Numbers 33:1-15

V. REVIEW OF THE ROUTE FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN (Numbers 33:1-49)

A. EGYPT TO SINAI (Numbers 33:1-15)

TEXT

Numbers 33:1. These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2. And Moses wrote their going out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. 3. And they departed from Rameses in the first month; on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptains. 4. For the Egyptians buried all their first born, which the Lord had smitten among them: upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments. 5. And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth. 6. And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 7. And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pi-hahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon: and they pitched before Migdol. 8. And they departed from before Pi-Hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and sent three days-' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah. 9. And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there. 10. And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea. 11. And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. 12. And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. 13. And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush. 14. And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink. 15. And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 33:1. These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt, with their armies, under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2. And Moses wrote their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places. 3. And they left Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the passover the children of Israel started out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4. while the Egyptians were burying all their first-born whom the Lord had struck down among them; and God executed judgment upon their gods as well. 5. And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses, and camped in Succoth. 6. And they journeyed from Succoth, and camped in Etham, which is at the edge of the wilderness. 7. And they journeyed from Etham, and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon and they camped before Migdol. 8. And they journeyed from before Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days-' journey into the wilderness of Etham, and camped at Marah. 9. And they journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there. 10. And they journeyed from Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds. 11. And they journeyed from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12. And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and camped at Dophkah. 13. And they journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14. And they journeyed from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15. And they journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

COMMENTARY

At the word of the Lord, Moses set down the progressive list of journeys, actually, stations, at which the Israelites encamped from the time of leaving Egypt until they reached Canaan. Forty-one names appear in the list, if we include the final mention of Moab. Eleven names appear en route to Sinai, twenty-one on the way to Kadesh, and the final eight on the way to Moab. Many of the places are, understandably, unidentifiable. There can be no way of placing them, since they were never permanent settlements. Many familiar names appear on the list, such as Succoth, the wilderness of Sin and of Sinai, Ezion-geber, Kadesh, Mt. Hor, and the locations in Moab. Many others are totally strange, making it impossible to trace the journey with more than spotty accuracy.

Two dates are mentioned in the process of this listing: Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month, the death of Aaron is noted on the first day, fifth month, in the fortieth year after the exodus. To what purpose is this detailing? The primary lesson gained certainly is in the demonstration of the leading hand of God in the entire period. Most of the details used to embellish the listed stations are to be found in the introductory portion, i. e., Numbers 33:3-8. As was so often done by the Old Testament chroniclers and prophets, the people are reminded of the significance of their history, especially the devastating death of the Egyptian first-born. Of special interest is the fact that the account calls our attention to the burial of the Egyptian dead. Funerary rites were especially important in Egypt, and the concentration of these people upon the rites afforded Israel an excellent period during which to move away on their journey. We are also reminded that the mighty works of the Lord were performed as judgment upon the gods of Egypt. The contrasting picture is obvious: the gods of Egypt had been directly assaulted in the plagues, and their powers to protect the people were bluntly refuted when the firstborn were slain, Israel would point to this fact repeatedly in the future.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

599.

Why is it impossible to identify many of the journeys listed in this chapter?

600.

What does the term mean here?

601.

How does this section demonstrate the continuing leading hand of God?

602.

How did the Egyptian custom of taking care to bury their dead work in favor of the Israelites?

603.

Consult a good Bible encyclopedia, and learn how the plagues God sent upon Egypt were direct blows against that nation's gods.

604.

What conclusions would we have expected the Egyptians to reach concerning their gods at the death of their firstborn?