1). SUMMARY OF THE JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO THE PLAINS OF MOAB. Numbers 33:1 ‘These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron. And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandm... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO SINAI (NUMBERS 33:3). The first station from which Israel set out was Rameses, the twelfth was the wilderness of Sinai. This may be totally coincidental, or it may have been deliberate in order to tie in with the twelve tribes of Israel. During that time they moved from be... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in Kibroth-hattaavah.' Kibroth-hattaavah was where they buried those whose desires for fresh meat got the better of them (12:34). The journey from Sinai to Kadesh was one of eleven days for the normal traveller (Deuteronomy 1:2). This a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped in Hazeroth.' Hazeroth was the last stop before Kadesh. At Hazeroth Miriam and Aaron confronted Moses on the question of status and were confounded (Numbers 12:1). It will be noted that the first arrival at Kadesh (13:26) is passed over here.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in Rithmah.' Some seek to associate Rithmah with Kadesh in some way, but the only ground for doing so is that it follows Hazeroth, and we know that Kadesh followed Hazeroth (Numbers 11:35; Numbers 12:16). It is, however, quite possible. The tribes woul... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Rithmah, and encamped in Rimmon-perez. And they journeyed from Rimmon-perez, and encamped in Libnah. And they journeyed from Libnah, and encamped in Rissah. And they journeyed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah. And they journeyed from Kehelathah, and encamped in mount... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan. And they journeyed from Bene-jaakan, and encamped in Hor-haggidgad. And they journeyed from Hor-haggidgad, and encamped in Jotbathah.' This can be compared with Deuteronomy 10:6 where we read, ‘And the children of Israel journeyed from... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah. And they journeyed from Abronah, and encamped in Ezion-geber. And they journeyed from Ezion-geber, and encamped in the wilderness of Zin (the same is Kadesh).' Note that the journey from Jotbathah to Eziongeber took place with only one en... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Kadesh, and encamped in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.' The forty years being over Moses brought Israel back to Kadesh. This, as it were, re-established the journey from Egypt and discounted all that had gone between this and the last visit to Kadesh. The journ... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of Yahweh, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. And Aaron was a hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in m... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.' At this same time had come the Canaanite king of Arad who, living in ‘the South' (the Canaanite part of the Negeb, compare Genesis 12:9), had ‘heard of the coming of th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from mount Hor, and encamped in Zalmonah. And they journeyed from Zalmonah, and encamped in Punon. And they journeyed from Punon, and encamped in Oboth.' The middle two encampments are ignored in the history which speaks simply of moving from Mount Hor to Oboth (Numbers 21:4). B... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Oboth, and encamped in Iye-abarim, in the border of Moab.' For this compare Numbers 21:11. It is apparent that the list has the histories in mind.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they journeyed from Iyim (a shortening of Iye-abarim), and encamped in Dibon-gad. And they journeyed from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim. And they journeyed from Almon-diblathaim, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. And they journeyed from the mountains of Abarim,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they encamped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.' And finally they arrived in the plains of Moab and encamped between Beth-jeshimoth (House of the Deserts, near the north-east shore of the Dead Sea) and Abel-shittim (meadow or brook of Shittim). ‘Bet... [ Continue Reading ]
2). THE DIVIDING UP OF THE LAND THAT WAS SET BEFORE THEM (NUMBERS 33:50 TO NUMBERS 34:29). Having arrived at the plains of Moab with the land visible over the Jordan, a preliminary indication of what would be expected of them, and what they might expect to receive, was now provided for them. This w... [ Continue Reading ]