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.

The Command to Record the Journeys

1
These are the stages in the journey of the people of Isra'el as they left the land of Egypt divided into groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aharon.
2
Moshe recorded each of the stages of their journey by order of ADONAI; here are the starting-points of each stage: ​

From Egypt to Mount Sinai

3
They began their journey from Ram'ses in the first month. On the fifteenth day of the first month, the morning after the Pesach, the people of Isra'el left proudly in view of all the Egyptians;
4
while the Egyptians were burying those among them whom ADONAI had killed, all their firstborn; ADONAI had also executed judgment on their gods. ​
5
The people of Isra'el moved on from Ram'ses and camped at Sukkot.
6
They moved on from Sukkot and camped at Etam, by the edge of the desert.
7
They moved on from Etam and turned back to Pi-Hachirot, in front of Ba'al-Tz'fon, and camped before Migdol.
8
They moved on from P'nei-Hachirot, passed through the sea to the desert, continued three days' journey into the Etam Desert and camped at Marah. ​
9
They moved on from Marah and came to Eilim; in Eilim were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, so they camped there. ​
10
They moved on from Eilim and camped by the Sea of Suf.
11
They moved on from the Sea of Suf and camped in the Seen Desert.
12
They moved on from the Seen Desert and camped at Dofkah.
13
They moved on from Dofkah and camped at Alush.
14
They moved on from Alush and camped at Refidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15
They moved on from Refidim and camped in the Sinai Desert. ​

The Thirty-Eight Years of Wandering

16
They moved on from the Sinai Desert and camped at Kivrot-HaTa'avah. ​
17
They moved on from Kivrot-HaTa'avah and camped in Hatzerot.
18
They moved on from Hatzerot and camped at Ritmah.
19
They moved on from Ritmah and camped at Rimmon-Peretz.
20
They moved on from Rimmon-Peretz and camped at Livnah.
21
They moved on from Livnah and camped at Rissah.
22
They moved on from Rissah and camped at K'helah.
23
They moved on from K'helah and camped at Mount Shefer.
24
They moved on from Mount Shefer and camped at Haradah.
25
They moved on from Haradah and camped at Mak'helot.
26
They moved on from Mak'helot and camped at Tachat.
27
They moved on from Tachat and camped at Terach.
28
They moved on from Terach and camped at Mitkah.
29
They moved on from Mitkah and camped at HaShmonah.
30
They moved on from HaShmonah and camped at Moserot.
31
They moved on from Moserot and camped at B'nei-Ya'akan.
32
They moved on from B'nei-Ya'akan and camped at Hor-HaGidgad.
33
They moved on from Hor-HaGidgad and camped at Yotvatah.
34
They moved on from Yotvatah and camped at Avronah.
35
They moved on from Avronah and camped at 'Etzyon-Gever.
36
They moved on from 'Etzyon-Gever and camped in the Tzin Desert, that is, Kadesh. ​

The Death of Aaron at Mount Hor

37
They moved on from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the border of the land of Edom. ​
38
At ADONAI's order Aharon the cohen went up on Mount Hor, and he died there on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the people of Isra'el had left the land of Egypt. ​
39
Aharon was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40
The Kena'ani king of 'Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Kena'an, had heard that the people of Isra'el were coming; ​

From Mount Hor to the Plains of Moab

41
so they moved on from Mount Hor and camped at Tzalmonah.
42
They moved on from Tzalmonah and camped at Punon.
43
They moved on from Punon and camped at Ovot.
44
They moved on from Ovot and camped 'Iyei-Ha'Avarim, at the border of Mo'av.
45
They moved on from 'Iyim and camped at Divon-Gad.
46
They moved on from Divon-Gad and camped at 'Almon-Divlatayim.
47
They moved on from Almon-Divlatayim and camped in the 'Avarim Range, in front of N'vo.
48
They moved on from the 'Avarim Range and camped in the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden, across from Yericho. ​
49
Their camp by the Yarden extended from Beit-HaYeshimot all the way to Avel-HaSheetim in the plains of Mo'av. ​

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

50
ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden, across from Yericho. He said ​
51
to tell the people of Isra'el, "When you cross the Yarden into the land of Kena'an,
52
you are to expel all the people living in the land from in front of you. Destroy all their stone figures, destroy all their metal statues and demolish all their high places. ​
53
Drive out the inhabitants of the land, and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess.
54
You will inherit the land by lot according to your families. You are to give more land to the larger families and less to the smaller ones. Wherever the lot falls to any particular person, that will be his property. You will inherit according to the tribes of your ancestors. ​
55
But if you don't drive out the inhabitants of the land from in front of you, then those you allow to remain will become like thorns in your eyes and stings in your sides - they will harass you in the land where you are living. ​
56
And in this event, I will do to you what I intended 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