1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)
3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:
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:
5 And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.
6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.
7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:
8 From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:
9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.
10 And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham:
11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:
12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.
13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:
14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:
15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.
16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.
19 And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.
22 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23 The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.
24 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.
25 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.
26 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.
29 These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
1 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559
2 Command H6680 the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and say H559 unto them, When ye come H935 into the land H776 of Canaan; H3667 (this is the land H776 that shall fall H5307 unto you for an inheritance, H5159 even the land H776 of Canaan H3667 with the coasts H1367 thereof:)
3 Then your south H5045 quarter H6285 shall be from the wilderness H4057 of Zin H6790 along by the coast H3027 of Edom, H123 and your south H5045 border H1366 shall be the outmost coast H7097 of the salt H4417 sea H3220 eastward: H6924
4 And your border H1366 shall turn H5437 from the south H5045 to the ascent H4608 of Akrabbim, H4610 and pass on H5674 to Zin: H6790 and the going forth H8444 thereof shall be from the south H5045 to Kadeshbarnea, H6947 and shall go on H3318 to Hazaraddar, H2692 and pass on H5674 to Azmon: H6111
5 And the border H1366 shall fetch a compass H5437 from Azmon H6111 unto the river H5158 of Egypt, H4714 and the goings out H8444 of it shall be at the sea. H3220
6 And as for the western H3220 border, H1366 ye shall even have the great H1419 sea H3220 for a border: H1366 this shall be your west H3220 border. H1366
7 And this shall be your north H6828 border: H1366 from the great H1419 sea H3220 ye shall point out H8376 for you mount H2022 Hor: H2023
8 From mount H2022 Hor H2023 ye shall point out H8376 your border unto the entrance H935 of Hamath; H2574 and the goings forth H8444 of the border H1366 shall be to Zedad: H6657
9 And the border H1366 shall go on H3318 to Ziphron, H2202 and the goings out H8444 of it shall be at Hazarenan: H2704 this shall be your north H6828 border. H1366
10 And ye shall point out H184 your east H6924 border H1366 from Hazarenan H2704 to Shepham: H8221
11 And the coast H1366 shall go down H3381 from Shepham H8221 to Riblah, H7247 on the east side H6924 of Ain; H5871 and the border H1366 shall descend, H3381 and shall reach H4229 unto the side H3802 of the sea H3220 of Chinnereth H3672 eastward: H6924
12 And the border H1366 shall go down H3381 to Jordan, H3383 and the goings out H8444 of it shall be at the salt H4417 sea: H3220 this shall be your land H776 with the coasts H1367 thereof round about. H5439
13 And Moses H4872 commanded H6680 the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 saying, H559 This is the land H776 which ye shall inherit H5157 by lot, H1486 which the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 to give H5414 unto the nine H8672 tribes, H4294 and to the half H2677 tribe: H4294
14 For the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Reuben H7206 according to the house H1004 of their fathers, H1 and the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Gad H1425 according to the house H1004 of their fathers, H1 have received H3947 their inheritance; and half H2677 the tribe H4294 of Manasseh H4519 have received H3947 their inheritance: H5159
15 The two H8147 tribes H4294 and the half H2677 tribe H4294 have received H3947 their inheritance H5159 on this side H5676 Jordan H3383 near Jericho H3405 eastward, H6924 toward the sunrising. H4217
16 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559
17 These are the names H8034 of the men H582 which shall divide H5157 the land H776 unto you: Eleazar H499 the priest, H3548 and Joshua H3091 the son H1121 of Nun. H5126
18 And ye shall take H3947 one H259 prince H5387 of every tribe, H4294 to divide H5157 the land H776 by inheritance. H5157
19 And the names H8034 of the men H582 are these: Of the tribe H4294 of Judah, H3063 Caleb H3612 the son H1121 of Jephunneh. H3312
20 And of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Simeon, H8095 Shemuel H8050 the son H1121 of Ammihud. H5989
21 Of the tribe H4294 of Benjamin, H1144 Elidad H449 the son H1121 of Chislon. H3692
22 And the prince H5387 of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Dan, H1835 Bukki H1231 the son H1121 of Jogli. H3020
23 The prince H5387 of the children H1121 of Joseph, H3130 for the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Manasseh, H4519 Hanniel H2592 the son H1121 of Ephod. H641
24 And the prince H5387 of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Ephraim, H669 Kemuel H7055 the son H1121 of Shiphtan. H8204
25 And the prince H5387 of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Zebulun, H2074 Elizaphan H469 the son H1121 of Parnach. H6535
26 And the prince H5387 of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Issachar, H3485 Paltiel H6409 the son H1121 of Azzan. H5821
27 And the prince H5387 of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Asher, H836 Ahihud H282 the son H1121 of Shelomi. H8015
28 And the prince H5387 of the tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Naphtali, H5321 Pedahel H6300 the son H1121 of Ammihud. H5989
29 These are they whom the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 to divide the inheritance H5157 unto the children H1121 of Israel H3478 in the land H776 of Canaan. H3667
1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to the borders thereof),
3 then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward;
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;
5 and the border shall turn about from Azmon unto the brook of Egypt, and the goings out thereof shall be at the sea.
6 And for the western border, ye shall have the great sea and the border `thereof': this shall be your west border.
7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall mark out for you mount Hor;
8 from mount Hor ye shall mark out unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings out of the border shall be at Zedad;
9 and the border shall go forth to Ziphron, and the goings out thereof shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border.
10 And ye shall mark out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham;
11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward;
12 and the border shall go down to the Jordan, and the goings out thereof shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to the borders thereof round about.
13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which Jehovah hath commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe;
14 for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers' houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received, their inheritance:
15 the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.
16 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
17 These are the names of the men that shall divide the land unto you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance.
19 And these are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.
22 And of the tribe of the children of Dan a prince, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23 Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod.
24 And of the tribe of the children of Ephraim a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.
25 And of the tribe of the children of Zebulun a prince, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.
26 And of the tribe of the children of Issachar a prince, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27 And of the tribe of the children of Asher a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28 And of the tribe of the children of Naphtali a prince, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.
29 These are they whom Jehovah commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
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.
7 `And this is to you the north border: from the great sea ye mark out for yourselves mount Hor;
8 from mount Hor ye mark out to go in to Hamath, and the outgoings of the border have been to Zedad;
9 and the border hath gone out to Ziphron, and its outgoings have been at Hazar-Enan; this is to you the north border.
10 `And ye have marked out for yourselves for the border eastward, from Hazar-Enan to Shepham;
11 and the border hath gone down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east of Ain, and the border hath gone down, and hath smitten against the shoulder of the sea of Chinnereth eastward;
12 and the border hath gone down to the Jordan, and its outgoings have been at the Salt Sea; this is for you the land by its borders round about.'
13 And Moses commandeth the sons of Israel, saying, `This `is' the land which ye inherit by lot, which Jehovah hath commanded to give to the nine tribes and the half of the tribe;
14 for the tribe of the sons of Reuben have received, by the house of their fathers; and the tribe of the children of Gad, by the house of their fathers; and the half of the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance;
15 the two tribes and the half of the tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan, `near' Jericho, eastward, at the `sun'-rising.'
16 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
17 `These `are' the names of the men who give to you the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua son of Nun,
18 and one prince -- one prince -- for a tribe ye do take to give the land by inheritance.
19 `And these `are' the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
20 and of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Shemuel son of Aminihud;
21 of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Chislon;
22 and of the tribe of the sons of Dan, the prince Bukki son of Jogli;
23 of the sons of Joseph, of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, the prince Hanniel son of Ephod;
24 and of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, the prince Kemuel son of Shiphtan;
25 and of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun, the prince Elizaphan son of Parnach;
26 and of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, the prince Paltiel son of Azzan;
27 and of the tribe of the sons of Asher, the prince Ahihud son of Shelomi;
28 and of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, the prince Pedahel son of Ammihud.'
29 These `are' those whom Jehovah hath commanded to give the sons of Israel inheritance in the land of Canaan.
1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan, this shall be the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to the borders thereof.
3 Then your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside of Edom, and your southern border shall be from the end of the salt sea eastward;
4 and your border shall turn from the south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin, and shall end southward at Kadesh-barnea, and shall go on to Hazar-Addar, and pass on to Azmon.
5 And the border shall turn from Azmon unto the torrent of Egypt, and shall end at the sea.
6 And as west border ye shall have the great sea, and [its] coast. This shall be your west border.
7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall mark out for you mount Hor;
8 from mount Hor ye shall mark out the entrance to Hamath, and the end of the border shall be toward Zedad;
9 and the border shall go to Ziphron, and shall end at Hazar-enan. This shall be your north border.
10 And ye shall mark out for you as eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham:
11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall strike upon the extremity of the sea of Chinnereth eastward;
12 and the border shall go down to the Jordan, and shall end at the salt sea. This shall be your land according to the borders thereof round about.
13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall take for yourselves as inheritance by lot, which Jehovah commanded to give to the nine tribes, and to the half tribe.
14 For the tribe of the children of the Reubenites according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of the Gadites according to their fathers' houses, have received, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance;
15 the two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side the Jordan of Jericho eastward, toward the sun-rising.
16 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
17 These are the names of the men who shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land.
19 And these are the names of the men: for the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
20 and for the tribe of the children of Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud;
21 for the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon;
22 and for the tribe of the children of Dan, a prince, Bukki the son of Jogli;
23 for the children of Joseph: for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod,
24 and for the tribe of the children of Ephraim, a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan;
25 and for the tribe of the children of Zebulun, a prince, Elizaphan the son of Pharnach;
26 and for the tribe of the children of Issachar, a prince, Phaltiel the son of Azzan;
27 and for the tribe of the children of Asher, a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi;
28 and for the tribe of the children of Naphtali, a prince, Phedahel the son of Ammihud.
29 These are they whom Jehovah commanded to distribute to the children of Israel their inheritance in the land of Canaan.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, and tell them, When you come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to the borders of it),
3 then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward;
4 and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and the goings out of it shall be southward of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar Addar, and pass along to Azmon;
5 and the border shall turn about from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.
6 For the western border, you shall have the great sea and the border [of it]: this shall be your west border.
7 This shall be your north border: from the great sea you shall mark out for you Mount Hor;
8 from Mount Hor you shall mark out to the entrance of Hamath; and the goings out of the border shall be at Zedad;
9 and the border shall go forth to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar Enan: this shall be your north border.
10 You shall mark out your east border from Hazar Enan to Shepham;
11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall reach to the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward;
12 and the border shall go down to the Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to the borders of it round about.
13 Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which Yahweh has commanded to give to the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe;
14 for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers' houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received, their inheritance:
15 the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise.
16 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
17 These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
18 You shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance.
19 These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
20 Of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.
22 Of the tribe of the children of Dan a prince, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23 Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod.
24 Of the tribe of the children of Ephraim a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.
25 Of the tribe of the children of Zebulun a prince, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.
26 Of the tribe of the children of Issachar a prince, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27 Of the tribe of the children of Asher a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28 Of the tribe of the children of Naphtali a prince, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.
29 These are they whom Yahweh commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
1 And the Lord said to Moses,
2 Give orders to the children of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land which is to be your heritage, the land of Canaan inside these limits,)
3 Then your south quarter will be from the waste land of Zin by the side of Edom, and your limit on the south will be from the east end of the Salt Sea,
4 And round to the south of the slope of Akrabbim, and on to Zin: and its direction will be south of Kadesh-barnea, and it will go as far as Hazar-addar and on to Azmon:
5 And from Azmon it will go round to the stream of Egypt as far as the sea.
6 And for your limit on the west you will have the Great Sea and its edge: this will be your limit on the west.
7 And your limit on the north will be the line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor:
8 And from Mount Hor the line will go in the direction of Hamath; the farthest point of it will be at Zedad:
9 And the limit will go on to Ziphron, with its farthest point at Hazar-enan: this will be your limit on the north.
10 And on the east, your limit will be marked out from Hazar-enan to Shepham,
11 Going down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain, and on as far as the east side of the sea of Chinnereth:
12 And so down to Jordan, stretching to the Salt Sea: all the land inside these limits will be yours.
13 And Moses gave orders to the children of Israel saying, This is the land which is to be your heritage, by the decision of the Lord, which by the Lord's order is to be given to the nine tribes and the half-tribe:
14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben, by their fathers' families, and the tribe of the children of Gad, by their fathers' families, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, have been given their heritage:
15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have been given their heritage on the other side of Jordan at Jericho, on the east looking to the dawn.
16 And the Lord said to Moses,
17 These are the names of the men who are to make the distribution of the land among you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun.
18 And you are to take one chief from every tribe to make the distribution of the land.
19 And these are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel, the son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad, the son of Chislon.
22 And of the tribe of the children of Dan, a chief, Bukki, the son of Jogli.
23 Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh, a chief, Hanniel, the son of Ephod:
24 And of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, a chief, Kemuel, the son of Shiphtan.
25 And of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, a chief, Elizaphan, the son of Parnach.
26 And of the tribe of the children of Issachar, a chief, Paltiel, the son of Azzan.
27 And of the tribe of the children of Asher, a chief, Ahihud, the son of Shelomi.
28 And of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, a chief, Pedahel, the son of Ammihud.
29 These are they to whom the Lord gave orders to make the distribution of the heritage among the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on Numbers 34
Commentary on Numbers 34 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
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, Numbers 34:1, the south border, Numbers 34:3, the western border, Numbers 34:6, the north border, Numbers 34:7, the east border, Numbers 34:10, 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, Numbers 34:13, 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, Numbers 34:16.
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... At the same time that he ordered him to direct the children of Israel, when they had passed over Jordan, to drive out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, and divide their land among them, he proceeded to give the limits and boundaries of the land:
saying; as follows.
Command the children of Israel, and say unto them,.... Not to fix the borders, and settle the boundaries of the land, for that is done by the Lord himself, who has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of men's habitations, and particularly of Israel, see Deuteronomy 32:8, but to observe and take notice of the limits he had fixed, that they might know how far they were to go on every side, whom they were to drive out, and what they were to divide and inherit, and see what was their right, and preserve it from the encroachments of their neighbours, as well as observe the goodness of God unto them, in thus providing for them:
when ye come into the land of Canaan; to take possession of it by virtue of a grant of it to them:
this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance; it is said to "fall", because it was divided by lot, each tribe having such a part of it assigned to them, according to the lot that came up unto them: even
the land of Canaan, with the coasts thereof; or according to its borders, which are as follow.
Then your south quarter,.... Or border of the land; which, as Jarchi observes, was from east to west:
shall be from the wilderness of Zin; which is Kadesh, where Miriam died, Numbers 20:1, and if this Kadesh was Kadeshbarnea, as Dr. Lightfoot seems to have provedF8Works, vol. 2. p. 8, 9. , from whence the spies were sent, that was clearly on the south of the land of Canaan, for they were bid to go up their way southward, Numbers 13:17, and so Kadeshbarnea is hereafter mentioned, as being in the southern border: the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it,"from the wilderness of the palm trees of the mountain of iron;'there is a smaller palm tree, which by Jewish writers is called Zin, of which there were great quantities on a mountain famous for iron mines, in this wilderness, from whence it is thought it had its name; hence we readF9Misn. Succah. c. 3. sect. 1. of palm trees of the mountain of iron, as fit to make the bunch of branches of trees, called the "lulab", carried in the hand on the feast of tabernacles:
along by the coast of Edom; the land of Canaan, to the south, bordered on three countries, Egypt, Edom, and Moab; according to Jarchi, some part of Egypt, the whole land of Edom, and the whole land of Moab; the part of the land of Egypt was in the south west corner of it; the land of Edom by it to the east; and the land of Moab by the land of Edom, at the end of the south to the east:
and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward; the same that is sometimes called the Dead sea, the sea of Sodom, or the lake Asphaltites, as Heathen writers generally call it.
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 saysF11Sepher Shorash. "in voce" עקרב. , a place of serpents and scorpions was this ascent: Dr. ShawF12Travels, tom. 2. ch. 1. p. 279. 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 thinksF13Travels, tom. 2. ch. 1. p. 323. 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: JosephusF14Antiqu. l. 12. c. 8. sect. 1. see 1 Maccab. 5. 3. 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: JeromF15De loc. Heb. fol. 94. H. 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.
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.
And the border shall fetch a compass,.... Not go on in a straight line, but turn about:
from Azmon unto the river of Egypt; the river Nile, as both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; but Aben Ezra seems to deny that that river is meant: and some think that Rhinocolura, which flows into the Mediterranean sea, is meant; or the "valley of Egypt", Casiotis, which divided Judea from Egypt, as follows:
and the goings out of it; not of the river, but of the border:
shall be at the sea; the above sea, called in the next verse the great sea; all the Targums render it to the west.
And as for the western border,.... Of the land of Canaan:
you shall even have the great sea for a border; and no other, meaning the Mediterranean sea, which lies west of the land of Judea; Aben Ezra calls it the Spanish sea: it has the name of "great", in comparison of some in the land of Canaan, as the salt sea, and the sea of Tiberias:
this shall be your west border; namely, the Mediterranean sea.
And this shall be your northern border,.... What follows:
from the great sea ye shall point out for you Mount Hor; not that Mount Hor on which Aaron died, for that was on the southern border of the land; but rather Mount Herman, which is said to be unto the entering into Hamath, Joshua 13:5 as this Mount Hor is in the following verse; or some part of Mount Lebanon might be so called, which was the northern border of the land: the Targum of Jonathan calls it Umanus; and the Jerusalem Targum, Manus or Taurus Umanus, the Mountain Umanus, which divided Syria and Cilicia; it is joined with Lebanon by JosephusF16Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 2. , and with that and Carmel by AelianusF17De Animal. l. 5. c. 56. .
From Mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath,.... Antiochia, as Jarchi; or rather Epiphania, as JeromF18Comment. in Ezek. 47. 16. ; the former being described by Hemath the great, Amos 6:2, this entrance was a narrow pass leading from the land of Canaan to Syria, through the valley which lies between Lebanon and Antilibanus:
and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad; the same boundary as here is given in Ezekiel 47:15.
And the border shall go on to Ziphron,.... Which in the Jerusalem Targum is called Zapherin; and JeromF19Comment. in ver. 15. says, that in his time this city was called Zephyrium, a town in Cilicia; but this seems to be at too great a distance:
and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan; which was the utmost of the northern border, and so it is in Ezekiel 47:17 and there called the border of Damascus: RelandF20Palestin. lllustrat. par. 1. l. 1. p. 123. takes it to be the same with Enhazor, a city in the tribe of Naphtali, Joshua 19:37, the words only inverted:
this shall be your northern border: from the Mediterranean sea to Hazarenan in Naphtali.
And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham. From the place where the northern border ended, which Jerom saysF21Comment. ut supra. (cf. ver. 15.) the Hebrews call Apamia, as both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem do here. Shepham was a city between Hazarenan and Riblah in the tribe of Naphtali, where AdrichomiusF23Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 114. places it.
And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah,.... Said to be in the land of Hemath, Jeremiah 52:9, which, according to JeromF24Comment. ut supra. (cf. ver. 15.) , was Antioch of Syria; and both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem understand by it Daphne, which was in the suburbs of Antioch; but this seems to be carrying the limits of the land too far: Jarchi remarks, that when the border goes from the north towards the south, it is said to go down:
on the east side of Ain; a city in the tribe of Judah; according to JeromF25De loc. Heb. fol. 88. F. now a village that goes by the name of Bethennim, two miles from the turpentine tree, that is, from the tent of Abraham or oak of Mamre, and four from Hebron:
and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward; the same with the sea of Tiberius, and the sea of Gennesaret, frequently made mention of in the New Testament, and in Ezekiel 47:18, called the east sea.
And the border shall go down to Jordan,.... A well known river to the east of the land of Canaan:
and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea; the sea of Sodom; and though all sea water is generally salt, this was remarkably so, through the great quantity of bitumen and nitre in it; hence it was called Asphaltites; thus as the description of the borders of the land began with the salt sea, Numbers 34:3, it ends with it:
this shall be your land, with the coasts thereof round about: which, according to the Targum of Jonathan, was thus bounded, Rekamgea (or Kadeshbarnea) on the south, Taurus Urnanus (by which he interprets Mount Hor) on the north, the great sea on the west (i.e. the Mediterranean sea), and the salt sea on the east.
And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying,.... Strictly enjoining them to observe what he was about to say to them:
this is the land which ye shall inherit by lot; as above described and bounded:
which the Lord commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe; to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, Benjamin, Dan, Ephraim, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh; though this command is not before expressed, it is very probable it was delivered to Moses at the same time he had the mind of God concerning the settlement of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the other half tribe of Manasseh, on the other side Jordan; see Numbers 32:31.
For the tribe of the children of Reuben, according to the house of their fathers,.... That tribe, and all the families belonging to it:
have received their inheritance, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance; that is, it was agreed they should have it on condition of their going along with the other tribes over Jordan into the land of Canaan, and assist them in the conquest of it, Numbers 32:1.
The two tribes and the half tribe,.... The tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh:
have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho, eastward, toward the sun rising; that is, they received the grant of it there, even in the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho, which lay to the east of the land of Canaan.
And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... At the same time that he gave him the bounds of the land of Canaan, which was to be divided between the nine tribes and a half; and that this might be done in the most impartial manner, and to the satisfaction of them all, he gave orders to Moses:
saying; as follows.
These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you,.... Or "inherit the land for you"F26ינחלו לכם "haereditabunt vobis", Montanus; "qui haereditario jure accipient pro vobis", Tigurine not. ; that is, as Jarchi interprets it, they were to take possession of it in their name and stead, as their representatives, and then distribute it unto them, or divide it to be inherited by them; but whatever may be said for the princes of the tribes, as acting for their respective tribes, and representing them, the same cannot be said of the two first named, as follow:
Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun; the one the principal person in ecclesiastical affairs, and the other in civil ones; to divide the land being partly a sacred work, as it was a type of the heavenly Canaan, and a civil one, as it concerned the present welfare of the people of Israel; and both were types of Christ, the priest upon his throne, who is both priest and King; who, as the one, gives a right unto it, and, as the other, introduces into it.
And ye shall take one prince out of every tribe,.... That is, out of the nine tribes and the half, which are ten in all; of the tribes of Reuben and Gad none were taken, because they had had their inheritance granted them elsewhere; nor of the tribe of Levi, because they were to have no inheritance in the land: to divide the land by inheritance; who being men of honour, understanding, and probity, and naturally concerned for the good of the tribes to which they belonged, would take care that justice be done to each, and that no fraudulent methods were used in drawing the lot; and then take possession according to the lot, and impartially divide the portion assigned among the respective families in the tribes, according to their rank and numbers.
And the names of the men are these,.... Which were not left to the tribes to choose, but were nominated by the Lord himself, who best knew their capacities and qualifications for this service:
of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh: who was one of the two spies that brought a good report of the land, and Joshua is the other; and these were the only two of the spies living, and who are the first that were appointed to this service, of overseeing the division of the land; the rest were all of the new generation, that were sprung up, whose fathers fell in the wilderness, and we know no more of them than their names; and therefore from hence, to the end of Numbers 34:28, no further remarks are necessary, only that the tribes and the princes are reckoned in a different order than they were at any time before, either at the first numbering of them, Numbers 1:1 or at the offerings for the dedication of the altar, Numbers 7:1 or at the taking the sum of them, Numbers 26:1 even according to the order of their situation in the land of Canaan by their lots, and which Moses did not live to see; and which therefore shows the prescience and predisposing providence of God, and that Moses, as Bishop Patrick observes, was guided by a divine Spirit in all his writings.
These are they whom the Lord commanded,.... Not only named and appointed them, but laid his commands upon them, and obliged them:
to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel; even this order was made before the land was conquered by them, so sure and certain was it unto them; and accordingly they did divide it, and that in Shiloh, before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, as in the presence of God, doing it in the most impartial and solemn manner; see Joshua 19:51.