Numbers 34:1-15

Boundaries of the Promised Land

1 The Lord spoke to Moses,

2 "Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance^[a] with these borders:

3 Your southern side will be from the Wilderness of Zin along the boundary of Edom. Your southern border on the east will begin at the east end of the Dead Sea.

4 Your border will turn south of the Ascent of Akrabbim,^[b] proceed to Zin,^[c] and end south of Kadesh-barnea. It will go to Hazar-addar^[d] and proceed to Azmon.

5 The border will turn from Azmon^[e] to the Brook of Egypt,^[f] where it will end at the Mediterranean Sea.

6 Your western border will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea; this will be your western border.

7 This will be your northern border: From the Mediterranean Sea draw a line to Mount Hor;^[g]

8 from Mount Hor draw a line to the entrance of Hamath,^{[h] [i]} and the border will reach Zedad.^[j]

9 Then the border will go to Ziphron and end at Hazar-enan.^[k] This will be your northern border.

10 For your eastern border, draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham.

11 The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah east of Ain.^[l] It will continue down and reach the eastern slope of the Sea of Chinnereth.^[m]

12 Then the border will go down to the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land [defined] by its borders on all sides."

13 So Moses commanded the Israelites, "This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the Lord commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes.

14 For the tribe of the Reubenites and the tribe of the Gadites have received [their inheritance] according to their ancestral houses, and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance.

15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance^[n] across the Jordan from Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise."

Numbers 34:1-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 34

In this chapter the bounds and borders of the land Canaan are described, according to the direction of the Lord to Moses, Nu 34:1,2, the south border, Nu 34:3-5, the western border, Nu 34:6, the north border, Nu 34:7-9, the east border, Nu 34:10-12, which is ordered to be divided by lot to the nine tribes and a half, two tribes and a half having received their inheritance on the other side Jordan, Nu 34:13-15, and the persons are nominated to divide the land, Eleazar and Joshua, with one prince out of every tribe, and who are mentioned by name, Nu 34:16-29.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit inheritance the land of Canaan
• [b]. Lit of Scorpions; Jos 15:3; Jdg 1:36
• [c]. Jos 15:3
• [d]. Jos 15:3
• [e]. Jos 15:4
• [f]. Jos 15:4,47; Isa 27:12; Ezk 47:19
• [g]. In Lebanon; Nm 20:22-28; 33:37-56
• [h]. Or to Lebo-hamath
• [i]. Nm 13:21; 2 Kg 14:25; 2 Ch 7:8; Ezk 48:1
• [j]. Ezk 47:15
• [k]. Nm 34:10; Ezk 47:17; 48:1
• [l]. Jos 15:32
• [m]. The Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1
• [n]. Nm 32:33