Lux Domini

Numbers 33

Chapter context

What is happening in Numbers 33?

pilgrimagerebellionjudgmentmercy

Numbers 33 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the rise of a new generation on the edge of the land. Numbers combines census lists, camp order, priestly concerns, wilderness rebellion, judgment, mercy, and renewed preparation for entering the promised land. Read this chapter with the wider themes of pilgrimage, rebellion, and judgment in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

1 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.   2 And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.   3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.   4 For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.   5 And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.   6 And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.   7 And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol.   8 And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.   9 And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.   10 And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.   11 And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.   12 And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.   13 And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.   14 And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.   15 And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.   16 And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibrothhattaavah.   17 And they departed from Kibrothhattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth.   18 And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.   19 And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmonparez.   20 And they departed from Rimmonparez, and pitched in Libnah.   21 And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.   22 And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.   23 And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher.   24 And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.   25 And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.   26 And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.   27 And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.   28 And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.   29 And they went from Mithcah, and pitched in Hashmonah.   30 And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth.   31 And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Benejaakan.   32 And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad.   33 And they went from Horhagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah.   34 And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.   35 And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Eziongaber.   36 And they removed from Eziongaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.   37 And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.   38 And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.   39 And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.   40 And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.   41 And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.   42 And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon.   43 And they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth.   44 And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ijeabarim, in the border of Moab.   45 And they departed from Iim, and pitched in Dibongad.   46 And they removed from Dibongad, and encamped in Almondiblathaim.   47 And they removed from Almondiblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.   48 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.   49 And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.   50 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,   51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;   52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:   53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.   54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.   55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.   56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.  

Study helps

Glossary

Egypt Place v. 1, 4, 38

The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture. Modern identification: Ain Shams.

Rameses Place v. 3, 5

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Qantir.

Succoth Place v. 5-6

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell el Maskhuta.

Etham Place v. 6-8

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Abu Sefeh.

Baal-zephon Place v. 7

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Tell Defenneh.

Migdol Place v. 7

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell el Herr.

Pi-hahiroth Place v. 7-8

Place where the reeds grow (LXX. and Copt. read “farmstead”), the name of a place in Egypt where the children of Israel encamped ( Ex. 14:2 , 9), how long is uncertain. Modern identification: plain near Jabal Jinayfah.

Marah Place v. 8-9

Bitterness, a fountain at the sixth station of the Israelites ( Ex. 15:23 , 24; Num. 33:8 ) whose waters were so bitter that they could not drink them. Modern identification: Ain Hawarah.

Red Sea Place v. 8

Biblical body of water. Modern identification: Gulf of Suez.

Elim Place v. 9-10

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Wadi Gharandal.

Red Sea Place v. 10-11

Biblical body of water. Modern identification: Gulf of Suez.

Sin Place v. 11-12

Biblical region. Modern identification: Debbet er Ramleh.

Dophkah Place v. 12-13

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Serabit el Khadim.

Alush Place v. 13-14

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi el Esh.

Rephidim Place v. 14-15

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Rufaiyil.

Wilderness of Sinai Place v. 15-16

Biblical region. Modern identification: Jebel Musa.

Kibroth-hattaavah Place v. 16-17

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Erweis el Ebeirig.

Hazeroth Place v. 17-18

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ain el Khadra.

Rithmah Place v. 18-19

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Ratamah.

Rimmon-perez Place v. 19-20

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Naqb al Biyar.

Libnah Place v. 20-21

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi el Beidha.

Rissah Place v. 21-22

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Sharma.

Kehelathah Place v. 22-23

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Kuntillet Ajrud.

Mount Shepher Place v. 23-24

Biblical mountain. Modern identification: Wadi Lussan.

Haradah Place v. 24-25

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Lussan.

Makheloth Place v. 25-26

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Kuntillet Ajrud.

Tahath Place v. 26-27

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Umm Hashim.

Terah Place v. 27-28

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Umm Hashim.

Mithkah Place v. 28-29

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Umm Hashim.

Hashmonah Place v. 29-30

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Qoseimeh.

Moseroth Place v. 30-31

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Har Zin.

Bene-jaakan Place v. 31-32

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Birein.

Hor-haggidgad Place v. 32-33

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi Khadakhid.

Jotbathah Place v. 33-34

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Taba.

Abronah Place v. 34-35

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Ein Evrona.

Ezion-geber Place v. 35-36

The giant’s backbone (so called from the head of a mountain which runs out into the sea), an ancient city and harbour at the north-east end of the Elanitic branch of the Red Sea. Modern identification: Jezirat Faraun.

Kadesh-barnea Place v. 36-37

Holy, or Kadesh-Barnea, sacred desert of wandering, a place on the south-eastern border of Palestine, about 165 miles from Horeb. It lay in the “wilderness” or “desert of Zin”. Modern identification: Ain el Qudeirat.

Zin Place v. 36

Biblical region. Modern identification: Zin Desert.

Edom Place v. 37

Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.

Mount Hor Place v. 37-39, 41

Biblical mountain. Modern identification: Har Zin.

Arad Place v. 40

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Arad.

Canaan Place v. 40, 51

Biblical region. Modern identification: Canaan.

Negeb Place v. 40

Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Beer Sheva.

Zalmonah Place v. 41-42

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Wadi es Salmaneh.

Punon Place v. 42-43

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Faynan.

Oboth Place v. 43-44

Biblical campsite. Modern identification: Ein Weibeh.

Iye-abarim Place v. 44-45

Ruins. (1. ) A city in the south of Judah ( Josh. 15:29 ). (2. ) One of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness ( Num. 33:45 ). Modern identification: Medeineh.

Moab Place v. 44

Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.

Dibon Place v. 45-46

Pining; wasting. (1. ) A city in Moab ( Num. 21:30 ); called also Dibon-gad (33:45), because it was built by Gad and Dimon ( Isa. 15:9 ). Modern identification: Tall Dhiban.

Almon-diblathaim Place v. 46-47

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Duleilat esh Sharqiyeh.

Abarim Place v. 47-48

Regions beyond; i. e., on the east of Jordan, a mountain, or rather a mountain-chain, over against Jericho, to the east and south-east of the Dead Sea, in the land of Moab. From “the top of Pisgah”, i. e., Mount Nebo. Modern identification: Abarim.

Nebo Place v. 47

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet al Mukhayyat.

Jericho Place v. 48, 50

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Sultan.

Jordan Place v. 48-51

Biblical river. Modern identification: Jordan River.

Moab Place v. 48-50

Biblical region. Modern identification: Tall el Hammam.

Abel-shittim Place v. 49

Meadow of the acacias, frequently called simply “Shittim” ( Num. 25:1 ; Josh. 2:1 ; Micah 6:5 ), a place on the east of Jordan, in the plain of Moab, nearly opposite Jericho. Modern identification: Tall el Hammam.

Beth-jeshimoth Place v. 49

House of wastes, or deserts, a town near Abel-shittim, east of Jordan, in the desert of Moab, where the Israelites encamped not long before crossing the Jordan ( Num. 33:49 ; A. V., “Bethjesimoth”). Modern identification: Tell Azeimeh.