Numbers 34:4

4 and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and the goings out thereof shall be southward of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon;

Numbers 34:4 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 34:4

And your border
That is, the south border, which is still describing:

shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim;
or Maalehacrabbim, as in ( Joshua 15:3 ) so called from the multitude of serpents and scorpions in it, see ( Deuteronomy 8:15 ) , so Kimchi says F11, a place of serpents and scorpions was this ascent: Dr. Shaw F12 says Akrabbim may probably be the same with the mountains of Accaba, according to the present name, which hang over Eloth, where there is a "high steep road", well known to the Mahometan pilgrims for its ruggedness: and he thinks F13 it very probable, that Mount Hor was the same chain of mountains that are now called Accaba by the Arabs, and were the easternmost range, as we may take them to be, of Ptolemy's black mountains: Josephus F14 speaks of Acrabatene as belonging to the Edomites, which seems to be this same place:

and pass on to Zin;
that is, which ascent goes on to it; the Targum of Jonathan is,

``and shall pass on to the palm trees of the mountain of iron;''

by which is meant the same with the wilderness of Zin: perhaps Zinnah is rather the name of a city; the Septuagint call it Ennac: the Vulgate Latin, Senna: Jerom F15 makes mention of a place called Senna, seven miles from Jericho:

and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea;
from whence the spies were sent southward to search the land, ( Numbers 13:17 ) ( 32:8 )

and shall go on to Hazaraddar;
called Adar, ( Joshua 15:3 ) and where it seems to be divided into two places, Hezron and Adar, which very probably were near each other, and therefore here put together, as if but one place:

and pass on to Azmon;
which the Targums call Kesam.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 Sepher Shorash. "in voce" (brqe) .
F12 Travels, tom. 2. ch. 1. p. 279.
F13 Travels, tom. 2. ch. 1. p. 323.
F14 Antiqu. l. 12. c. 8. sect. 1. see 1 Maccab. 5. 3.
F15 De loc. Heb. fol. 94. H.

Numbers 34:4 In-Context

2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to the borders thereof),
3 then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward;
4 and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and the goings out thereof shall be southward of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon;
5 and the border shall turn about from Azmon unto the brook of Egypt, and the goings out thereof shall be at the sea.
6 And for the western border, ye shall have the great sea and the border [thereof]: this shall be your west border.
The American Standard Version is in the public domain.