Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 34:1-6
3). Description of The Land To Be Inherited (Numbers 34:1).
Having commanded the purifying of the land by the driving out of its inhabitants and their gods, the land in mind is now delineated. This was not just some vague notion, it was a grand plan.
Analysis.
a Command concerning the inheritance of the land which will fall to them (Numbers 34:1).
b Description of the south quarter (Numbers 34:3).
b Description of the western border (Numbers 34:6).
b Description of the northern border (Numbers 34:7).
b Description of the eastern border (Numbers 34:10).
a This is the land which they are to inherit by lot as Yahweh has commanded (Numbers 34:13).
Chapter 34 Delineation of the Land To Be Possessed and the Names of Those Who Will Divide It Up Once It Is Possessed.
The land of Canaan was in general a recognised entity in the ancient world. For long periods it came under the control of Egypt to the south who considered that they had rights over it. When they were strong those rights were exercised. Thus in the Amarna letters Egypt expected to be kept in touch with affairs and were regularly called on to give assistance, and their idea of Canaan corresponds with the description here. Interestingly a later 12th century BC text of Pharaoh Merenptah actually mentions the presence of Israel in the land, boasting that he had got rid of them, ‘Israel lies desolate, its seed are no more'. But they had simply retired to the hills awaiting his departure.
While its exact borders were nowhere mentioned it is made quite clear that it occupies pretty much of what is described here.
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
Again we are assured that we have Moses' words given by Yahweh.
“ Command the children of Israel, and say to them, When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land which shall fall to you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders.”
When they came into the land of Canaan the land that they were to possess was clearly specified. The delineations are much larger than was actually achieved, but that was due to disobedience. Because they failed Yahweh the Canaanites survived as far as Byblos, well to the north, the area from which had previously come the Ugaritic texts.
Description Of The South Quarter (Numbers 34:3).
“ Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the border of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward, and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim (‘scorpions'), and pass along to Zin. And its goings out shall be southward of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon; and the border shall turn about from Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt, and its goings out shall be at the sea.”
Compare Joshua 15:2. They were not to possess any of the land of Edom (‘along by the border of Edom' - compare Deuteronomy 2:5). The boundary then goes from the bottom of the Salt Sea (the Dead Sea) across to the Great Sea, (the Mediterranean Sea), passing to the south of Kadesh Barnea (possibly Ain el Qudeirat) which was to be included in the land, and reaching ‘the Wadi of Egypt' (Wadi el-Arish). The Negeb provided good pasture land, and by judicious use of groundwater could be, and regularly was at times, irrigated.
“ And for the western border, you shall have the great sea and the border. This shall be your west border.”
The Western border was the Great Sea, the Mediterranean itself.