20The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them,† as you asked. 21Nevertheless, as surely as I live† and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,† 22not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times†— 23not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath† to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.† 24But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,† I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.† 25Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn† back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[30]”
26The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.† 28So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,† declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29In this desert your bodies will fall†—every one of you twenty years old or more† who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.† 32But you—your bodies will fall† in this desert. 33Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. 34For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land†—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things† to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.”
36So the men Moses had sent† to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report† about it— 37these men responsible for spreading the bad report† about the land were struck down and died of a plague† before the LORD. 38Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.†
39When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned† bitterly. 40Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. “We have sinned†,” they said. “We will go up to the place the LORD promised.”
41But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the LORD’s command? This will not succeed!† 42Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,† 43for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”
44Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up† toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD’s covenant moved from the camp.† 45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.†
Supplementary Offerings
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘After you enter the land I am giving you† as a home 3and you present to the LORD offerings made by fire, from the herd or the flock,† as an aroma pleasing to the LORD†—whether burnt offerings† or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings† or festival offerings†— 4then the one who brings his offering shall present to the LORD a grain offering† of a tenth of an ephah[31] of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin[32] of oil. 5With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine† as a drink offering.
Fringe (Tassels) on Garments
Priestly tassels
Preserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin; permission of The Cairo Museum
Numbers 15 God’s command to affix tassels to the hems of Israelite garments carried rich symbolism in the ancient world. People perceived the hem of a garment to be an extension of the wearer’s person and status (cf. Ru 3:9; 1Sa 24:11, 20; Mt 9:21; 23:5; note that the connection in most of these references would have been understood by ancient Hebrews/Jews, although it may not be explicitly stated). So strongly did the hem represent the wearer’s identity that legally binding agreements were sealed by impressing the hem as a “signature” onto the wet clay tablet of a recorded contract.1
In Israel, fringed hems with twisted cords of blue marked the wearers’ community as being consecrated to the Lord (Nu 15:37–40). The prescribed blue color of the tassels was reminiscent of the “sacred” blue textiles used to make tabernacle coverings and high priestly garments (Ex 26:31; 28:31). Israelites affixed these tassels to their garments to jog their memories in terms of the commandments the keeping of which would make them holy. God’s people were to be set apart by dress and observance of the law as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:6).
1. See “Cuneiform and Clay Tablets in the Ancient Near East.”
6“ ‘With a ram† prepare a grain offering† of two-tenths of an ephah[33] of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin[34] of oil,† 7and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
8“ ‘When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering[35] † to the LORD, 9bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah[36] † of fine flour mixed with half a hin[37] of oil. 10Also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It will be an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 11Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner. 12Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.
13“ ‘Everyone who is native-born† must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 14For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.† You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: 16The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.†’ ”
17The LORD said to Moses, 18“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land to which I am taking you 19and you eat the food of the land,† present a portion as an offering to the LORD. 20Present a cake from the first of your ground meal† and present it as an offering from the threshing floor.† 21Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the LORD from the first of your ground meal.†
Offerings for Unintentional Sins
22“ ‘Now if you unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the LORD gave Moses†— 23any of the LORD’s commands to you through him, from the day the LORD gave them and continuing through the generations to come— 24and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it,† then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering† as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering.† 25The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven,† for it was not intentional and they have brought to the LORD for their wrong an offering made by fire and a sin offering. 26The whole Israelite community and the aliens living among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.†
27“ ‘But if just one person sins unintentionally,† he must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28The priest is to make atonement before the LORD for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven.† 29One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.
30“ ‘But anyone who sins defiantly,† whether native-born or alien,† blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people. 31Because he has despised the LORD’s word and broken his commands,† that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.†’ ”
The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death
32While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.† 33Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.† 35Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die.† The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.†” 36So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Tassels on Garments
37The LORD said to Moses, 38“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments,† with a blue cord on each tassel. 39You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember† all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.† 41I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ”
Korah, Dathan and Abiram
1Korah† son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab,† and On son of Peleth—became insolent[38] 2and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.† 3They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron† and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy,† every one of them, and the LORD is with them.† Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?”†
4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.† 5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy,† and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses† he will cause to come near him. 6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”
8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?† 10He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.† 11It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble† against him?†”
12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert?† And now you also want to lord it over us?† 14Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey† or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.† Will you gouge out the eyes of[39] these men?† No, we will not come!”
15Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey† from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
16Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.† 17Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” 18So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them† at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD† appeared to the entire assembly. 20The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 21“Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”†
22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown† and cried out, “O God, God of the spirits of all mankind,† will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”†
23Then the LORD said to Moses, 24“Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’ ”
25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men!† Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away† because of all their sins.” 27So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me† to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me.† 30But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave,[40] † then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”
31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart† 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them,† with their households and all Korah’s men and all their possessions. 33They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35And fire came out from the LORD† and consumed† the 250 men who were offering the incense.
36The LORD said to Moses, 37“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— 38the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.† Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign† to the Israelites.”
39So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense† before the LORD,† or he would become like Korah and his followers.†
41The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the LORD’s people,” they said.
42But when the assembly gathered in opposition† to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, 44and the LORD said to Moses, 45“Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.
46Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly† to make atonement† for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague† has started.” 47So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,† but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.† 49But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.† 50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
The Budding of Aaron’s Staff
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name,† for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony,† where I meet with you.† 5The staff belonging to the man I choose† will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”
6So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony.†
8The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.† 9Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his own staff.
10The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious.† This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11Moses did just as the LORD commanded him.
12The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!† 13Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die.† Are we all going to die?”
Duties of Priests and Levites
1The LORD said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your father’s family are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary,† and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. 2Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister† before the Tent of the Testimony. 3They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the Tent,† but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die.† 4They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the Tent of Meeting—all the work at the Tent—and no one else may come near where you are.
5“You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,† so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you,† dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the Tent of Meeting. 7But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.† I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.† Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.†”
Offerings for Priests and Levites
8Then the LORD said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion and regular share.† 9You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain† or sin† or guilt offerings,† that part belongs to you and your sons. 10Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.† You must regard it as holy.
11“This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings† of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean† may eat it.
12“I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the LORD as the firstfruits of their harvest.† 13All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the LORD will be yours.† Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
14“Everything in Israel that is devoted[41] to the LORD† is yours. 15The first offspring of every womb, both man and animal, that is offered to the LORD is yours.† But you must redeem† every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.† 16When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[42] † of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,† which weighs twenty gerahs.
17“But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.† Sprinkle their blood† on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 18Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering† and the right thigh are yours. 19Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt† before the LORD for both you and your offspring.”
20The LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them;† I am your share and your inheritance† among the Israelites.
21“I give to the Levites all the tithes† in Israel as their inheritance† in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. 22From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.† 23It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance† among the Israelites. 24Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the LORD. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’ ”
25The LORD said to Moses, 26“Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you† as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD’s offering.† 27Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28In this way you also will present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes† you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the LORD’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29You must present as the LORD’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’
30“Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.† 31You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. 32By presenting the best part† of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings† of the Israelites, and you will not die.’ ”
The Water of Cleansing
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 2“This is a requirement of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer† without defect or blemish† and that has never been under a yoke.† 3Give it to Eleazar† the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp† and slaughtered in his presence. 4Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle† it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. 5While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and offal.† 6The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop† and scarlet wool† and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.† He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
The Red Heifer
Numbers 19 The ritual of the red heifer was a purification rite intended to cleanse Israelites defiled by contact with the dead.1 Anyone who had touched a corpse became ritually impure for seven days with a contagious impurity that could defile other persons, vessels and, at worst, the Lord’s sanctuary (Nu 19:20). The young red cow selected was to be without defect or blemish and never to have borne a yoke (i.e., never to have been used for secular service; see v. 2). As the heifer was being completely incinerated, the priest was to add cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool to the pyre (v. 6). These materials were also associated with other purification rituals (cf. Lev 14:4–7; Ps 51:7).2
The priest then mixed the heifer’s ashes with spring water to produce a cleansing solution, with which the impure person was sprinkled on the third and seventh days, after which he or she was considered to be ritually clean (Nu 19:12).3
The ritual of the red heifer was unique among Israel’s ceremonial traditions for the following reasons:
• The animal was burned outside the camp rather than being sacrificed on the altar (v. 3).4 The heifer’s blood and dung were burned alongside the carcass, a procedure otherwise forbidden in sacrificial law (v. 5; see Lev 4:11–12). Blood was not drained from the sacrifice because it constituted a necessary cleansing ingredient, along with the ashes.
• The officiants themselves contracted impurity while making this sacrifice and themselves had to be purified, though not using the same procedure (Nu 19:7–10).
The efficacy of this ritual lay in the transfer of impurity from the defiled person to the heifer. The corrupted animal was burned outside the camp lest it pollute the congregation in the same way it had tainted those with whom it had already come into contact. Ironically, as the heifer and its associated impurity were completely destroyed, the resulting ashes were able to purify those who had become ritually defiled.
The New Testament reinforces the significance of the red heifer in relation to the sacrificial work of Christ. Just as the heifer was slaughtered outside the camp to attain purification for the defiled, so Jesus—who bore the sins and impurities of all humanity—was crucified outside Jerusalem in order to achieve redemption through his blood for all sinners (Heb 13:11–12; cf. Heb 9:13–14).
1. See “Ritual Purity in Israel and the Ancient Near East.”
2. See “Hyssop and the Rituals of Cleansing.”
4. See “Sacrifices and Offerings in the Bible and the Ancient Near East.”
9“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer† and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They shall be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;† it is for purification from sin. 10The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the aliens living among them.
11“Whoever touches the dead body† of anyone will be unclean for seven days.† 12He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;† then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. 13Whoever touches the dead body† of anyone and fails to purify himself defiles the LORD’s tabernacle.† That person must be cut off from Israel.† Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean;† his uncleanness remains on him.
14“This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16“Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,† or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave,† will be unclean for seven days.
17“For the unclean person, put some ashes† from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,† dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who has been killed or someone who has died a natural death. 19The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify him.† The person being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean. 20But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from the community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, and he is unclean. 21This is a lasting ordinance for them.
“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22Anything that an unclean† person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”
Water From the Rock
1In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,† and they stayed at Kadesh.† There Miriam† died and was buried.
A Timeline for the Wilderness Wanderings
Numbers 20 Because they failed to trust God after having heard the ten spies’ negative majority report about Canaan (Nu 13), God required the Israelites to wander for 40 years until every disbelieving person aged twenty or older had passed away (14:26–35). This forty-year period began retroactively on the day Israel had left Egypt—the fifteenth day of the first month of the first year, according to the Hebrew calendar (33:3), as well as the day after the first Passover1—and lasted until the first Passover in the promised land, the fourteenth day of the first month of the forty-first year (Jos 5:10).
The wilderness record preserved in Scripture covers approximately the first year and eight months of this protracted period (Ex 12:31–40:38; all of the book of Lev; Nu 1:1–19:22; 33:1–36; Dt 1:6–46), as well as the final year (Nu 20:1–32:42; 33:37–36:13; Dt 2–34; Jos 1:1–5:10; Jdg 11:14–22) of their sojourn. The intervening 37 years and four months constitutes a period of silence (between Nu 19 and 20; 33:36 and 37; and Dt 1 and 2). Dates are included for key events, so a fairly complete timeline for the beginning and the end of the wilderness wandering period has been calculated.
During the first month the Israelites traveled from Rameses to the Desert of Sin (Ex 12:31–16:1).2 They spent one additional month trekking to Mount Sinai, where they stayed put for eleven months (Ex 16:2–Nu 10:11).3 From there they journeyed for a little more than a month until they reached Kadesh Barnea, where they spent about six months (10:12–19:22).4 After their departure from Kadesh Barnea (Dt 2:14), the Israelites’ precise whereabouts during the next 37 years and four months is unknown. After this period of silence they returned to Kadesh Barnea and during the following year forged ahead to Canaan by way of the Transjordan.
Kadesh Barnea valley
Photograph courtesy of © Dr. Gary Pratico
1. See “The Jewish Calendar.”
2. See “The Store Cities of Pithom and Rameses” and “The Route of the Exodus” articles.
3. See “The Location of Mount Sinai.”
4. See “Kadesh Barnea.”
2Now there was no water for the community,† and the people gathered in opposition† to Moses and Aaron. 3They quarreled† with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD!† 4Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here?† 5Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.† And there is no water to drink!”
6Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown,† and the glory of the LORD† appeared to them. 7The LORD said to Moses, 8“Take the staff,† and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.† You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence,† just as he commanded him. 10He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”† 11Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water† gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy† in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”†
13These were the waters of Meribah,[43] † where the Israelites quarreled† with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them.
Edom Denies Israel Passage
14Moses sent messengers from Kadesh† to the king of Edom,† saying:
“This is what your brother Israel says: You know† about all the hardships that have come upon us. 15Our forefathers went down into Egypt,† and we lived there many years.† The Egyptians mistreated† us and our fathers, 16but when we cried out to the LORD, he heard our cry† and sent an angel† and brought us out of Egypt.
“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king’s highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.†”
18But Edom answered:
“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.”
19The Israelites replied:
“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock† drink any of your water, we will pay for it.† We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”
20Again they answered:
“You may not pass through.”
Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.†
The Death of Aaron
22The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor.† 23At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,† the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 24“Aaron will be gathered to his people.† He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command† at the waters of Meribah. 25Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.† 26Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;† he will die there.”
27Moses did as the LORD commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 28Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.† And Aaron died there† on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him† thirty days.
Arad Destroyed
1When the Canaanite king of Arad,† who lived in the Negev,† heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[44] their cities.” 3The LORD listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[45]
Ugaritic Liturgy Against Venomous Snakes
Numbers 21 Poisonous snakes posed a serious and ever-present threat to people in the ancient world. Three texts from Ugarit, all of which address this problem, suggest that the typical pagan solution was to search for a magic formula to counter the results of the venom. One of these texts is but a fragment, another a mythical narrative and the third a magical incantation.
In the myth (second text), twelve different deities are asked for a cure for snakebite. Eleven respond with an ability to charm the serpent, but only one, Horanu, successfully neutralizes the venom. He counteracts the poison by casting trees into the Tigris River,1 ritually enacting the manner by which he will weaken the venom as if diluting it in water.
The third text, written for the benefit of a high official, is an incantation employing a ritual similar to Horanu’s to protect both against serpents and the sorcerers who used them.
The Israelites, like the inhabitants of Ugarit, feared the lethal snakes so abundant both in the wilderness and in the land of Canaan. God’s snake-related punishment recorded in Numbers 21:6–9 demonstrated that only the Lord has ultimate power over serpents (and, indeed, over all evil). Not only did he send venomous snakes to punish the Israelites because of their ingratitude, but he also provided the means of cure (i.e., the bronze snake) when his people repented and sought his mercy. It is noteworthy that, although the Israelites were required to gaze up at the bronze serpent in order to receive restoration, the Biblical text mentions no magical ritual or incantation.
To learn more about the role of the snake in the Ancient Near East, see “The Serpent Motif in Other Ancient Near Eastern Literature.”
Cultic stand with snakes from Israel
Preserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin; permission of The Israel Museum
1. See “The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.”
The Bronze Snake
4They traveled from Mount Hor† along the route to the Red Sea,[46] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;† 5they spoke against God† and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert?† There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”†
6Then the LORD sent venomous snakes† among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.† 7The people came to Moses† and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD† will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed† for the people.
8The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;† anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9So Moses made a bronze snake† and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.†
The Journey to Moab
10The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.† 11Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the desert that faces Moab† toward the sunrise. 12From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.† 13They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon†, which is in the desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14That is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD says:
“… Waheb in Suphah[47] and the ravines,
the Arnon 15and[48] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the site of Ar†
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16From there they continued on to Beer,† the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17Then Israel sang this song:†
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.”
Then they went from the desert to Mattanah, 19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon† king of the Amorites:
22“Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king’s highway until we have passed through your territory.†”
23But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory.† He mustered his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz,† he fought with Israel. 24Israel, however, put him to the sword† and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites,† because their border was fortified. 25Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites† and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements. 26Heshbon was the city of Sihon† king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.
27That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let Sihon’s city be restored.
28“Fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.†
It consumed Ar† of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.†
29Woe to you, O Moab!†
You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh!†
He has given up his sons as fugitives†
and his daughters as captives†
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30“But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon is destroyed all the way to Dibon.†
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba.”
31So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
32After Moses had sent spies to Jazer,† the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan†,† and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.†
34The LORD said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.†”
35So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
Balak Summons Balaam
1Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.[49] †
Balaam, the Son of Beor
Numbers 22 “The misfortunes of the Book of Balaam, son of Beor. A divine seer was he.” These are the first words of a remarkable fragmentary inscription discovered in 1967 at Deir Alla, Jordan, about 25 miles (40 km) north of the plains of Moab,1 where the Israelites camped. Written in black and red ink on a plaster wall, this fragmentary inscription dates to between 800 and 700 B.C.
The prophet Balaam was active on the eastern side of the Jordan River at the time the Israelites entered Canaan.2 He was referred to hundreds of years later not only by the author of the Deir Alla inscription but also over a wide range of time by various Biblical writers (see Ne 13:2; Mic 6:5; 2Pe 2:15; Rev 2:14).
There is no doubt that this is the same Balaam mentioned in Numbers. The distinctive name “Balaam son of Beor” is rendered identically in both contexts. In addition, the inscription was found in the same general area as the events described in Numbers 22–24. Reflecting the activities of the Biblical Balaam and using language similar to that found in the Numbers account, the Deir Alla inscription speaks of divine visitations and visions, signs, admonitions, destruction and death.3
Yet, except for including the name Balaam and describing him as a “seer,” the Deir Alla inscription does not mention any details found in the account in Numbers 22–24. Nor does it speak of Yahweh, although it does refer to gods as shaddayyin, a word similar to the Hebrew el shaddai, usually translated “God Almighty.”4 So it is unlikely that either author borrowed from the other. Both seem to have gone back to independent traditions.
2. See “The Conquest of Canaan.”
3. See “Prophets in the Bible and Pagan Nations.”
4. See “The Names of God” chart.
2Now Balak son of Zippor† saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread† because of the Israelites.
4The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.”
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,† who was at Pethor, near the River,[50] in his native land. Balak said:
“A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6Now come and put a curse† on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”
7The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.† When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8“Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me.†” So the Moabite princes stayed with him.
9God came to Balaam† and asked,† “Who are these men with you?”
10Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’ ”
12But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.†”
13The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
14So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16They came to Balaam and said:
“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17because I will reward you handsomely† and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse† on these people for me.”
18But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.† 19Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me.†”
20That night God came to Balaam† and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”†
Balaam’s Donkey
21Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22But God was very angry† when he went, and the angel of the LORD† stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword† in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her† to get her back on the road.
24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her again.
26Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry† and beat her with his staff. 28Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth,† and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?†”
29Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.†”
30The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said.
31Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes,† and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.[51] 33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now,† but I would have spared her.”
34Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned.† I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
35The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon† border, at the edge of his territory. 37Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”
38“Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But can I say just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”†
39Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,† and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were with him. 41The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,† and from there he saw part of the people.†
Balaam’s First Oracle
1Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams† for me.” 2Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.†
3Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me.† Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
4God met with him,† and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5The LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth† and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”†
6So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab.† 7Then Balaam† uttered his oracle:†
“Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’†
8How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?†
How can I denounce
those whom the LORD has not denounced?
9From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.†
10Who can count the dust of Jacob†
or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,†
and may my end be like theirs!†”
11Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”†
12He answered, “Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”†
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.” 14So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.†
15Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
16The LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth† and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”
17So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the LORD say?”
18Then he uttered his oracle:
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.
19God is not a man,† that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.†
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
20I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed,† and I cannot change it.†
21“No misfortune is seen in Jacob,†
no misery observed in Israel.[52] †
The LORD their God is with them;†
the shout of the King† is among them.
22God brought them out of Egypt;†
they have the strength of a wild ox.†
23There is no sorcery against Jacob,
no divination† against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24The people rise like a lioness;†
they rouse themselves like a lion†
that does not rest till he devours his prey
and drinks the blood of his victims.”
25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the LORD says?”
Balaam’s Third Oracle
27Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place.† Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.” 28And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,† overlooking the wasteland.
29Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
1Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery† as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert.† 2When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him† 3and he uttered his oracle:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,
4the oracle of one who hears the words of God,†
who sees a vision from the Almighty,[53] †
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5“How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwelling places, O Israel!
6“Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes† planted by the LORD,
like cedars beside the waters.†
7Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
“Their king will be greater than Agag;†
their kingdom will be exalted.†
8“God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;†
with their arrows they pierce them.†
9Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness†—who dares to rouse them?
“May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!Ӡ
10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together† and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them† these three times.† 11Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely,† but the LORD has kept you from being rewarded.”
12Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,† 13‘Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD†—and I must say only what the LORD says’?† 14Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”†
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
15Then he uttered his oracle:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,
16the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.†
A star will come out of Jacob;†
a scepter will rise out of Israel.†
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,†
the skulls[54] of[55] all the sons of Sheth.[56]
18Edom† will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
19A ruler will come out of Jacob†
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Final Oracles
20Then Balaam saw Amalek† and uttered his oracle:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but he will come to ruin at last.”
21Then he saw the Kenites† and uttered his oracle:
“Your dwelling place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
22yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Asshur† takes you captive.”
23Then he uttered his oracle:
“Ah, who can live when God does this?[57]
24Ships will come from the shores of Kittim;†
they will subdue Asshur and Eber,†
but they too will come to ruin.†”
25Then Balaam† got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.
Moab Seduces Israel
1While Israel was staying in Shittim,† the men began to indulge in sexual immorality† with Moabite women,† 2who invited them to the sacrifices† to their gods.† The people ate and bowed down before these gods. 3So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.† And the LORD’s anger burned against them.
Shittim
Numbers 25 Shittim, abbreviated from Abel Shittim (“brook of acacias”), was the Israelites’ final wilderness encampment before they crossed the Jordan River. From this location in the plains of Moab1 (see Abel Shittim on “Map 3”), Moses ascended Mount Nebo to view the promised land and Joshua sent spies to Jericho.2 At Shittim, Israel also fell into the immorality associated with the worship of Baal of Peor,3 suffering severe casualties as a result of God’s anger (Nu 25:1–9).
Shittim can probably be identified with the present archaeological site of Tell el-Hammam, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) east of the Jordan River, opposite the ancient city of Jericho. This excavation site is covered with the ruins of houses, as well as of an Iron I-period4 fortress with towers at both ends. The fortress walls were 4 feet (1.2 m) thick and surrounded by a massive glacis (slope running downward from a fortification). This site was strategically located 100 feet (30.5 m) above the plains of Moab, no doubt enabling its ancient inhabitants to control access from the mountains. A perennial stream nearby, the Wadi el-Kefrein, could have provided an adequate water supply for the encamped Israelites.
The meaning of the name Shittim suggests that acacia trees grew there, watered by the nearby stream—although the acacia is known to survive in arid regions. Its wood, light but hard and moisture resistant, had been used to construct both the tabernacle and its furnishings (Ex 25–38).5
2. See “The Walls of Jericho.”
3. See “Baal and the Fertility Cults.”
4. See “Archaeological Periods Chart” in the front of this Bible.
5. See “The Tabernacle and the Ark.”
4The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the LORD,† so that the LORD’s fierce anger† may turn away from Israel.”
5So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death† those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.”
6Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman’s body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;† 9but those who died in the plague† numbered 24,000.†
10The LORD said to Moses, 11“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites;† for he was as zealous as I am for my honor† among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. 12Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace† with him. 13He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,† because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement† for the Israelites.”
14The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi† daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.†
16The LORD said to Moses, 17“Treat the Midianites† as enemies and kill them, 18because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor† and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor.”
The Second Census
1After the plague the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, 2“Take a census† of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army† of Israel.” 3So on the plains of Moab† by the Jordan across from Jericho,[58] † Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, 4“Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were:
through Hanoch,† the Hanochite clan;
through Pallu,† the Palluite clan;
6through Hezron, the Hezronite clan;
through Carmi, the Carmite clan.
7These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.
8The son of Pallu was Eliab, 9and the sons of Eliab† were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community† officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the LORD.† 10The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign.† 11The line of Korah,† however, did not die out.†
12The descendants of Simeon by their clans were:
through Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan;
through Jamin,† the Jaminite clan;
through Jakin, the Jakinite clan;
13through Zerah,† the Zerahite clan;
through Shaul, the Shaulite clan.
14These were the clans of Simeon; there were 22,200 men.†
15The descendants of Gad by their clans were:
through Zephon,† the Zephonite clan;
through Haggi, the Haggite clan;
through Shuni, the Shunite clan;
16through Ozni, the Oznite clan;
through Eri, the Erite clan;
17through Arodi,[59] the Arodite clan;
through Areli, the Arelite clan.
18These were the clans of Gad;† those numbered were 40,500.
19Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died† in Canaan.
20The descendants of Judah by their clans were:
through Shelah,† the Shelanite clan;
through Perez, the Perezite clan;
through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.†
21The descendants of Perez were:
through Hezron,† the Hezronite clan;
through Hamul, the Hamulite clan.
22These were the clans of Judah;† those numbered were 76,500.
23The descendants of Issachar by their clans were:
through Tola,† the Tolaite clan;
through Puah, the Puite[60] clan;
24through Jashub,† the Jashubite clan;
through Shimron, the Shimronite clan.
25These were the clans of Issachar;† those numbered were 64,300.
26The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were:
through Sered, the Seredite clan;
through Elon, the Elonite clan;
through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan.
27These were the clans of Zebulun;† those numbered were 60,500.
28The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were:
29The descendants of Manasseh:
through Makir,† the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead†);
through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.
30These were the descendants of Gilead:
through Iezer,† the Iezerite clan;
through Helek, the Helekite clan;
31through Asriel, the Asrielite clan;
through Shechem, the Shechemite clan;
32through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan;
through Hepher, the Hepherite clan.
33(Zelophehad† son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.)†
34These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.†
35These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:
through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan;
through Beker, the Bekerite clan;
through Tahan, the Tahanite clan.
36These were the descendants of Shuthelah:
through Eran, the Eranite clan.
37These were the clans of Ephraim;† those numbered were 32,500.
These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.
38The descendants of Benjamin† by their clans were:
through Bela, the Belaite clan;
through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan;
through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan;
39through Shupham,[61] the Shuphamite clan;
through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.
40The descendants of Bela through Ard† and Naaman were:
through Ard,[62] the Ardite clan;
through Naaman, the Naamite clan.
41These were the clans of Benjamin;† those numbered were 45,600.
42These were the descendants of Dan by their clans:
through Shuham,† the Shuhamite clan.
These were the clans of Dan: 43All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.
44The descendants of Asher by their clans were:
through Imnah, the Imnite clan;
through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan;
through Beriah, the Beriite clan;
45and through the descendants of Beriah:
through Heber, the Heberite clan;
through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.
46(Asher had a daughter named Serah.)
47These were the clans of Asher;† those numbered were 53,400.
48The descendants of Naphtali† by their clans were:
through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan;
through Guni, the Gunite clan;
49through Jezer, the Jezerite clan;
through Shillem, the Shillemite clan.
50These were the clans of Naphtali;† those numbered were 45,400.
51The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.†
52The LORD said to Moses, 53“The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names.† 54To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number† of those listed. 55Be sure that the land is distributed by lot.† What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. 56Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”
57These were the Levites† who were counted by their clans:
through Gershon, the Gershonite clan;
through Kohath, the Kohathite clan;
through Merari, the Merarite clan.
58These also were Levite clans:
the Libnite clan,
the Hebronite clan,
the Mahlite clan,
the Mushite clan,
the Korahite clan.
(Kohath was the forefather of Amram;† 59the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed,† a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites[63] in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses† and their sister Miriam. 60Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.† 61But Nadab and Abihu† died when they made an offering before the LORD with unauthorized fire.)†
62All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000.† They were not counted† along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance† among them.†
63These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab† by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64Not one of them was among those counted† by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. 65For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert,† and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.†
Zelophehad’s Daughters
1The daughters of Zelophehad† son of Hepher,† the son of Gilead, the son of Makir,† the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. They approached 2the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly, and said, 3“Our father died in the desert.† He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the LORD,† but he died for his own sin and left no sons.† 4Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
The Itinerary in Numbers
Numbers 27 The Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Red Sea and then on to Mount Sinai, Kadesh Barnea and Moab is recorded in the book of Numbers in two forms. First, isolated references from chapters 1 to 32 form a part of the narrative (e.g., 27:14). Second, an explicit itinerary of this journey is spelled out in 33:1–49.
Numbers 33 identifies 42 sites, 16 of which appear in no other Biblical text. Many of these locations can no longer be identified, probably because they were undeveloped caravan stops, significant only based upon the availability of water.1 Yet collaborating texts from Egypt, Moab and Mesopotamia shed light on both the form of the list and its interpretation, helping to confirm the Biblical account’s credibility and antiquity and suggesting that the itinerary recorded in Numbers 33 should be interpreted as the account of a protracted military campaign. Such records would have been retained as a continuing reminder of the protection God had provided his people as he led them through the wilderness.2
Traditional site of Sinai mountains
Photograph courtesy of © Dr. Gary Pratico
Extrabiblical texts shedding light on this itinerary are as follows:
• Three lists from Egypt mention sites that also appear in the Numbers 33 register. One is an inscription of Thutmose III at the temple of Amon at Karnak. The other two are from Amenhotep III; both are inscribed on a temple at Soleb. Comparison of the three texts provides the series of place-names in the identical order in which they are found in the Biblical text (33:44–49): Iyyin equates to Iyim, Dibon corresponds with Gad, and Abel is a reference to both Abel-Shittim and the Jordan.
• The annals of Egypt’s Thutmose III reveal that his campaigns were recorded on a leather scroll deposited in the temple of Amon, an attestation that military recordkeeping was practiced prior to the Mosaic period (see 33:2).
• Although no evidence of Late Bronze Age3 occupation has been discovered at Dibon (modern Dhiban), the appearance of this name in these Egyptian texts confirms its existence during this early period. The Moabite Stone, a ninth-century B.C. inscription of Mesha, king of Moab, mentions Dibon and Almon Diblathaim, both of which are also listed in the Biblical itinerary (33:46).4
• Mesopotamian texts demonstrate that the genre of the Israelite itinerary (the type of literature, not the itinerary itself) was widely attested in the ancient world. Other examples have been found in two military texts dating to the Assyrian kings Tukulti-Ninurta II and Ashurnasirpal II (ninth century B.C.).
Such texts follow a recurring pattern: “From [city A] I departed; in [city B] I passed the night.” In this formula the name of each site is mentioned twice: first as a destination (“B”) and next as a departure point (“A”). This follows closely the general format seen in Numbers 33.
The extrabiblical itineraries briefly comment on water crossings, encampment sites, military encounters, problems associated with the water supply and other events, such as those remarks we find scattered throughout Numbers 33.
1. See “Caravan Trading and Routes in the Ancient Near East” and “The Route of the Exodus” articles.
2. See also “A Timeline for the Wilderness Wanderings.”
3. See “Archaeological Periods Chart” in the front of this Bible.
4. See “The Mesha (Moabite) Stone” and “Moab.”
5So Moses brought their case† before the LORD† 6and the LORD said to him, 7“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance† among their father’s relatives and turn their father’s inheritance over to them.†
8“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. 9If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement† for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.’ ”
Joshua to Succeed Moses
12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim range† and see the land† I have given the Israelites. 13After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people,† as your brother Aaron† was, 14for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy† before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah† Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
15Moses said to the LORD, 16“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind,† appoint a man over this community 17to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”†
18So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit,[64] † and lay your hand on him.† 19Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him† in their presence.† 20Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.† 21He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring† of the Urim† before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”
22Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses.
Daily Offerings
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘See that you present to me at the appointed time the food† for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.’ 3Say to them: ‘This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the LORD: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day.† 4Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, 5together with a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah[65] of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin[66] of oil† from pressed olives. 6This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai† as a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. 7The accompanying drink offering† is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the LORD at the sanctuary.† 8Prepare the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you prepare in the morning. This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.†
Sabbath Offerings
9“ ‘On the Sabbath† day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah[67] † of fine flour mixed with oil. 10This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering† and its drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11“ ‘On the first of every month,† present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.† 12With each bull there is to be a grain offering† of three-tenths of an ephah[68] † of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; 13and with each lamb, a grain offering† of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. 14With each bull there is to be a drink offering† of half a hin[69] of wine; with the ram, a third of a hin[70]; and with each lamb, a quarter of a hin. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon† during the year. 15Besides the regular burnt offering† with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the LORD as a sin offering.†
The Passover
16“ ‘On the fourteenth day of the first month the LORD’s Passover† is to be held. 17On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days† eat bread made without yeast.† 18On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.† 19Present to the LORD an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 20With each bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah† of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 21and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 22Include one male goat as a sin offering† to make atonement for you.† 23Prepare these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. 24In this way prepare the food for the offering made by fire every day for seven days as an aroma pleasing to the LORD; it is to be prepared in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
Feast of Weeks
26“ ‘On the day of firstfruits,† when you present to the LORD an offering of new grain during the Feast of Weeks,† hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.† 27Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 28With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 29and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.† 30Include one male goat to make atonement for you. 31Prepare these together with their drink offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering† and its grain offering. Be sure the animals are without defect.
Feast of Trumpets
1“ ‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.† It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. 2As an aroma pleasing to the LORD,† prepare a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.† 3With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah[71] of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths[72]; 4and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.[73] 5Include one male goat† as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6These are in addition to the monthly† and daily burnt offerings† with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are offerings made to the LORD by fire—a pleasing aroma.