Lux Domini

Numbers 34

Chapter context

What is happening in Numbers 34?

pilgrimagerebellionjudgmentmercy

Numbers 34 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 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,   2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)   3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:   4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon:   5 And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.   6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.   7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:   8 From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:   9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.   10 And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham:   11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:   12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.   13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:   14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:   15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.   16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,   17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.   18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.   19 And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.   20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.   21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.   22 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.   23 The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.   24 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.   25 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.   26 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.   27 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.   28 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.   29 These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.  

Study helps

Glossary

Canaan Place v. 2, 29

Biblical region. Modern identification: Canaan.

Edom Place v. 3

Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.

Salt Sea Place v. 3, 12

(Heb. yam), signifies (1) “the gathering together of the waters,” the ocean ( Gen. 1:10 ); (2) a river, as the Nile ( Isa. 19:5 ), the Euphrates ( Isa. 21:1 ; Jer. 51:36 ); (3) the Red Sea. Modern identification: Dead Sea.

Zin Place v. 3

Biblical region. Modern identification: Zin Desert.

Akrabbim Place v. 4

Biblical mountain pass. Modern identification: Ma’ale Akrabbim.

Azmon Place v. 4-5

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ain Muweileh.

Hazar-addar Place v. 4

Village of Addar, a place in the southern boundary of Palestine ( Num. 34:4 ), in the desert to the west of Kadesh-barnea. It is called Adar in Josh. 15:3 . Modern identification: Ein Qedeis.

Kadesh-barnea Place v. 4

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. 4

Biblical region. Modern identification: Zin Desert.

Brook of Egypt Place v. 5

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: Wadi al Arish.

Great Sea Place v. 5-7

(Heb. yam), signifies (1) “the gathering together of the waters,” the ocean ( Gen. 1:10 ); (2) a river, as the Nile ( Isa. 19:5 ), the Euphrates ( Isa. 21:1 ; Jer. 51:36 ); (3) the Red Sea. Modern identification: Mediterranean Sea.

Mount Hor Place v. 7-8

Biblical mountain. Modern identification: Mount Hermon.

Lebo-hamath Place v. 8

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Labweh.

Zedad Place v. 8

Side; sloping place, a town in the north of Palestine, near Hamath ( Num. 34:8 ; Ezek. 47:15 ). It has been identified with the ruins of Sudud, between Emesa (Hums) and Baalbec, but that is uncertain. Modern identification: Sadad.

Hazar-enan Place v. 9-10

Village of fountains, a place on the north-east frontier of Palestine ( Num. 34:9 , 10). Some have identified it with Ayan ed-Dara in the heart of the central chain of Anti-Libanus. Modern identification: Al Qaryatayn.

Ziphron Place v. 9

Sweet odour, a city on the northern border of Palestine ( Num. 34:9 ), south-east of Hamath. Modern identification: Huwwarin.

Shepham Place v. 10-11

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Hermel.

Ain Place v. 11

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Ayun.

Riblah Place v. 11

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Arbin.

Sea of Galilee Place v. 11

A city, the modern Tubarich, on the western shore of the Sea of Tiberias. It is said to have been founded by Herod Antipas. Modern identification: Sea of Galilee.

Jordan Place v. 12, 15

Biblical river. Modern identification: Jordan River.

Gad Person v. 14

Fortune; luck. (1. ) Jacob’s seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and the brother of Asher ( Gen. 30:11-13 ; 46:16 , 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, “A troop cometh: and she called,” etc.

Reuben Person v. 14

Behold a son!, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah ( Gen. 29:32 ). His sinful conduct, referred to in Gen. 35:22 , brought down upon him his dying father’s malediction (48:4).

Jericho Place v. 15

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Sultan.

Eleazar Person v. 17

God has helped. (1. ) The third son of Aaron ( Ex. 6:23 ). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas ( Ex. 6:25 ). After the death of Nadab and Abihu.

Joshua Tribe v. 17

Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Saviour. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. He is called Jehoshua in Num. 13:16 (A. V. ), and Jesus in Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8 .

Nun Person v. 17

Beyond the fact that he was the father of Joshua nothing more is known of him ( Ex. 33:11 ).

Caleb Tribe v. 19

A dog. (1. ) One of the three sons of Hezron of the tribe of Judah. He is also called Chelubai ( 1 Chr. 2:9 ). His descendants are enumerated (18-20, 42-49). (2. ) A “son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah” ( 1 Chr. 2:50 ).

Jephunneh Person v. 19

Nimble, or a beholder. (1. ) The father of Caleb, who was Joshua’s companion in exploring Canaan ( Num. 13:6 ), a Kenezite ( Josh. 14:14 ). (2. ) One of the descendants of Asher ( 1 Chr. 7:38 ).

Ammihud Person v. 20, 28

People of glory; i. e., “renowned. ” (1. ) The father of the Ephraimite chief Elishama, at the time of the Exodus ( Num. 1:10 ; 2:18 ; 7:48 , 53). (2. ) Num. 34:20 . (3. ) Num. 34:28 .

Shemuel Tribe v. 20

Heard of God. (1. ) The son of Ammihud. He represented Simeon in the division of the land ( Num. 34:20 ). (2. ) Used for “Samuel” ( 1 Chr. 6:33 , R. V. ). (3. ) A prince of the tribe of Issachar ( 1 Chr. 7:2 ).

Simeon Person v. 20

Hearing. (1. ) The second son of Jacob by Leah ( Gen. 29:33 ). He was associated with Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the Shechemites (34:25, 26).

Benjamin Person v. 21

Son of my right hand. (1. ) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel ( Gen. 35:18 ). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place.

Elidad Tribe v. 21

Whom God has loved, son of Chislon, and chief of the tribe of Benjamin; one of those who were appointed to divide the Promised Land among the tribes ( Num. 34:21 ).

Hanniel Tribe v. 23

Grace of God. (1. ) A chief of the tribe of Manasseh ( Num. 34:23 ). (2. ) A chief of the tribe of Asher ( 1 Chr. 7:39 ).

Kemuel Person v. 24

Helper of God, or assembly of God. (1. ) The third son of Nahor ( Gen. 22:21 ). (2. ) Son of Shiphtan, appointed on behalf of the tribe of Ephraim to partition the land of Canaan ( Num. 34:24 ). (3. ) A Levite.

Zebulun Person v. 25

Dwelling, the sixth and youngest son of Jacob and Leah ( Gen. 30:20 ). Little is known of his personal history. He had three sons (46:14).

Ahihud Tribe v. 27

Brother (i. e., “friend”) of union. (1. ) A son of Bela, the son of Benjamin ( 1 Chr. 8:7 ). (2. ) Name different in Hebrew, meaning brother of Judah.

Naphtali Person v. 28

My wrestling, the fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid ( Gen. 30:8 ). When Jacob went down into Egypt, Naphtali had four sons ( Gen. 46:24 ). Little is known of him as an individual.