Numbers33

Numbers 33 meticulously records the forty-two encampments of the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings, from their departure from Rameses in Egypt to their arrival in the plains of Moab. Moses wrote this detailed itinerary by the commandment of the LORD, noting significant locations and events like Aaron's death at Mount Hor. The chapter concludes with God's instructions to Moses regarding the impending conquest of Canaan, emphasizing the command to dispossess the inhabitants and destroy their idols, along with a warning against disobedience.
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The Command to Record the Journeys

1
These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron.
2
And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of Jehovah: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. ​

From Egypt to Mount Sinai

3
And they journeyed 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 a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians,
4
while the Egyptians were burying all their first-born, whom Jehovah had smitten among them: upon their gods also Jehovah executed judgments. ​
5
And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth.
6
And they journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.
7
And they journeyed from Etham, and turned back unto Pi-hahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon: and they encamped before Migdol.
8
And they journeyed from before Hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness: and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and encamped in Marah. ​
9
And they journeyed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there. ​
10
And they journeyed from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea.
11
And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.
12
And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.
13
And they journeyed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.
14
And they journeyed from Alush, and encamped in Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.
15
And they journeyed from Rephidim, and encamped in the wilderness of Sinai. ​

The Thirty-Eight Years of Wandering

16
And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in Kibroth-hattaavah. ​
17
And they journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped in Hazeroth.
18
And they journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in Rithmah.
19
And they journeyed from Rithmah, and encamped in Rimmon-perez.
20
And they journeyed from Rimmon-perez, and encamped in Libnah.
21
And they journeyed from Libnah, and encamped in Rissah.
22
And they journeyed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.
23
And they journeyed from Kehelathah, and encamped in mount Shepher.
24
And they journeyed from mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah.
25
And they journeyed from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.
26
And they journeyed from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath.
27
And they journeyed from Tahath, and encamped in Terah.
28
And they journeyed from Terah, and encamped in Mithkah.
29
And they journeyed from Mithkah, and encamped in Hashmonah.
30
And they journeyed from Hashmonah, and encamped in Moseroth.
31
And they journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan.
32
And they journeyed from Bene-jaakan, and encamped in Hor-haggidgad.
33
And they journeyed from Hor-haggidgad, and encamped in Jotbathah.
34
And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah.
35
And they journeyed from Abronah, and encamped in Ezion-geber.
36
And they journeyed from Ezion-geber, and encamped in the wilderness of Zin (the same is Kadesh). ​

The Death of Aaron at Mount Hor

37
And they journeyed from Kadesh, and encamped 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 Jehovah, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. ​
39
And Aaron was a hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.
40
And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel. ​

From Mount Hor to the Plains of Moab

41
And they journeyed from mount Hor, and encamped in Zalmonah.
42
And they journeyed from Zalmonah, and encamped in Punon.
43
And they journeyed from Punon, and encamped in Oboth.
44
And they journeyed from Oboth, and encamped in Iye-abarim, in the border of Moab.
45
And they journeyed from Iyim, and encamped in Dibon-gad.
46
And they journeyed from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim.
47
And they journeyed from Almon-diblathaim, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
48
And they journeyed from the mountains of Abarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ​
49
And they encamped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even unto Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab. ​

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

50
And Jehovah spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, ​
51
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the 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 figured stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places: ​
53
and ye shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it.
54
And ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance: wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit. ​
55
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes, and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. ​
56
And it shall come to pass, that, as I thought to do unto them, so will I do unto you. ​

Study Notes for Numbers 33

Verse 2

Moses recording this itinerary 'by the commandment of the LORD' emphasizes that this list is divinely authorized history, documenting God's faithfulness and guidance throughout the forty years of wandering.

Verse 4

The departure was swift because the Egyptians were preoccupied with burying their dead. The text emphasizes that the plagues were not only judgments upon the people but also judgments executed upon the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12).

Verse 8

This verse confirms the location of the miraculous sea crossing and the subsequent journey into the wilderness, where the people experienced both thirst and the provision of manna.

Verse 9

Elim provided a crucial place of rest and refreshment after the bitter waters of Marah. The numbers—twelve springs (for the tribes) and seventy palm trees (perhaps symbolizing the seventy elders or nations)—often carry symbolic weight of completeness and divine provision.

Verse 15

The arrival at the Wilderness of Sinai marks the end of the initial rapid transit and the beginning of the central covenant period, where the Law was given and the Tabernacle constructed (Ex. 19).

Verse 16

Kibrothhattaavah ('Graves of Craving') is where the people complained about the manna and demanded meat, resulting in a severe plague (Num. 11). This site marks the transition from Sinai instruction to the punitive wandering stage.

Verse 36

Kadesh (in the Wilderness of Zin) served as the primary base camp for the Israelites during the thirty-eight years of wandering, and it was the location of the critical failure of the spies (Num. 13).

Verse 37

Mount Hor is geographically significant, marking the northern border of Edom. This location is important as it prepares the Israelites for their final approach to Canaan, requiring them to bypass Edomite territory.

Verse 38

Aaron’s death is a major chronological marker, occurring in the fortieth year, symbolizing the near completion of the wilderness period and the passing of the old generation of leadership.

Verse 40

This parenthetical verse refers to an event recounted earlier in Numbers 21:1-3, where the Canaanite king of Arad attacked Israel. Its inclusion here demonstrates that the itinerary is sometimes interrupted by historical context.

Verse 48

The mountains of Abarim, before Nebo, provide a vantage point from which Moses would later view the Promised Land before his own death (Deut. 34:1).

Verse 49

This final campsite, Abelshittim, is the place where Israel would encounter the Moabites and Midianites, leading to the incident concerning Baal-Peor (Num. 25), marking the last major failure before the conquest.

Verse 50

The shift in focus marks the end of the journey narrative and the beginning of the final preparation for inheritance, emphasizing the terms upon which they will possess the land.

Verse 52

The command to destroy all idolatrous objects (pictures, molten images, high places) underscores the principle that Israel must maintain absolute spiritual separation from the corrupted practices of the Canaanites to remain holy.

Verse 54

Dividing the land 'by lot' ensures that the distribution is seen as determined by divine providence rather than human negotiation or political power, confirming God as the ultimate grantor of the inheritance.

Verse 55

This severe warning emphasizes the consequences of incomplete obedience. The remaining inhabitants will become sources of perpetual difficulty, acting as both spiritual temptations (thorns) and physical opposition (pricks in your eyes).

Verse 56

The ultimate consequence of failure to drive out the inhabitants is covenant judgment: God threatens to inflict upon Israel the same destruction He intended for the Canaanites, confirming the conditional nature of their residency in the land.

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