.