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, 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. ​

From Egypt to Mount Sinai

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. ​

The Thirty-Eight Years of Wandering

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. ​

The Death of Aaron at Mount Hor

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. ​

From Mount Hor to the Plains of Moab

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. ​

Instructions for the Conquest of Canaan

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 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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