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Texts -- Numbers 33:1-54 (NET)

Context
Wanderings from Egypt to Sinai
33:1 These are the journeys of the Israelites , who went out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the authority of Moses and Aaron . 33:2 Moses recorded their departures according to their journeys , by the commandment of the Lord ; now these are their journeys according to their departures . 33:3 They departed from Rameses in the first month , on the fifteenth day of the first month ; on the day after the Passover the Israelites went out defiantly in plain sight of all the Egyptians . 33:4 Now the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn , whom the Lord had killed among them; the Lord also executed judgments on their gods . 33:5 The Israelites traveled from Rameses and camped in Succoth . 33:6 They traveled from Succoth , and camped in Etham , which is on the edge of the wilderness . 33:7 They traveled from Etham , and turned again to Pi-hahiroth , which is before Baal-Zephon ; and they camped before Migdal . 33:8 They traveled from Pi-hahiroth , and passed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness , and went three days ’ journey in the wilderness of Etham , and camped in Marah . 33:9 They traveled from Marah and came to Elim ; in Elim there are twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees , so they camped there . 33:10 They traveled from Elim , and camped by the Red Sea . 33:11 They traveled from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Zin . 33:12 They traveled from the wilderness of Zin and camped in Dophkah . 33:13 And they traveled from Dophkah , and camped in Alush . 33:14 They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim , where there was no water for the people to drink . 33:15 They traveled from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai .
Wanderings in the Wilderness
33:16 They traveled from the desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah . 33:17 They traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth . 33:18 They traveled from Hazeroth and camped in Rithmah . 33:19 They traveled from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez . 33:20 They traveled from Rimmon-perez and camped in Libnah . 33:21 They traveled from Libnah and camped at Rissah . 33:22 They traveled from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah . 33:23 They traveled from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher . 33:24 They traveled from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah . 33:25 They traveled from Haradah and camped in Makheloth . 33:26 They traveled from Makheloth and camped at Tahath . 33:27 They traveled from Tahath and camped at Terah . 33:28 They traveled from Terah and camped in Mithcah . 33:29 They traveled from Mithcah and camped in Hashmonah . 33:30 They traveled from Hashmonah and camped in Moseroth . 33:31 They traveled from Moseroth and camped in Bene-jaakan . 33:32 They traveled from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad . 33:33 They traveled from Hor-haggidgad and camped in Jotbathah . 33:34 They traveled from Jotbathah and camped in Abronah . 33:35 They traveled from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber . 33:36 They traveled from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin , which is Kadesh .
Wanderings from Kadesh to Moab
33:37 They traveled from Kadesh and camped in Mount Hor at the edge of the land of Edom . 33:38 Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command of the Lord , and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt on the first day of the fifth month . 33:39 Now Aaron was 123 years old when he died in Mount Hor . 33:40 The king of Arad , the Canaanite king who lived in the south of the land of Canaan , heard about the approach of the Israelites . 33:41 They traveled from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah . 33:42 They traveled from Zalmonah and camped in Punon . 33:43 They traveled from Punon and camped in Oboth . 33:44 They traveled from Oboth and camped in Iye-abarim , on the border of Moab . 33:45 They traveled from Iim and camped in Dibon-gad . 33:46 They traveled from Dibon-gad and camped in Almon-diblathaim . 33:47 They traveled from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim before Nebo . 33:48 They traveled from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho . 33:49 They camped by the Jordan , from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab .
At the Border of Canaan
33:50 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan , across from Jericho . He said : 33:51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan , 33:52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images , all their molten images , and demolish their high places . 33:53 You must dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live in it, for I have given you the land to possess it. 33:54 You must divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families . To a larger group you must give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group you must give a smaller inheritance . Everyone’s inheritance must be in the place where his lot falls . You must inherit according to your ancestral tribes .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Aaron

    [isbe] AARON - ar'-un, sometimes pronounced ar'on ('aharon--Septuagint Aaron, meaning uncertain: Gesenius suggests "mountaineer"; Furst, "enlightened"; others give "rich," "fluent." Cheyne mentions Redslob's "ingenious conjecture" ...
    [smith] (a teacher, or lofty), the son of Amram and Jochebed, and the older brother of Moses and Miriam. (Numbers 26:59; 33:39) (B.C. 1573.) He was a Levite, and is first mentioned in (Exodus 4:14) He was appointed by Jehovah to be t...
    [nave] AARON Lineage of, Ex. 6:16-20; Josh. 21:4, 10; 1 Chr. 6:2, 3; 23:13. Marriage of, Ex. 6:23. Children of, Ex. 6:23, 25; 1 Chr. 6:3; 24:1, 2. Descendants of, Ex. 6:23, 25; 1 Chr. 6:3-15, 50-53; 24. Meets Moses in the wilde...

  • EXODUS, THE

    [isbe] EXODUS, THE - ek'-so-dus: I. THE ROUTE 1. The Starting-Point 2. Rameses to Succoth 3. Succoth to Etham 4. Passage of the Sea 5. Other Views of the Route II. THE DATE 1. Old Testament Chronology 2. Date of Conquest of Palesti...
    [smith] of the Israelites from Egypt. the common chronology places the date of this event at B.C. 1491, deriving it in this way: --In (1 Kings 6:1) it is stated that the building of the temple, in the forth year of Solomon, was in...

  • EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 2

    [isbe] EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 2 - II. Structure of the Book According to the Scriptures and According to Modern Analyses. In the following section (a) serves for the understanding of the Biblical text; (b) is devoted to the discussio...

  • ENCAMPMENT BY THE RED SEA

    [isbe] ENCAMPMENT BY THE RED SEA - According to the version of the wanderings of Israel given in Nu 33, they "encamped by the Red Sea" (verse 10) after leaving Elim and before entering the Wilderness of Sin. See WANDERINGS OF ISRAE...

  • EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 3-4

    [isbe] EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 3-4 - III. Historical Character. 1. General Consideration: The fact that extra-Israelitish and especially Egyptian sources that can lay claim to historical value have reported nothing authentic concernin...

  • Exodus

    [ebd] the great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm" (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8; Ps 114; 136), about B.C. 1490, and four hundre...

  • PENTATEUCH, 3

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 3 - III. Some Literary Points. 1. Style of Legislation: No general estimate of the Pentateuch as literature can or need be attempted. Probably most readers are fully sensible to its literary beauties. Anybody who...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • LEVITICUS, 2

    [isbe] LEVITICUS, 2 - III. Origin. 1. Against the Wellhausen Hypothesis: As in the article ATONEMENT, DAY OF, sec. I, 2, (2), we took a stand against the modern attempts at splitting up the text, and in III, 1 against theory of the...

  • Itinerary

    [nave] ITINERARY, of the Israelites, Num. 33; Deut. 10:6, 7. See: Israel; Wilderness.

  • NUMBERS, BOOK OF

    [isbe] NUMBERS, BOOK OF - num'-berz: I. TITLE AND CONTENTS 1. Title 2. Contents II. LITERARY STRUCTURE 1. Alleged Grounds of Distribution 2. Objections to Same (1) Hypothesis Unproved (2) Written Record Not Impossible (3) No Book E...

  • Wandering

    [ebd] of the Israelites in the wilderness in consequence of their rebellious fears to enter the Promised Land (Num. 14:26-35). They wandered for forty years before they were permitted to cross the Jordan (Josh. 4:19; 5:6). The rec...

  • WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL

    [isbe] WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL - won'-der-ingz: I. CONDITIONS 1. The Wilderness 2. Four Separate Regions Included 3. "The Sandy Tract" 4. Description of the Arabah 5. Physical Condition of the Wilderness 6. Difficulties Regarding the ...

  • Hor

    [ebd] mountain. (1.) One of the mountains of the chain of Seir or Edom, on the confines of Idumea (Num. 20:22-29; 33:37). It was one of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (33:37), which they reached in the circuitous...
    [smith] (mountain), Mount. The mountain on which Aaron died. (Numbers 20:25,27) It was "on the boundary line," (Numbers 20:23) or "at the edge," ch. (Numbers 33:37) of the land of Edom. It was the halting-place of the people next af...
    [nave] HOR, mountain on which Aaron died, Num. 20:22-29; 21:4; 33:38, 39; 34:7, 8; Deut. 32:50.

  • ABARIM

    [ebd] regions beyond; i.e., on the east of Jordan, a mountain, or rather a mountain-chain, over against Jericho, to the east and south-east of the Dead Sea, in the land of Moab. From "the top of Pisgah", i.e., Mount Nebo (q.v.), o...
    [isbe] ABARIM - ab'-a-rim, a-ba'-rim (`abharim): The stem idea is that of going across a space or a dividing line, or for example a river. It is the same stem that appears in the familiar phrase "beyond Jordan," used to denote the ...
    [smith] (regions beyond), a mountain or range of highlands on the east of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, facing Jericho, and forming the eastern wall of the Jordan valley at that part. Its most elevated spot was "the Mount Nebo, ?h...

  • Red Sea

    [ebd] The sea so called extends along the west coast of Arabia for about 1,400 miles, and separates Asia from Africa. It is connected with the Indian Ocean, of which it is an arm, by the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb. At a point (Ras Mo...
    [isbe] RED SEA - (yam-cuph (Ex 10:19 and often), but in many passages it is simply hayam, "the sea"' Septuagint with 2 or 3 exceptions renders it by he eruthra thalassa, "the Red Sea"; Latin geographers Mare Rubrum): 1. Name 2. Pec...
    [smith] Name. --The sea known to us as the Red Sea was by the Israelites called "the sea," (Exodus 14:2,9,16,21,28; 15:1,4,8,10,19; Joshua 24:6,7) and many other passages, and specially "the sea of Suph ." (Exodus 10:19; 13:18; 15:4...
    [nave] RED SEA The locusts which devastated Egypt destroyed in, Ex. 10:19. Israelites cross; Pharaoh and his army drowned in, Ex. 14; 15:1, 4, 11, 19; Num. 33:8; Deut. 11:4; Josh. 2:10; 4:23; 24:6, 7; Judg. 11:16; 2 Sam. 22:16; Ne...

  • Rithmah

    [ebd] wild broom, a station in the wilderness (Num. 33:18, 19), the "broom valley," or "valley of broombushes," the place apparently of the original encampment of Israel, near Kadesh.
    [isbe] RITHMAH - rith'-ma (rithmah, "broom"): A desert camp of the Israelites (Nu 33:18,19). The name refers to the white desert broom. See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
    [smith] (heath), a march-station in the wilderness, (Numbers 33:18,19) Probably northeast of Hazeroth.
    [nave] RITHMAH, a camping place of the Israelites, Num. 33:18, 19.

  • Etham

    [ebd] perhaps another name for Khetam, or "fortress," on the Shur or great wall of Egypt, which extended from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez. Here the Israelites made their third encampment (Ex. 13:20; Num. 33:6). The camp ...
    [isbe] ETHAM - e'-tham ('etham; Othom, Ex 13:20; Bouthan, Nu 33:6,7; in 33:8 the Septuagint has a different reading, "in their wilderness" showing another pointing for the word): The name used to be explained as the Coptic Atium, "...
    [smith] (bounded by the sea), one of the early resting-places of the Israelites when they quitted Egypt; described as "in the edge of the wilderness." (Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6,7) Etham may be placed where the cultivable land cease...
    [nave] ETHAM, second camping place of Israel, Ex. 13:20; Num. 33:6, 7.

  • Ebronah

    [ebd] passage, one of the stations of the Israelites in their wanderings (Num. 33:34, 35). It was near Ezion-geber.
    [isbe] EBRONAH - e-bro'-na: In the King James Version (Nu 33:34,35) for ABRONAH, which see.
    [smith] (passage), one of the halting-places of the Israelites in the desert, immediately preceding Ezion-geber. (Numbers 33:34,35)
    [nave] EBRONAH, the thirtieth camping place of the Israelites, Num. 33:34, 35.

  • Makheloth

    [ebd] assemblies, a station of the Israelites in the desert (Num. 33:25, 26).
    [isbe] MAKHELOTH - mak-he'-loth, mak-he'-loth (maqheloth, "assemblies"): A desert camp of the Israelites between Haradah and Tahath (Nu 33:25,26). See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
    [smith] (place of assemblies), a place mentioned only in (Numbers 33:26) as that of a desert encampment of the Israelites.
    [nave] MAKHELOTH, an encampment of Israel, Num. 33:25, 26.
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The major purpose of this section is probably to show how God sustained and blessed Jacob's family in Egypt during the remaining five years of the famine (cf. vv. 12-13). It is also to demonstrate how He partially fulfilled H...
  • "The way of the land of the Philistines"refers to the most northern of three routes travelers took from Egypt to Canaan (v. 17). The others lay farther south. The Egyptians had heavily fortified this caravan route, also calle...
  • 14:1-4 Scholars have not been able to locate definitely the sites referred to in verse 2."An Egyptian papyrus associates Baal Zephon with Tahpahnes . . . a known site near Lake Menzaleh in the northeastern delta region."235Ho...
  • Again the Israelites complained because there was no water to drink when they camped at Rephidim (cf. 15:24). At Marah there was bad water, but now there was none.". . . the supreme calamity of desert travellers befell them--...
  • Whereas the Israelites had feared the possibility of having to battle the Egyptians (14:10) they now did engage in battle with the Amalekites."The primary function of this section in its present location is the demonstration ...
  • Moses wrote Numbers (cf. Num. 1:1; 33:2; Matt. 8:4; 19:7; Luke 24:44; John 1:45; et al.). He evidently did so late in his life on the plains of Moab.1Moses evidently died close to 1406 B.C. since the Exodus happened about 144...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • Archaeologists have not determined the location of Taberah (v. 3). It must have been an insignificant spot geographically since Moses did not include it in the list of Israel's encampments in chapter 33 (cf. 33:16-17). It was...
  • At the end of 37 years the Israelites returned to the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh. Kadesh was a large area of desert located on the edge of the wilderness of Zin. God had previously judged the older generation of Israelites ...
  • Mount Hor seems to have stood on the western border of Edom (v. 23).176Aaron died on the first day of the fifth month in Israel's fortieth year (33:37-38). He was 123 years old (33:39).Before Aaron died, Moses formally remove...
  • The list of stopping places Moses recorded here differs from the one in 33:41-49. Apparently neither list is complete but both are selective. Archaeologists have not yet identified most of the sites Moses mentioned here. The ...
  • Heshbon was a city, but Bashan was a territory. Bashan lay north of the Yarmuk Wadi. Evidently at the time of Israel's conquest Og controlled the territory south of the Yarmuk as far as the Jabbok, the area known as Gilead.19...
  • God gave the final laws governing Israel's entrance into the Promised Land (33:50-36:13). However first Moses recorded at God's command this list of places from which the Israelites had set out on their journey from Egypt to ...
  • Forty-two stations appear in the list. Eighteen do not appear elsewhere in the record of the journey (vv. 13, 19-29), and four mentioned previously are absent in this chapter (cf. 11:3; 21:19). Obviously this is a selective l...
  • "The section breaks down into two groups of three laws each, carefully introduced by the clause and Yahweh spoke to Moses' (. . ., 33:50; 34:1, 16; 35:1, 9; cf. 36:6) and surrounded by the phrase on the plains of Moab by the ...
  • This brief section of instructions introduces specific directions concerning the division of the land and its towns that follow in chapters 34-36.The repetition of "all"(v. 52) stresses the importance of completely clearing t...
  • These instructions deal with how Israel was to come into possession of the Promised Land (cf. Num. 33:50-56). They are in the context of civil legislation because Israel did not have a standing army. Soldiers volunteered to g...
  • The events of this pericope tie in directly with those of the previous one. Israel's failure recorded there led to the discipline announced here."The narrator moves from chap. 1 to chap. 2 like a modern preacher moves from te...
  • "These things"(v. 1) refers to the events of the first return that the writer described in chapters 1-6.Ezra's genealogy (vv. 1-5) shows that he was a man of importance whom his fellow Jews would have respected. He was a desc...
  • This chapter records an incident late in Jeremiah's ministry. How much later than chapter 43 is unknown. Many commentators suppose it dates from about 580 B.C. because it would have taken some time for the Judean refugees to ...
  • 8:9 Daniel next saw a rather small horn (king, v. 23) grow out of one of the four horns (kingdoms, v. 22) that had replaced the single horn (the first king, v. 21) on the goat (Greece, v. 21). This horn is quite clearly diffe...
  • 10:3 When the Lord brought destruction, the people would realize that their self-appointed king had failed them and that they did not respect the Lord. They would acknowledge that no human king could help them. Hoshea would b...
  • The sailors interrogated Jonah about his reasons for travelling on their ship, but it was his failure to live consistently with his convictions that amazed them.1:7 It appears to have been common among the heathen to cast lot...
  • The revelation of Satan's activity, which the song of the martyrs (vv. 10-12) interrupted, now resumes.12:13 Satan will concentrate his vengeance on Israelites during the Great Tribulation, under the sovereign control of God,...
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