Numbers 34:4

4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon,

Numbers 34:4 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon:
English Standard Version (ESV)
4 And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon.
New Living Translation (NLT)
4 It will then run south past Scorpion Pass in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon.
The Message Bible (MSG)
4 curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon,
American Standard Version (ASV)
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;
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
4 and turns south of the Akrabbim Pass. It then goes past Zin and ends at Kadesh Barnea. From there it goes to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
4 Your border will turn south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, proceed to Zin, and end south of Kadesh-barnea. It will go to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
4 It will cross south of Scorpion Pass. It will continue on to Zin. From there it will go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over 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 Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries:
3 “ ‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea,
4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon,
5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.
6 “ ‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your boundary on the west.

Cross References 3

  • 1. Joshua 15:3; Judges 1:36
  • 2. Numbers 32:8
  • 3. Joshua 15:4
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