And they pitched by Jordan from Bethjesimoth, [even]
unto
Abelshittim, in the plains of Moab.
] Their camp reached twelve miles, as the Jews commonly say,
which we may suppose was the distance of these two places, which
were both in the plains of Moab; and the Jerusalem Targum is
express for it, for mentioning Israel's encampment from
Bethjesimoth to Abelshittim, it asks, how far is that? twelve
miles: the latter is sometimes called Shittim, from the shittim
wood which grew there, ( Numbers 25:1
) and here it has the addition of Abel to it, to signify
mourning, from the mourning of the children of Israel on account
of the plague, in which 24,000 persons died, ( Numbers 25:1
Numbers
25:6 Numbers 25:9
) .