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Numbers 34

1 - The LORD 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 its borders),
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 - Your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and it shall pass southward of Kadesh Barnea; and it shall go from there to Hazar Addar, and pass along to Azmon.
5 - The border shall turn about from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and it shall end at the sea.
6 - "'For the western border, you shall have the great sea and its border. This shall be your west border.
7 - "'This shall be your north border: from the great sea you shall mark out for yourselves Mount Hor.
8 - From Mount Hor you shall mark out to the entrance of Hamath; and the border shall pass by Zedad.
9 - Then the border shall go to Ziphron, and it shall end at Hazar Enan. This shall be your north border.
10 - "'You shall mark out your east border from Hazar Enan to Shepham.
11 - The border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain. The border shall go down, and shall reach to the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward.
12 - The border shall go down to the Jordan, and end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders around it.'"
13 - Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, "This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD 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 - The LORD 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 the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
Numbers Images and Notes

The Book of Numbers

Numbers 14:14 - And they will tell [it] to the inhabitants of this land: [for] they have heard that thou LORD [art] among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and [that] thy cloud standeth over them, and [that] thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survery - Numbers
Hebrew Name - Bemidhbar "in the wilderness"
Greek Name - Numbers "numberings"
Author - Moses
Date - From 1490-1451 BC Approximately
Theme - The Journey to the Promised Land
Types and Shadows - In Numbers Jesus is the Pillar of Cloud by Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night

Photo of the Sinai Wilderness
Photo of the Sinai Wilderness

Summary of The Book of Numbers

The book of Numbers takes its name from the account of the census that happened two times among the congregation of Israel in Numbers 1-4 and Numbers 26. The Greek title was used even though there is really no connection with the "numberings." The original Hebrew title which means "in the wilderness," is much more accurate, because the book of Numbers is it's really an accurate history of the events that happened during the period of wandering in the wilderness and not necessarily a book about statistics. The book of Numbers seems to follow naturally after the book of Leviticus in the order of the books of Moses in the Old Testament. After the children of Israel received the laws at Mount Sinai, they began the journey as described in the book of Exodus, and they were ready to march directly into the land of Canaan. The book of Numbers reveals how the children of Israel became prepared, and went to various trials, and how they were sinful in not trusting the Lord. Their sinful ways resulted in 37 years of wandering through the harsh wilderness. The book of Numbers concludes with the children of Israel once again at the edge of the land of Canaan, where they received instructions for the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land.

Quick Reference Map
Map of the Route of the Exodus
Map of the Possible Route of the Exodus (Click to Enlarge)

The principle divisions of the book are as follows:

Outline of the Book of Numbers

1) The preparation for the departure from Sinai (1:1-10:10). The events described here took place in nineteen days. In this time a census was taken of all men who were over twenty and who could serve in military efforts (1-4). The total obtained was 603,550 (1:46). This would indicate that the total population of the group was probably near three million. The census was followed by the cleansing and blessing of the congregation (5-6), the offering of gifts from the various tribes (7), the consecration of the Levites (8) and the observance of the Passover at Sinai (9:1-14).

2 ) The journey from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (10:11-14:45). This section includes the account of the coming of the quail (11), the rebellion against Moses by Miriam and Aaron (12), and the fateful mission of the spies (13, 14).

3) The wanderings of the desert wilderness (15-19). As noted above, this covered a period of thirty-seven years, from the end of the second to the beginning of the fortieth year in the wilderness. Ch. 15 includes various laws and a record of capital punishment for Sabbath breaking. The rebellion of Korah (ch. 16) and the budding of Aaron's rod (ch. 17) are also mentioned here.

4 ) The history of the last year, from the second arrival of the Israelites at Kadesh till they reach "the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho" (20-36: 13). Notable sections of this are the story of Balaam (22:2-24:25), the zeal of Phinehas (ch. 25), the second census (26:1-51) , instructions for dividing the land (26:52-27: 11), the appointment of Joshua as Moses' successor (27: 12-23), various laws concerning offerings and vows ( 28-30 ), the war with Midian (ch. 31), the settlement of the tribes east of the Jordan (ch. 32), a review of the locations at which Israel had camped during their wanderings (33: 1-49), more instructions concerning the conquest and division of Canaan (33:50-34:29 ), the appointment of the cities of refuge (ch. 35) and instructions concerning the marriage of land-owning Israelite women (ch. 36).

ARCHAEOLOGY

Ancient Bronze Snake

Bronze Snake from Lachish

Bronze Snake from Lachish, Late Bronze Age

Quick Reference Maps - Numbers

The Exodus of the Hebrews

Mount Horeb

The Red Sea

Canaan Before Joshua

Kadesh barnea

Moab and Ammon

 

Numbers Resources

The Wilderness Wanderings

More About the Book of Numbers
Numbers in the Picture Study Bible
Timeline of the Ancient World
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