Numbers 9:23

23 At the LORD's command they set up camp, and at his command they broke camp. They obeyed the command that the LORD had given through Moses.

Numbers 9:23 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 9:23

At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents,
&c.] Though ever so disagreeable:

and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed;
though the circumstances might be such, that they could have liked a continuance; but whether agreeable or disagreeable, they were obedient to the divine will: this, or what is equivalent to it, is frequently observed in this paragraph, to show that the Israelites, though they were an obstinate and perverse people, and must in general be desirous of getting as soon as they could into the land of promise, yet in this case, in all their stations and journeys, were submissive and obedient to the divine will, as all good men should be with respect to happiness; and happy are they who have God to be their guide through it, even unto death:

they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by
the hand of Moses;
observed the rest or motion of the cloud, the order and command of God signified thereby, as it was made known unto them by the ministry and means of Moses.

Numbers 9:23 In-Context

21 Sometimes the [column of] smoke stayed only from evening until morning. When the smoke moved in the morning, they broke camp. Day or night, when the smoke moved, they broke camp.

22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year, as long as the [column of] smoke stayed over the tent, the Israelites would stay in the same place and not break camp. But when the smoke moved, they would break camp.

23 At the LORD's command they set up camp, and at his command they broke camp. They obeyed the command that the LORD had given through Moses.