Numbers 34:3-15

34:3 your southern border ¹  will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the Edomite border, and your southern border will run eastward to the extremity of the Salt Sea, 34:4 and then the border will turn from the south to the Scorpion Ascent, ²  continue to Zin, and then its direction ³  will be from the south to Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon. 34:5 There the border will turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and then its direction is to the sea. ⁴ 

The Western Border of the Land

34:6 “‘And for a western border ⁵  you will have the Great Sea. ⁶  This will be your western border.

The Northern Border of the Land

34:7 “‘And this will be your northern border: From the Great Sea you will draw a line to Mount Hor; 34:8 from Mount Hor you will draw a line to Lebo Hamath, ⁷  and the direction of the border will be to Zedad. 34:9 The border will continue to Ziphron, and its direction will be to Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.

The Eastern Border of the Land

34:10 “‘For your eastern border you will draw a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 34:11 The border will run down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, and the border will descend and reach the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth. ⁸  34:12 Then the border will continue down the Jordan River ⁹  and its direction will be to the Salt Sea. This will be your land by its borders that surround it.’”

34:13 Then Moses commanded the Israelites: “This is the land which you will inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to be given ¹⁰  to the nine and a half tribes, 34:14 because the tribe of the Reubenites by their families, ¹¹  the tribe of the Gadites by their families, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. 34:15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on this side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, ¹²  toward the sunrise.”

¹ tn The expression refers to the corner or extremity of the Negev, the South.

² tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).

³ tn Heb “its going forth,” or the way it runs.

³ sn That is, the Mediterranean.

⁴ tn The word for west is simply “sea,” because the sea is west of Israel.

⁵ sn That is, the Mediterranean Sea (also in the following verse).

⁵ tn Or “to the entrance to Hamath.”

⁶ tn Or “the Sea of Galilee” (so NLT); NCV, TEV, CEV “Lake Galilee.”

⁷ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn The infinitive forms the direct object of what the Lord commanded. It actually means “to give,” but without an expressed subject may be made passive.

⁹ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also a little later in this verse.

¹⁰ map For the location of Jericho see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.