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.
Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

The Command to Record the Journeys

1
These are the journeys of the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
2
At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points: ​

From Egypt to Mount Sinai

3
On the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover, the Israelites set out from Rameses. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians,
4
who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods. ​
5
The Israelites set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth.
6
They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
7
They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near Migdol.
8
They set out from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. ​
9
They set out from Marah and came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. ​
10
They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
11
They set out from the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.
12
They set out from the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
13
They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14
They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15
They set out from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai. ​

The Thirty-Eight Years of Wandering

16
They set out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. ​
17
They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18
They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19
They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.
20
They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.
21
They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22
They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23
They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24
They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25
They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26
They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27
They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.
28
They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.
29
They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
30
They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31
They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
32
They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.
33
They set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34
They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35
They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.
36
They set out from Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin. ​

The Death of Aaron at Mount Hor

37
They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom. ​
38
At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt. ​
39
Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40
Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming. ​

From Mount Hor to the Plains of Moab

41
And the Israelites set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42
They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43
They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.
44
They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.
45
They set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.
46
They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.
47
They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim facing Nebo.
48
They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. ​
49
And there on the plains of Moab they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim. ​

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

50
On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, ​
51
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52
you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places. ​
53
You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.
54
And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers. ​
55
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle. ​
56
And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.” ​

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.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options