Numbers 33

This chapter stands near the end of the book of Numbers. In the preceding chapter, Numbers 32, the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan. This chapter retraces in a single sweep the route from the Exodus to the plains of Moab and then turns to commands concerning the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 At the commandment of the LORD, Moses records the stages of the journey Israel has traveled.
• Verses 3–4 Israel sets out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. The Egyptians are burying the firstborn whom the LORD has struck down.
• Verses 5–15 Israel passes through Succoth, Etham, and Pihahiroth and crosses through the midst of the sea. The people then travel by way of Marah, Elim (with twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees), an encampment by the Red Sea, the wilderness of Sin, Dophkah, Alush, and Rephidim (where there was no water to drink), and arrive at the wilderness of Sinai.
• Verses 16–36 Beginning at Kibrothhattaavah and Hazeroth, Israel passes through many sites to reach Eziongaber and then encamps in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
• Verses 37–40 Israel arrives at Mount Hor on the border of Edom. Aaron the priest dies there at the age of 123, on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Exodus. The king of Arad in the south hears that Israel is coming.
• Verses 41–49 Israel travels by way of Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Ijeabarim, Dibongad, Almondiblathaim, and the mountains of Abarim and reaches the plains of Moab opposite Jericho. The camp stretches from Bethjesimoth to Abelshittim.
• Verses 50–56 The LORD commands Moses that Israel is to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan, destroy their idols and high places, and divide the land by lot according to families and tribes. He warns that any inhabitants left in the land will become pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides.

Key Verses

• Numbers 33:2 "And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD" — The list is presented as a record written by Moses.
• Numbers 33:38 "And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there" — This verse specifies the year, month, and day of Aaron's death.
• Numbers 33:55 "Those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides" — This warning is echoed in Joshua 23 and Judges 2.

People and Places

• Moses: The leader who records the journey and conveys the LORD's commands.
• Aaron: Moses' elder brother and the priest. He dies on Mount Hor (the account appears in Numbers 20).
• King of Arad: A Canaanite king who dwelt in the south of Canaan.
• Egypt: The land Israel left.
• Red Sea: The place where Israel encamped after Elim. The "sea" crossed earlier is connected with the crossing of the Red Sea.
• Elim: A resting place with twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees.
• Kadesh: A site in the wilderness of Zin and an important base during the wilderness period.
• Mount Hor: A mountain on the border of Edom, where Aaron died.
• Edom and Moab: Lands east of the Jordan through which Israel passed in the later stages of the journey.
• Jericho and the Jordan River: The city visible across from the plains of Moab and the river Israel was yet to cross.
• Canaan: The promised land Israel was to enter and possess.

Points for Reflection

• The number of encampments varies depending on how they are counted, but they are commonly reckoned as forty-two. The present-day locations of many of them are uncertain. In particular, many of the place names in verses 16–36 do not appear in the other narratives of Exodus and Numbers.
• The "wilderness of Sin" in verse 11 and the "wilderness of Zin" in verse 36 are distinct names in Hebrew, although some translations, such as the Korean Bible, render them identically.
• The early church father Origen is known to have interpreted this itinerary as the spiritual journey of the believer. Some readers today likewise read the wilderness journey as an analogy for the life of faith. This, however, is an interpretation drawn from outside the text.
• Interpreters differ in emphasis regarding the command of conquest in verses 50–56, some viewing it as historical judgment and others as a theological command stressing a break with idolatry.
• In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 10 presents the experiences of the wilderness generation as examples for believers today. It may be read alongside this chapter.