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Numbers 33

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Numbers 33 Overview

Numbers 33 lists Israel’s journey stages from the departure out of Egypt to the plains of Moab. The itinerary remembers Passover departure, the Red Sea region, wilderness camps, Sinai, Ezion-gaber, Mount Hor, and many otherwise little-described stations. The chapter then commands Israel to drive out Canaan’s inhabitants, destroy idolatrous images and high places, and divide the land by lot. Failure to remove persistent enemies will turn them into pricks and thorns and bring upon Israel the judgment intended for the Canaanites.

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Before you read Numbers 33

Coming from

Numbers 32 settled Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh east of Jordan under the condition that they join the conquest.

In this chapter

The chapter reviews forty years of travel and then gives explicit conquest and anti-idolatry commands for Canaan.

Leads into

Numbers 34 defines the boundaries of Canaan and names leaders responsible for dividing it.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Moses records Israel's stages of travel from Egypt to the plains of Moab, and many stations receive little or no narrative elsewhere. The list is therefore not filler: it turns forty years of movement into remembered national history and shows how far the people have come from Passover night to the edge of Canaan. Because many ancient place names cannot be located with certainty today, maps should distinguish known from uncertain sites. The closing commands turn from remembering the journey to possessing the land and removing Canaanite idolatry.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Truth 1

Israel’s long journey can be remembered stage by stage as the history of God’s guidance and discipline.

Truth 2

Egypt’s firstborn judgment and Israel’s departure remain the defining starting point.

Truth 3

Possessing Canaan includes removing idolatrous worship structures, not merely occupying territory.

Truth 4

Incomplete obedience will create ongoing covenant danger.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Connection 1

Exodus 12–15 narrates the departure and early journey summarized here.

Connection 2

Deuteronomy repeatedly warns Israel against preserving Canaanite idolatry.

Connection 3

Joshua records the actual conquest and later failures to drive out inhabitants fully.

Connection 4

Judges 1–2 shows the painful fulfillment of the warning about remaining Canaanites.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Keep this clear 1

The conquest command belongs to a specific divine judgment and land promise to Israel; it is not a standing authorization for expansionist religious violence.

Keep this clear 2

Some itinerary names have uncertain modern locations; readers should avoid false geographical certainty.

Keep this clear 3

The warning about thorns is covenantal and historical, not a superstitious curse formula.

Read Numbers 33 watching for…

The Passover beginning of the itinerary.

How many stages occur with little narrative detail elsewhere.

The commands to destroy idolatrous objects.

The warning about remaining inhabitants.

Chapter outline3 sections

1-4Israel departs from Egypt under the hand of Moses and Aaron 5-49The stations of Israel’s journey from Egypt to Moab are recorded 50-56Israel is commanded to drive out Canaan’s inhabitants and possess the land

These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.

And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.

And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.

For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.

And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.

And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.

And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol.

And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.

And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.

And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.

And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.

And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.

And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.

And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.

And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.

And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibrothhattaavah.

And they departed from Kibrothhattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth.

And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.

And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmonparez.

And they departed from Rimmonparez, and pitched in Libnah.

And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.

And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.

And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher.

And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.

And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.

And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.

And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.

And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.

And they went from Mithcah, and pitched in Hashmonah.

And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth.

And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Benejaakan.

And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad.

And they went from Horhagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah.

And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.

And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Eziongaber.

And they removed from Eziongaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.

And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.

And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.

And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.

And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.

And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon.

And they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth.

And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ijeabarim, in the border of Moab.

And they departed from Iim, and pitched in Dibongad.

And they removed from Dibongad, and encamped in Almondiblathaim.

And they removed from Almondiblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.

And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.

And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.

But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

STUDY THIS VERSE

Numbers 33:15

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