1Ko nga haerenga enei o nga tama a Iharaira i to ratou putanga mai i te whenua o Ihipa i o ratou ropu i raro i te ringa o Mohi raua ko Arona. 2I tuhituhia hoki e Mohi o ratou haerenga atu, o ratou whakatikanga atu, he mea ki mai na Ihowa: a ko o ratou whakatikanga atu enei, me o ratou haerenga. 3I turia atu i Ramehehe i te marama tuatahi, i te kotahi tekau ma rima o nga ra o te marama tuatahi; no te aonga ake o te kapenga i puta mai ai nga tama a Iharaira, i runga tonu ano te ringa i te tirohanga a nga Ihipiana katoa; 4I nga Ihipiana e tanu ana i a ratou matamua katoa, i patua nei e Ihowa i roto i a ratou: a mahi whakawa ana a Ihowa ki o ratou atua. 5Na turia ana e nga tama a Iharaira i Ramehehe, a noho ana i Hukota. 6I turia i Hukota, a noho ana i Etama, i te pito o te koraha. 7I turia i Etama, a tahuri ana whaka Pihahirota ki te ritenga atu o Paarahepona: a noho ana i te ritenga atu o Mikitoro. 8I turia i te ritenga atu o Pihahirota, a tika ana na waenganui o te moana ki te koraha; a haere ana, e toru nga ra ki te ara, i te koraha o Etama, a noho ana i Mara. 9I turia i Mara, a haere ana ki Erimi: kotahi tekau ma rua hoki nga puna wai i Erimi, e whitu tekau hoki nga nikau; a noho ana ratou i reira. 10I turia i Erimi, a noho ana i te taha o te Moana Whero. 11I turia i te Moana Whero, a noho ana i te koraha o Hini. 12I turia i te koraha o Hini, a noho ana i Ropoka. 13I turia i Ropoka, a noho ana i Aruhu. 14I turia i Aruhu, a noho ana i Repirimi, i te wahi kahore nei he wai hei inu ma te iwi. 15I turia i Repirimi, a noho ana i te koraha o Hinai. 16I turia i te koraha o Hinai, a noho ana i Kipiroto Hataawa. 17I turia i Kipiroto Hataawa, a noho ana i Hateroto. 18I turia i Hateroto, a noho ana i Ritima. 19I turia i Ritima, a noho ana i Rimono Parehe. 20I turia i Rimono Parehe a noho ana i Ripina. 21I turia i Ripina, a noho ana i Ritaha. 22I turia i Ritaha, a noho ana i Keherataha. 23I turia i Keherataha, a noho ana i Maunga Hapere. 24I turia i Maunga Hapere, a noho ana i Harataha. 25I turia i Harataha, a noho ana i Makaheroto. 26I turia i Makaheroto, a noho ana i Tahata. 27I turia i Tahata, a noho ana Taraha. 28I turia i Taraha, a noho ana Mitikia 29I turia i Mitika, a noho ana i Hahamona. 30I turia i Hahamona, a noho ana i Moheroto. 31I turia i Moheroto, a noho ana i Peneiaakana. 32I turia i Peneiaakana, a noho ana i Horo Hakirikara. 33I turia i Horo Hakirikara, a noho ana i Iotopata. 34I turia i Iotopata, a noho ana i Eperona. 35I turia i Eperona, a noho ana i Ehiono Kepere. 36I turia i Ehiono Kepere, a noho ana i te koraha o Hini, ara o Karehe. 37I turia i Karehe, a noho ana i Maunga Horo, i te pito o te whenua o Eroma. 38A i kake a Arona tohunga ki Maunga Horo, he mea ki mai na Ihowa, a mate iho ki reira, i te wha tekau o nga tau o te putanga mai o nga tama a Iharaira i te whenua o Ihipa, i te ra tuatahi o te rima o nga marama. 39A kotahi rau e rua tekau ma toru nga tau o Arona i tona matenga ki Maunga Horo. 40A i rongo te kingi o Arara, te Kanaani, i noho nei i te whenua o Kanaana, i te taha ki te tonga, ki te taenga mai o nga tama a Iharaira. 41A i turia e ratou i Maunga Horo, a noho ana i Taramona. 42I turia i Taramona, a noho ana i Punono. 43I turia i Punono, a noho ana i Opoto. 44I turia i Opoto, a noho ana i Iteaparimi, i nga rohe o Moapa. 45I turia i Iimi, a noho ana i Riponokara. 46I turia i Riponokara, a noho ana i Aramono Ripirataima. 47I turia i Aramono Ripirataima, a noho ana i nga maunga o Aparimi, i te ritenga atu o Nepo. 48I turia i nga maunga o Aparimi, a noho ana i nga mania o Moapa, i te wahi o Horano e tata ana ki Heriko. 49Na ka noho ratou ki te taha o Horano ki Peteietimoto, tae noa ki Aperehitimi, ki nga mania o Moapa. 50I korero ano a Ihowa ki a Mohi i nga mania o Moapa, i te wahi o Horano e tata ana ki Heriko, i mea, 51Korero ki nga tama a Iharaira, mea atu ki a ratou, E whiti koutou i Horano ki te whenua o Kanaana; 52Na me pei nga tangata whenua katoa i to koutou aroaro, me whakamoti a ratou ahua kohatu, me whakamoti katoa ano hoki a ratou whakapakoko whakarewa, ka whakakahore ano hoki i a ratou wahi teitei katoa: 53A ka tangohia te whenua e koutou, ka nohoia hoki: kua hoatu nei hoki e ahau te whenua kia nohoia e koutou. 54Me rota ta koutou tuwha i te whenua hei kainga mo o koutou hapu: he nui, kia nui tona wahi, he iti, kia iti tona wahi: hei te wahi i tika ai tona rota te wahi mo tenei, mo tenei; kia rite ki nga iwi o o koutou matua te tuwhanga o o koutou wahi. 55Ko tenei, ki te kahore e peia e koutou nga tangata whenua i to koutou aroaro; na hei koikoi i roto i o koutou kanohi nga mea o ratou e whakatoea e koutou, hei tumatakuru ano i o koutou kaokao, a ka whakatoi ratou i a koutou ki te whenua e noho a i koutou. 56Na, ko nga mea i whakaaro ahau hei meatanga ki a ratou, ka meatia e ahau ki a koutou.
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.