Numbers 33:2
in Numbers 33At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of Jehovah: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Numbers 33
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe wrote them down, then, "by the word of the Lord" so that when we read them and see how many starting places lie ahead of us on the journey that leads to the kingdom, we may prepare ourselves for this way of life. [Thus,] considering the journey that lies ahead of us, [we] may not allow the time of our life to be ruined by sloth and neglect.
This site's exposition
under the hand of Moses
on Numbers 33:1-4
The list opens with a statement about itself, that Moses wrote these stages by the commandment of the Lord, so the keeping of the record was commanded work rather than a private memorandum. Verse 4 supplies a line the Exodus account never gave, that upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments, reporting as done what Exodus 12:12 had said would be done. The departure is dated to the fifteenth day of the first month, on the morrow after the passover, and Israel goes out with an high hand while Egypt is burying its firstborn.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
You have heard that Moses wrote this down by the word of the Lord. Why did the Lord want him to write it down? Was it so that this passage in Scripture about the stages the children of Israel made might benefit us in some way or that it should bring us no benefit? Who would dare to say that what is written "by the Word of God" is of no use and makes no contribution to salvation but is merely a narrative of what happened and was over and done a long time ago, but pertains in no way to us when it is told?
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It may be of use to Christians, to preserve an account of the providences of God concerning them, the constant series of mercies they have experienced, and especially those turns which have made some days of their lives more remarkable.
And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys, by the commandment of the Lord,....
What the account itself was. It began with their departure out of Egypt, continued with their march through the wilderness, and ended in the plains of Moab, where they now lay encamped. Some things are observed here concerning their departure out of Egypt, which they are reminded of upon all occasions, as a work of wonder never to be forgotten.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys - We may consider the whole book of Numbers as a diary, and indeed the first book of travels ever published. Dr. Shaw, Dr. Pococke, and several others, have endeavored to mark out the route of the Israelites, through this great, dreary, and trackless desert, and have ascertained many of the stages here described. Indeed there are sufficient evidences of this important journey still remaining, for the descriptions of many are so particular that the places are readily ascertained by them; but this is not the case with all.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
After the vengeance [executed] upon Midian, concerning which the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, afterwards shalt thou be gathered unto thy people, 1 Above,:2.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
These are the journeys of Bnei Yisroel who went out of Egypt in organized groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aharon.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּכְתֹּ֨ב | vaiyikhto | and he wrote down | H3789 → | 224 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֜ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מוֹצָאֵיהֶ֛ם | motzaeihem | points of departure their | H4161 → | 27 times |
| לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם | lemaseihem | to settings out their | H4550 → | 12 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פִּ֣י | pi | [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְאֵ֥לֶּה | veeleh | and these | H428 → | 746 times |
| מַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם | maseihem | [are] settings out their | H4550 → | 12 times |
| לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶֽם׃ | lemotzaeihem | to points of departure their | H4161 → | 27 times |
וַיִּכְתֹּ֨בand he wrote down
vaiyikhtoH3789 →224 times
מֹשֶׁ֜הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מוֹצָאֵיהֶ֛םpoints of departure their
motzaeihemH4161 →27 times
לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖םto settings out their
lemaseihemH4550 →12 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פִּ֣י[the] mouth of
piH6310 →498 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְאֵ֥לֶּהand these
veelehH428 →746 times
מַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם[are] settings out their
maseihemH4550 →12 times
לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶֽם׃to points of departure their
lemotzaeihemH4161 →27 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 10:11Then the LORD said to me, “Get up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”
it leads to
- Exodus 33:1
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and…
- Exodus 32:34
Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”
- Exodus 33:1
Through
Deuteronomy 1:2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
it leads to
- Numbers 13:26
and they went back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole congregation and showed them the fruit…
- Numbers 32:8
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.
- Deuteronomy 9:23
And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You…
- Leviticus 9:23
Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
- Numbers 13:26
Through
Numbers 10:6When you sound the short blasts a second time, the camps that lie on the south side are to set out. The blasts are to signal them to set out.
it leads to
- Numbers 10:18
Then the divisions of the camp of Reuben set out under their standard, with Elizur son of Shedeur in command.
- Numbers 2:10–16
On the south side, the divisions of Reuben are to camp under their standard:
- Numbers 10:18
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON NUMBERS 27:7 and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON NUMBERS 27:2.