33:1–15 Verses 1–2 introduce and summarize the itinerary. “Stages” (Hb. massaʿ; v. 1) can refer to treks from one encampment to another or to larger journeys involving several encampments, as from the wilderness of Sin to the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 17:1; cf. Ex. 19:1–2) or from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran (Num. 10:12). “Their companies” (33:1) refers to military units (1:3). There were four camps, each comprising three tribal companies in marching formation, as described in chapter 2. Unless on mission, the soldiers lived and journeyed with their families. The order of march was described in 10:11–28.

On “Moses wrote down” (33:2) cf. Introduction: Author. He also “wrote down” all the words of the law (Ex. 24:4; Deut. 31:9). Other Pentateuchal passages mention Moses’ authorship (Ex. 17:14; 34:28; Deut. 31:22, 24).

Each departure of Israel is stated as “They set out from” (nasaʿ; e.g., Num. 33:6) “by command [or “mouth”] of the Lord” (v. 2; cf. 9:18; 10:13; 13:3). The command was given by the cloud’s lifting from the tabernacle (9:17–18, 20). The silver trumpets signaled the order in which they set out (10:5–6).

Numbers 33:3–4 recall the circumstantial setting of the itinerary within Egypt. Israel left Rameses in the first month on the fifteenth day, the day after the Passover. Moreover, they went out “triumphantly” (beyad ramah), or “defiantly,” like ones shaking a fist, the same expression for “high handed” sins (15:30). This was “while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn . . . [when] on their gods, also the Lord executed judgments.” Against the God of Israel, Egypt’s gods were utterly unable to defend the land or its inhabitants (cf. 2 Kings 17:26).

The ensuing itinerary (Num. 33:5–49) is punctuated by two verbs: “set out” and “camped.” The itinerary pattern is well attested in ancient Near Eastern documents from the early second millennium and later (i.e., “They set out from A and camped at B; they set out from B and camped at C”259). Historical or geographical allusions are joined to some journeys or encampments (vv. 6, 7, 9, 14, 36, 37, 38–39, 40).

Among “Rameses . . . Succoth . . . Etham . . . Pi-hahiroth . . . Baal-zephon . . . Migdol” (vv. 5–7), only the (general) locations of the first two sites are known.260 They all probably lay in a southeasterly direction toward Lake Timsah, then southward toward the Bitter Lakes, and finally to the Gulf of Suez (Red Sea).

The land of Rameses, or the land of Goshen, was where Jacob and his family had settled (Gen. 47:4, 11, 27). After assembling in Goshen (Ex. 8:22) as a rallying point, Israel’s movement was toward “Etham” on the “edge of the wilderness” (Num. 33:6), that is, the western side of the “wilderness of Etham” (v. 8), also called the “wilderness of Shur” (Ex. 15:22). Etham and Shur mean “wall” in Egyptian and Hebrew, respectively. “Etham/Shur” and “Migdol” (Num. 33:7 “fort/watchtower”) were part of a line of defenses to deter migrant infiltration from the wilderness routes leading to Egypt’s border.261 From Kadesh the “way to Shur” went to Beersheba, then to Egypt (cf. Gen. 16:7, 14; 20:1; 1 Sam. 15:7). This wilderness road entered Egypt at Lake Timsah. This important juncture would have been fortified (at Etham?).

But from Etham the Israelites turned back (Num. 33:7) at the Lord’s command (Ex. 14:1) to Pi [house of]-hahiroth, east of Baal-zephon, camping “before” Migdol (Num. 33:7).262 This volte face was intended to make Pharaoh believe the Israelites were trapped (Ex. 14:3), not only by the wilderness but also by the sea. “From before” (Pi) Hahiroth they “passed through the midst of the sea” (Num. 33:8). The crossing of “the sea” (v. 10) is narrated and celebrated in Exodus 14:15–15:21. “Red” (Ex. 15:22) translates the LXX (erythras) rather than the Hebrew “reeds/rushes” (suph, cf. Ex. 2:3; but cf. discussion on Num. 33:10 below, “Camped by the Red Sea”). If no reeds grow in saltwater, this would rule out not only the Gulf of Suez as the crossing point but also the brackish lakes to the north. But suph also refers to seaweed kelp (Jonah 2:5). Some suggest the Israelites crossed at some point along the Bitter Lakes.263 According to Isaiah they crossed the “tongue of the Sea of Egypt” (Isa. 11:15), which apparently describes a promontory of the Red Sea.264

After a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham/Shur the Israelites reached Marah (Num. 33:8; cf. Ex. 15:22). The name was coined because the water was “bitter” (marah, “brackish”). Marah is possibly Bir el-Murrah (“the bitter well”), almost 25 miles (40 km) from the Bitter Lakes and 10 miles (16 km) east of Suez, in west-central Sinai.265 The travel time fits the location, given the large number of people, including the aged and small children, livestock, and loaded wagons (cf. discussion on Num. 33:15; comment on 33:16–18a, “wilderness of Sinai”). There is no water source between the Bitter Lakes and Bir el-Murrah. They continued to “Elim,” where there were “twelve springs” and “seventy palm trees” (Ex. 15:27; Num. 33:9). Twelve springs and a palm grove have been found at Ayin Musa (“Moses’ spring”), 7.5 miles (12 km) south of Bir el-Murrah or 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Suez.266

Israel then “camped by the Red Sea” (Num. 33:10), that is, on the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez,267 the western flank of the Sinai Peninsula. “Red Sea” (yam suph; cf. discussion on v. 8 above) also refers to the Gulf of Aqaba, the peninsula’s eastern flank (Num. 14:25; 21:4; 1 Kings 9:26). Suph may be analogous to the Mishnaic Hebrew word for “shore” (soph; Yevamot 16:4) or to modern Hebrew “end/extremity” (soph), referring to the seas on the extremities of the southern peninsula.268

The “wilderness of Sin” (Num. 33:11) subsumes the following three encampments. “Dophkah” and “Alush” (vv. 12–14) are unmentioned in the narrative (Ex. 17:1). “Rephidim” (Num. 33:14–15) is associated with Horeb in Exodus 17, where the Massah-Meribah incident took place (vv. 1, 6–7; cf. Num. 20:2–13).269 Exodus 16:1 reports the Israelites then came to “the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt,” one month after the exodus. “After they had departed” is an infinitive (letseʾtam) meaning “from their departing,” that is from Rameses, the starting point. In other words, from Rameses their arrival in the wilderness of Sin took a month.

The “wilderness of Sinai” (Num. 33:15, 16) is the twelfth location and the eighth encampment in the itinerary (vv. 8–15). Mount Sinai is mentioned twice in Numbers (3:1; 28:6) but not in the itinerary. Naming the wilderness of Sinai as the arrival and departure point (Ex. 12:2; Num. 10:12) suggests the Israelites were spread out during that year, with the mountain and the tabernacle as rallying points.

If Mount Sinai is identified with Jebel Sin Bisher on the central western side of the peninsula, as suggested (cf. Section Overview and below), to approach this mountain the Israelites would have turned eastward to pass through the mountains at the Wadi Suder valley. The Suder pass leads to the most important crossroads in the peninsula.270 Directly to the east, 185 miles (300 km) from the western Red Sea, lay Elath and Ezion-geber on the eastern Red Sea.

Added to the adduced factors in support of identifying Jebel Sin Bisher with Mount Sinai (cf. Section Overview) are the following considerations.271 The proximity of Mount Sinai to Egypt is reflected in the comings and goings of Moses—and also his wife and children—and of Aaron (Ex. 4:20, 27, 29; 18:5–6; cf. Num. 10:30, “I will depart to my own land” on the proximity of Midian and Mount Sinai). Jebel Sin Bisher is 30 miles (50 km) from the northern tip of the Red Sea and 45 miles (75 km) from the southern end of the Bitter Lakes.272 The implied proximity and relative ease of travel both point to a Mount Sinai location in the western peninsula rather than in the southern peninsula. Jebel Musa is about 155 miles (250 km) from the northern Red Sea.

The central Sinai route would also be ideal for their intermediary Kadesh destination near the southern border of Canaan. The route to Jebel Musa goes in the opposite direction from Canaan. The most direct northerly route from Egypt to Canaan was avoided by the Israelites because of the military opposition they would have encountered there (Ex. 13:17). It is unlikely the Israelites would have gone as far from Canaan as possible and to a part of the peninsula in which copper and turquoise mines were heavily guarded by Egyptian forces.273

Jebel Sin Bisher accords with the three-day travel time between Egypt and Mount Sinai (Ex. 3:18; 5:3; 8:27), that is, the travel time for unburdened travelers on foot (such as Moses and Aaron, mentioned above), camel caravans (Isa. 30:6), or marching armies.274 It obviously took longer for the Israelites, driving livestock, heavily laden beasts of burden, and donkey- and oxen-drawn wagons while assisting children and the aged. They would have averaged 6–8 miles (10–13 km) per day.275 After crossing the sea, it took them three days to arrive at Marah (cf. Num. 33:8). They arrived in the Sin wilderness a month after the exodus (Ex. 16:1) and at Sinai by the third month (Ex. 19:1–2), or about forty days after the exodus. At 6 miles (10 km) per day it would have taken the Israelites forty consecutive days of travel to trek from Rameses to Jebel Musa. For Jebel Sin Bisher, it would have involved half that travel time, with as many days encamped.

At 125 miles (200 km) from Kadesh, Sin Bisher also fits into the eleven-day frame from Horeb (Deut. 1:2; cf. comment on Num. 13:1–20 [at v. 20]).276 Given the Israelites’ pace, Jebel Musa would not fit this timeframe to cover the 220 miles (350 km) from Kadesh.277 What is more, the Suder Valley-Sin Bisher location suits the need for plentiful potable water and pasturage for the year the Israelites spent at Mount Sinai. When Moses heard God’s calling from the burning bush, he was tending a flock at Horeb (Ex. 3:1) in the wilderness of Mount Sinai (Acts 7:30). The Israelites left Egypt with “flocks and herds” (Ex. 12:38), which they pastured at Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:3; cf. Num. 3:41, 45; 7:87–88). Suder Valley has abundant water sources and rich pastures.278 At Horeb there was a brook (nahal; Deut. 9:21; cf. Ex. 17:6; Ps. 68:8–9). The overall region, the north-west plateau the of the et-Tih desert, affords plentiful pastureland in altitudes of 2,600 feet (800 m), including cultivable land on the slopes and valleys and ample water supply.279 The mountainous apex of the Sinai Peninsula, with granite peaks and profound crags, lacks such lands or water for cattle-raisers and cultivators.

In addition, Scripture indicates that Mount Sinai could not have been too high nor too difficult to ascend. In a short period of time, the aged Moses ascended and descended four times (Ex. 19:3, 14, 20, 25; 32:15, 30–31; 34:4, 29), once with Aaron, his sons, and seventy elders (Ex. 24:9, 18). Moses and the people below heard the voice of God (Ex. 19:9, 17, 19; Deut. 4:12). Sin Bisher rises 1,000 feet (300 m) above its surroundings, a height which fits these climbs.280 The altitude of Jebel Musa is 7,500 feet (2,300 m), however, which would seem to preclude such climbs.

Lastly, after the departure from Sinai, travel surfaces had to be level to transport the tabernacle on oxen-drawn wagons (Num. 7:3).281 The gold, silver, and bronze used in the construction of the tabernacle and its accoutrements weighed about 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg), or 7.5 tons (6.8 metric tons; cf. Ex. 38:24–29). Added to this was the weight of all the other materials, such as wood, skins, and fabrics. To travel to Kadesh from the southern peninsula, with its jagged granite peaks, some reaching over 8,600 feet (2,600 m), and extremely deep craggy valleys not leading in one direction, stretches the imagination.282 The Wadi Suder route leading from Sin Bisher would have afforded the travel conditions necessary for the Israelites.

In summary, biblical data and other factors support a central-western peninsula location for Mount Sinai and an eastern movement from Mount Sinai to Kadesh. Jebel Sin Bisher and its location correspond to the data. Conversely, there is no direct evidence that the Israelites traveled to the southern peninsula and from there northward to Kadesh. Several factors mentioned above would exclude such possibilities.

33:16–18a “By stages” includes the encampments on the way to Kadesh, “Kibroth-hattaavah . . . Hazeroth” (Num. 33:16–17; cf. 11:34–35). Both are unidentified. Those who posit a southern Mount Sinai generally identify Hazeroth with Ain/Wadi Hudeirat, about 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Jebel Musa in the mountains west of the Gulf of Aqaba.283 According to the narratives, after Hazeroth the Israelites encamped in the wilderness of Paran (12:16). Neither the wilderness of Paran nor Kadesh, in the Paran wilderness (13:26), are mentioned in the itinerary where expected after Hazeroth (33:18).284

It may be that the Israelite’s encampment at Kadesh was left blank in the itinerary to make a theological point. The great rebellion took place there (Numbers 13–14). Similarly, Mount Sinai is not named, where the golden calf incident occurred (Exodus 32). These are the two darkest moments in the wilderness journey—indeed, in the revelation history of Israel. On each occasion God threatened the people’s destruction.285 The two are conspicuous by their absence. Omitting them appears intentional, suggesting that what occurred there, though not forgotten, was forgiven (Num. 14:19; cf. Ex. 32:32).

In some cases the use of figures in Numbers appears rhetorical. For example, “the land of Canaan” occurs twelve times (cf. comment on 34:1–15 [at v. 2]), as do repeatedly the names of the twelve tribes. The book contains seven lists of tribal chiefs (cf. Section Overview of Numbers 34). In chapters describing the Levites’ responsibilities the key word for guard duty around the stationary tabernacle occurs ten times (cf. Section Overview of Numbers 3) and the combined terms describing their work burden seven times (cf. Section Overview of Numbers 4). The wilderness of Sinai is mentioned ten times (cf. comment on 1:1–19), as is the zone called “outside the camp” (cf. comment on 19:1–10 [at v. 3]). Mentioned seven times are the seven days required for cleansing from corpse contamination (cf. comment on 19:11–22; on the use of fourteen, ten, seven, and three in the Balaam story cf. comments on 22:1–21 [at v. 6]; 22:22–41).

As concerns Kadesh in Numbers, the figures ten and forty stand out. Kadesh is mentioned ten times (cf. comment on 13:25–33 [at v. 26]). The Lord said there that Israel had put him to the test ten times (14:22). Like the intentional limiting of the number of encampments in the itinerary to forty, forty concerning Kadesh is used rhetorically. In the narratives Kadesh is named only after the forty-day reconnaissance (13:26; cf. 14:34), even though scouts had been sent from there (32:8). Kadesh is where the forty-year judgment was decreed (14:33–34). After judgment came a season of grace. The departure from Kadesh (20:22), corresponding to the fortieth year (33:37), signaled a new beginning for the generation that would settle in Canaan. Then Kadesh appears in the itinerary (33:36).

33:18b–36 According to the Numbers narratives the Israelites were at Kadesh before the thirty-eight years of wilderness wanderings (13:26; 32:8; cf. Josh. 14:7) and left Kadesh at the end of that period in the direction of Transjordan (Num. 20:14, 22; cf. 33:36b; Deut. 2:14).

As mentioned in the Section Overview, the eighteen encampments in Numbers 33:18b–36a are those from the thirty-eight years of the wilderness sojourn. Apart from “Ezion-geber” (v. 36a), none has been identified with any degree of certainty.286 They are probably located somewhere in the northern half of eastern Sinai and in the western Negeb highlands.287 Those who believe they lie somewhere is the southeastern half between Jebel Musa and Ezion-geber fare no better in identifying them.288

“Rithmah” (v. 18) is the first encampment after the posited Kadesh.289 “Hashmonah” (v. 29), if identified with Heshmon listed among the southernmost settlements of Judah (Josh. 15:27), is in the Negeb highlands.290 “Bene-jaakan” (Num. 33:31) is also called “Beeroth [“wells of”] Bene[sons of]-jaakan” (Deut. 10:6). It was named after the Jaakan Seir/Horite clan, which points to an encampment near Seir west of the Arabah (1 Chron. 1:42; cf. Gen. 36:27–31).291 “Jotbathah” (Num. 33:33) is qualified as “a land with brooks of water” (Deut. 10:7) which suited the needs of the Israelites during the wilderness sojourn, especially given their vast cattle holdings. “Ezion-geber” (Num. 33:35), a port associated with Elath (Deut. 2:8; 1 Kings 9:26), is located on or near the northern end of the oriental Red Sea.292 The distance of several days march between Ezion-geber and Kadesh (Num. 33:36; 50 miles [80 km]) allows for unmentioned encampments between them (cf. v. 31).

The “wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh)” (v. 36) extends to the southern limit of Canaan and Judah, contiguous with Edom (cf. comment on 34:1–15 [at v. 3]). As in the Numbers narratives, the Zin wilderness is mentioned in the itinerary immediately before Israel’s departure from Kadesh (33:37; cf. 20:1, 22) and its heading northward in the Negeb to Arad (33:40; cf. 21:1–3). Similarly, Israel’s arrival at Kadesh from Sinai is associated with the “wilderness of Paran” (10:12; 12:16; 13:3, 26).

The location of Kadesh has been established, the only sure identification of all the encampments west of the Arabah. Ein Qadeis and Ein Qudeirat, 6 miles (10 km) to the north and northwest, are identified with Kadesh and Kadesh-barnea, respectively (32:8; cf. comment on 34:1–15 [at v. 4]).293 The Kadesh region lies where the western Negeb highlands sink down to undulating terrain stretching to the Wadi El-Arish.

33:37–49 The remainder of the itinerary stages and the travel narratives are nearly parallel. Israel set out from Kadesh (33:37; cf. 21:22). It camped at Mount Hor, where “Aaron . . . died” (33:37–39; cf. 20:28). The people went north in the direction of Arad, where they met armed resistance in the Negeb, in the land of Canaan (33:40; cf. 21:1). They crossed the Arabah south of the Dead Sea (33:42–44; cf. 21:10–12), traversed Moab (33:44–47; cf. 21:13, 16, 18–20), and ultimately arrived in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho (33:48–49; cf. 21:21–35). “Mount Hor” (33:37, 41) is probably located near the head of the Zin Valley (cf. 20:23). The Israelites left the Negeb highlands for the Arabah no doubt by descending the Nahal Zin (cf. 21:4).294

The chronological notice of Aaron’s death—“in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month” (33:38; cf. 20:29)—is a tribute to this first high priest. That same year marked the end of the forty-year judgment pronounced on the exodus generation (14:34; 32:13).

“Zalmonah” and “Oboth” (33:41, 43) are probably in the western Arabah near the foot of Nahal Zin (cf. 21:10, 11). “Punon” (33:42) is traditionally identified with Feinan, on the eastern border of the Arabah, 32 miles (50 km) south-southeast of the Dead Sea and north of Petra in Edom.295 Given the copper mining and smelting near Feinan at Khirbet en-Nahas (“serpent”), the site is often linked to the bronze serpent incident (21:5–9). The narrative trajectory perhaps suggests the incident occurred in the Arabah (cf. 21:4, 10).296 “Iye-abarim” (33:44; cf. comment on 21:4–11) is also called “Iyim” (33:45).

To access Transjordan the Israelites ascended the Zered Valley (cf. comment on 21:12–20; Deut. 2:13–14), the border between Edom and Moab.297 Their going around Edom involved the Edomite territory west of the Arabah (cf. Num. 20:21). Three Transjordan encampments included in the narratives—Mattanah, Nahaliel, and Bamoth (21:19)—are not in the itinerary. “Dibon-gad” (33:45) is so named because it was rebuilt by Gad (32:34). Dibon (cf. 21:30) was originally allotted to Reuben (32:3). “Almon-diblathaim” (33:46) is possibly located 21 miles (34 km) southeast of Amman.298 Nebo was among the Mountains of Abarim (v. 47; cf. 21:11; 27:12; cf. Deut. 32:49). “Abarim” (“across”) may describe the imposing mountain range in Moab as viewed from Cisjordan.

“Jericho” (Num. 33:48), the “City of Palms” (Judg. 3:13), is located 6 miles (10 km) west of the Jordan and 10 miles (16 km) north-northwest of the Dead Sea.299 “Beth-jeshimoth” (cf. Num. 21:20), part of the Reubenites’ inheritance (Josh. 13:20), is north-northeast of “Abel-shittim” (Num. 33:49, “Meadow of Acacias”; cf. 25:1, “Shittim”), the latter being 8 miles (13 km) north-northeast of the Dead Sea.300 The 11 miles (18 km) separating the two locations is an indication of the vast spread of the Israelite camps.

After completing this travelogue, the generation that would possess Canaan is poised to cross the Jordan.

33:50–56 From the plains of Moab (33:50) the Lord gives Moses instructions on how the Israelites should—after crossing the Jordan into the land of Canaan (v. 51)—deal with the inhabitants (vv. 52–53) and allot the land (v. 54). He warns them of what will happen if they fail to obey (vv. 55–56). Their crossing of the Jordan occurs in the spring, just before Passover (Josh. 5:10), when the water level is at its peak. Springtime is also the time kings typically make war (2 Sam. 11:1; 1 Kings 20:22; 2 Kings 13:20).

To take possession of their inheritance the Israelites must do two things. First, they should “drive out” (Hb. yarash; Num. 33:52, 55), or “dispossess” (as the verb is translated in 21:32; 32:39), the inhabitants.301 The method of doing so is not stated. A typical way is to “expel/drive out” (garash; Ex. 23:28; Josh. 24:18; Judg. 2:3) the inhabitants. Many will flee in fear before the Israelite forces (Num. 10:35; Deut. 2:5), much as the Israelites will flee before the Philistines, abandoning to them their houses, possessions, and lands (1 Sam. 31:7). Second, the Israelites should “destroy” and “demolish” (both from ʾabad; Num. 33:52) the appurtenances of the inhabitants’ idolatrous worship.302 Leaving “images” and “high places” intact would tempt the Israelites to adapt their worship to them. To defeat an enemy, their gods must be overthrown (33:4; cf. 21:29). Thus the Israelites receive “great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant” (Deut. 6:10–11).

Israel can then take “possession of the land” (yarash; Num. 33:53) thanks to the covenant promise reiterated here, “I have given the land to you,” which the Lord swore to their fathers to fulfill (e.g., 11:12; 14:23; 32:11). This is the land of which he first said “I will give” (10:29), then “I am giving” (13:2; 15:2), and now “I have given” (33:53). “Settle in it” (yashab) also implies “remain in it.” To “live long in the land” (Deut. 11:9; 30:18; Eph. 6:3) Israel must heed the Lord’s covenant.

To “inherit the land” (nahal; Num. 33:54) is Israel’s privilege as the Lord’s firstborn (Ex. 4:22; Rom. 9:4). Land is attributed to the tribes “by lot.” “Wherever the lot falls” (Num. 33:54; cf. 26:55) is considered the Lord’s doing (Prov. 16:33). Thus they receive what the Lord has in store for them (cf. Ps. 16:6). Inheriting by lot neutralizes conflicting interests. Other factors are also at play. If a tribe is “large” or “small,” the land inherited will be proportionate (Num. 33:54; cf. 26:54, 56). Land size based on census figures (26:51–53) also involves allocation “by lot according to your clans” (33:54; Josh. 15:1, 20). The manner in which these methods, and probably others, work together is unstated (cf. comment on Num. 26:52–62). Allotment is made in the presence of Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and one chief from each tribe (Num. 34:17; cf. 7:2; Josh. 14:1). If the Urim and Thummim were employed as lots, Eleazar had to be there (Num. 27:21). “Tribes of your fathers” (33:54) underscores the principle that ultimately inherited land belongs to the twelve ancestral tribes.

The imagery of inhabitants who will not be dispossessed, as “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides” (v. 55; cf. “a snare,” Ex. 23:33; Deut. 7:16; Josh. 23:13), is made concrete by “they shall trouble you” (tsarar; Num. 33:55). How so is suggested by three other occurrences of this word. Like an enemy “oppresses” (10:9), Israel will “harass” (25:17) the Midianites to death because they have “harassed” (25:18) Israel by means of seduction to idolatrous immorality. The warning is clear: “I will do to you as I thought to do to them” (33:56). Like the indigenous inhabitants, Israel could be banished.