1Dies sind die Züge der Kinder Jisraël, die aus dem Land Mizraim gezogen waren nach ihren Scharen unter Mosche und Aharon. 2Und Mosche schrieb ihre Ausgangspunkte für ihre Züge auf, auf Befehl des Ewigen; und dies sind ihre Züge nach ihren Ausgangspunkten: 3Sie brachen auf von Raamses im ersten Monat, am fünfzehnten Tag des ersten Monats; am Tag nach dem Pessah zogen die Kinder Jisraël aus, mit erhobener Hand, vor den Augen von ganz Mizraim, 4während die Mizräer begruben, was der Ewige unter ihnen erschlagen hatte - alles Erstgeborene; und auch an ihren Göttern hatte der Ewige Strafgerichte geübt. 5Und die Kinder Jisraël brachen auf von Raamses und lagerten in Sukkot. 6Und sie brachen auf von Sukkot und lagerten in Etam, das am Rand der Wüste liegt. 7Und sie brachen auf von Etam, und man wandte sich um nach der Hirotmündung, die vor Baal-Zefon liegt, und sie lagerten vor Migdol. 8Und sie brachen auf vor dem Hirot und zogen mitten durch das Meer der Wüste zu; und sie gingen einen Marsch von drei Tagen in der Wüste Etam und lagerten in Mara. 9Und sie brachen auf von Mara und kamen nach Elim; und in Elim waren zwölf Wasserquellen und siebzig Palmen, und sie lagerten dort. 10Und sie brachen auf von Elim und lagerten am Schilfmeer. 11Und sie brachen auf vom Schilfmeer und lagerten in der Wüste Sin. 12Und sie brachen auf von der Wüste Sin und lagerten in Dofka. 13Und sie brachen auf von Dofka und lagerten in Alusch. 14Und sie brachen auf von Alusch und lagerten in Refidim; dort aber war kein Wasser für das Volk zum Trinken. 15Und sie brachen auf von Refidim und lagerten in der Wüste Sinai. 16Und sie brachen auf von der Wüste Sinai und lagerten in Kibrot ha-Taawa. 17Und sie brachen auf von Kibrot ha-Taawa und lagerten in Hazerot. 18Und sie brachen auf von Hazerot und lagerten in Ritma. 19Und sie brachen auf von Ritma und lagerten in Rimmon-Perez. 20Und sie brachen auf von Rimmon-Perez und lagerten in Libna. 21Und sie brachen auf von Libna und lagerten in Rissa. 22Und sie brachen auf von Rissa und lagerten in Kehelata. 23Und sie brachen auf von Kehelata und lagerten in Har-Schefer. 24Und sie brachen auf von Har-Schefer und lagerten in Harada. 25Und sie brachen auf von Harada und lagerten in Makhelot. 26Und sie brachen auf von Makhelot und lagerten in Tahat. 27Und sie brachen auf von Tahat und lagerten in Terah. 28Und sie brachen auf von Terah und lagerten in Mitka. 29Und sie brachen auf von Mitka und lagerten in Haschmona. 30Und sie brachen auf von Haschmona und lagerten in Moserot. 31Und sie brachen auf von Moserot und lagerten in Bene-Jaakan. 32Und sie brachen auf von Bene-Jaakan und lagerten in Hor-ha-Gidgad. 33Und sie brachen auf von Hor-ha-Gidgad und lagerten in Jotbata. 34Und sie brachen auf von Jotbata und lagerten in Abrona. 35Und sie brachen auf von Abrona und lagerten in Ezjon-Geber. 36Und sie brachen auf von Ezjon-Geber und lagerten in der Wüste Zin, das ist Kadesch. 37Und sie brachen auf von Kadesch und lagerten am Berg Hor, am Rand des Landes Edom. 38Da stieg Aharon, der Priester, auf den Berg Hor, auf Befehl des Ewigen, und starb dort im vierzigsten Jahr nach dem Auszug der Kinder Jisraël aus dem Land Mizraim, im fünften Monat, am Ersten des Monats. 39Aharon aber war hundertdreiundzwanzig Jahre alt, als er starb auf dem Berg Hor. 40Und der Kenaanäer, der König von Arad - und er wohnte in der Südsteppe, im Land Kenaan - hörte von dem Anrücken der Kinder Jisraël. 41Und sie brachen auf vom Berg Hor und lagerten in Zalmona. 42Und sie brachen auf von Zalmona und lagerten in Punon. 43Und sie brachen auf von Punon und lagerten in Obot. 44Und sie brachen auf von Obot und lagerten in Ije-ha-Abarim an der Grenze Moabs. 45Und sie brachen auf von Ijim und lagerten in Dibon-Gad. 46Und sie brachen auf von Dibon-Gad und lagerten in Almon-Diblatajema. 47Und sie brachen auf von Almon-Diblatajema und lagerten an den Bergen Abarim vor Nebo. 48Und sie brachen auf von den Bergen Abarim und lagerten in den Niederungen Moabs, am Fluß von Jereho; 49und sie lagerten am Jarden, von Bet-ha-Jeschimot bis Abel-ha-Schittim, in den Niederungen Moabs. 50Da redete der Ewige zu Mosche in den Niederungen Moabs am Fluß von Jereho und sprach: 51«Rede zu den Kindern Jisraël und sprich zu ihnen: Wenn ihr den Jarden durchschreitet in das Land Kenaan, 52so sollt ihr alle Bewohner des Landes vor euch her vertreiben, alle ihre Bildwerke vernichten, alle ihre Gußbilder vernichten und alle ihre Kultkammern zerstören. 53Und ihr werdet das Land entsetzen und darin wohnen; denn euch habe ich das Land gegeben, daß ihr es besitzt. 54Und ihr sollt euch das Land zuteilen durch das Los nach euren Familien; dem Zahlreichen sollt ihr großen und dem Geringen kleinen Erbbesitz geben; wohin das Los für ihn fällt, das soll ihm gehören; nach den Stämmen eurer Väter sollt ihr es euch als Besitz zuteilen. 55Wenn ihr aber die Bewohner des Landes nicht vor euch vertreibt, so werden, die ihr von ihnen übrig laßt, zu Haken in euren Augen und zu Stacheln in euren Seiten werden, und sie werden euch bedrängen auf dem Land, darin ihr wohnt. 56Dann wird es sein: So wie ich gedachte, ihnen zu tun, werde ich euch tun.»
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 This is a review and brief rehearsal of the travels of the children of Israel through the wilderness. It was a memorable history and well worthy to be thus abridged, and the abridgment thus preserved, to the honour of God that led them and for the encouragement of the generations that followed. Observe here,
I. How the account was kept:
Moses wrote their goings out, Num 33:2. When they began this tedious march, God ordered him to keep a journal or diary, and to insert in it all the remarkable occurrences of their way, that it might be a satisfaction to himself in the review and an instruction to others when it should be published. It may be of good use to private Christians, but especially to those in public stations, to preserve in writing an account of the providences of God concerning them, the constant series of mercies they have experienced, especially those turns and changes which have made some days of their lives more remarkable. Our memories are deceitful and need this help, that we may
remember all the way which the Lord our God has led us in this wilderness, Deut 8:2.
II. What the account itself was. It began with their departure out of Egypt, continued with their march through the wilderness, and ended in the plains of Moab, where they now lay encamped.
1. Some things are observed here concerning their departure out of Egypt, which they are reminded of upon all occasions, as a work of wonder never to be forgotten. (1.) That they
went forth with their armies (
Num 33:1), rank and file, as an army with banners. (2.) Under the hand of Moses and Aaron, their guides, overseers, and rulers, under God. (3.)
With a high hand, because God's hand was high that wrought for them,
and in the sight of all the Egyptians, Num 33:3. They did not steal away clandestinely (
Isa 52:12), but in defiance of their enemies, to whom God had made them such a burdensome stone that they neither could, nor would, nor durst, oppose them. (4.) They went forth while the Egyptians were burying, or at least preparing to bury, their first-born,
Num 33:4. They had a mind good enough, or rather bad enough, still to have detained the Israelites their prisoners, but God found them other work to do. They would have God's first-born buried alive, but God set them a burying their own first-born. (5.) To all the plagues of Egypt it is added here that
on their gods also the Lord executed judgments. Their idols which they worshipped, it is probable, were broken down, as Dagon afterwards before the ark, so that they could not consult them about this great affair. To this perhaps there is reference,
Isa 19:1,
The idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence. 2. Concerning their travels towards Canaan. Observe, (1.) They were continually upon the remove. When they had pitched a little while in one place they departed from that to another. Such is our state in this world; we have here no continuing city. (2.) Most of their way lay through a wilderness, uninhabited, untracked, unfurnished even with the necessaries of human life, which magnifies the wisdom and power of God, by whose wonderful conduct and bounty the thousands of Israel not only subsisted for forty years in that desolate place, but came out at least as numerous and vigorous as they went in. At first they pitched
in the edge of the wilderness (
Num 33:6), but afterwards in the heart of it; by less difficulties God prepares his people for greater. We find them in the wilderness of Etham (
Num 33:8), of Sin (
Num 33:11), of Sinai,
Num 33:15. Our removals in this world are but from one wilderness to another. (3.) They were led to and fro, forward and backward, as in a maze or labyrinth, and yet were all the while under the direction of the pillar of cloud and fire. He led them about (
Deut 32:10), and yet led them the right way,
Pss 107:7. The way which God takes in bringing his people to himself is always the best way, though it does not always seem to us the nearest way. (4.) Some events are mentioned in this journal, as their want of water at Rephidim (
Num 33:14), the death of Aaron (
Num 33:38,
Num 33:39), the insult of Arad (
Num 33:40); and the very name of
Kibroth-hattaavah -
the graves of lusts (
Num 33:16), has a story depending upon it. Thus we ought to keep in mind the providences of God concerning us and our families, us and our land, and the many instances of that divine care which has led us, and fed us, and kept us, all our days hitherto. Shittim, the place where the people sinned in the matter of Peor (
Num 25:1), is here called
Abel-shittim. Abel signifies
mourning (as
Gen 50:11), and probably this place was so called from the mourning of the good people of Israel on account of that sin and of God's wrath against them for it. It was so great a mourning that it gave a name to the place.
50 While the children of Israel were in the wilderness their total separation from all other people kept them out of the way of temptation to idolatry, and perhaps this was one thing intended by their long confinement in the wilderness, that thereby the idols of Egypt might be forgotten, and the people aired (as it were) and purified from that infection, and the generation that entered Canaan might be such as never knew those depths of Satan. But now that they were to pass over Jordan they were entering again into that temptation, and therefore, 1. They are here strictly charged utterly to destroy all remnants of idolatry. They must not only
drive out the inhabitants of the land, that they may possess their country, but they must deface all their idolatrous pictures and images, and
pull down all their high places, Num 33:52. They must not preserve any of them, no, not as monuments of antiquity to gratify the curious, nor as ornaments of their houses, nor toys for their children to play with, but they must destroy all, both in token of their abhorrence and detestation of idolatry and to prevent their being tempted to worship those images, and the false gods represented by them, or to worship the God of Israel by such images or representations. 2. They were assured that, if they did so, God would by degrees put them in full possession of the land of promise,
Num 33:53,
Num 33:54. If they would keep themselves pure from the idols of Canaan, God would enrich them with the wealth of Canaan. Learn not their way, and then fear not their power. 3. They were threatened that, if they spared either the idols or the idolaters, they should be beaten with their own rod and their sin would certainly be their punishment. (1.) They would foster snakes in their own bosoms,
Num 33:55. The remnant of the Canaanites, if they made any league with them, though it were but a cessation of arms, would be
pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides, that is, they would be upon all occasions vexatious to them, insulting them, robbing them, and, to the utmost of their power, making mischief among them. We must expect trouble and affliction from that, whatever it is, which we sinfully indulge; that which we are willing should tempt us we shall find will vex us. (2.) The righteous God would turn that wheel upon the Israelites which was to have crushed the Canaanites:
I shall do to you as I thought to do unto them, Num 33:56. It was intended that the Canaanites should be dispossessed; but if the Israelites fell in with them, and learned their way, they should be dispossessed, for God's displeasure would justly be greater against them than against the Canaanites themselves. Let us hear this, and fear. If we do not drive sin out, sin will drive us out; if we be not the death of our lusts, our lusts will be the death of our souls.
