Numbers 33:1-8

Wilderness Travels Reviewed

1 These were the stages of the Israelites' journey when they went out of the land of Egypt by their military divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
2 At the Lord's command, Moses wrote down the starting points for the stages of their journey; these are the stages [listed] by their starting points:
3 They departed from Rameses[a] in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the month. On the day after the Passover[b] the Israelites went out triumphantly[c] in the sight of all the Egyptians.
4 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying every firstborn male the Lord had struck down among them, for the Lord had executed judgment against their gods.[d]
5 The Israelites departed from Rameses and camped at Succoth.[e]
6 They departed from Succoth and camped at Etham,[f] which is on the edge of the wilderness.
7 They departed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth,[g] which faces Baal-zephon,[h] and they camped before Migdol.[i]
8 They departed from Pi-hahiroth[j] and crossed through the middle of the sea[k] into the wilderness. They took a three-day journey into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.[l]

Numbers 33:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 33

This chapter gives an account of the journeys of the people of Israel, from their first coming out of Egypt, to their arrival in the plains of Moab by Jordan, and the names of the various stations where they rested are given, Nu 33:1-49 and they are ordered, when they passed over Jordan, to drive out the Canaanites, destroy their idols, and divide the land among their families in their several tribes, Nu 33:50-54 or otherwise it is threatened the Canaanites should be troublesome and vexatious to them, even those that remained; and it might be expected God would do to the Israelites as he thought to do to those nations, Nu 33:55,56.

Footnotes 12

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