Numbers 34:1-5

The Southern Border of the Land

34:1 ¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 34:2 “Give these instructions ²  to the Israelites, and tell them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance, ³  the land of Canaan with its borders, 34:3 your southern border ⁴  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, ⁵  continue to Zin, and then its direction ⁶  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. ⁷ 

[34:1]  ¹ sn This chapter falls into several sections: the south (vv. 1-5), the west (v. 6), the north (vv. 7-9), the east (vv. 10-15), and then a list of appointed officials (vv. 16-29).

[34:2]  ² tn Or “command.”

[34:2]  ³ tn Heb “this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance.”

[34:3]  ⁴ tn The expression refers to the corner or extremity of the Negev, the South.

[34:4]  ⁵ tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).

[34:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “its going forth,” or the way it runs.

[34:5]  ⁷ sn That is, the Mediterranean.