Numbers 34:4

4 and the border hath turned round to you from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and hath passed on to Zin, and its outgoings have been from the south to Kadesh-Barnea, and it hath gone out at Hazar-Addar, and hath passed on 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 sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye are coming in unto the land of Canaan -- this [is] the land which falleth to you by inheritance, the land of Canaan, by its borders --
3 then hath the south quarter been to you from the wilderness of Zin, by the sides of Edom, yea, the south border hath been to you from the extremity of the Salt Sea, eastward;
4 and the border hath turned round to you from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and hath passed on to Zin, and its outgoings have been from the south to Kadesh-Barnea, and it hath gone out at Hazar-Addar, and hath passed on to Azmon;
5 and the border hath turned round from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its outgoings have been at the sea.
6 `As to the west border, even the great sea hath been to you a border; this is to you the west border.
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.