King James 3 - The Literal Translation

1These are the journeyings of the sons of Israel who went out from the land of Egypt according to their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2And Moses wrote their pullings up according to their goings forth by the mouth of Jehovah. And these are their pullings up of stakes, according to their goings forth 3And they pulled up stakes from Rameses in the first month on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the next day after the Passover the sons of Israel went out with a high hand, before the eyes of all the Egyptians.  4And the Egyptians were burying those whom Jehovah had executed among them, every first-born, and Jehovah had executed judgments on their gods. 5And the sons of Israel pulled up stakes from Rameses and camped in Succoth. 6And they pulled up stakes from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 7And they pulled up stakes from Etham and turned back to Pihahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon; and they camped before Migdol. 8And they pulled up stakes from Pihahiroth and passed over through the midst of the Sea, into the wilderness, and went a journey of three days in the wilderness of Etham, and camped at Marah. 9And they pulled up stakes from Marah and came to Elim. And in Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. And they camped there. 10And they pulled up stakes from Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds. 11And they pulled up stakes from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12And they pulled up stakes from the wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah. 13And they pulled up stakes from Dophkah and camped in Alush. 14And they pulled up stakes from Alush and camped in Rephidim; and no water was there for the people to drink. 15And they pulled up stakes from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16And they pulled up stakes from the wilderness of Sinai and camped in The Graves of Lust. 17And they pulled up stakes from The Graves of Lust and camped in Hazeroth. 18And they pulled up stakes from Hazeroth and camped in Rithmah. 19And they pulled up stakes from Rithmah and camped in The Pomegranate Breach. 20And they pulled up stakes from The Pomegranate Breach and camped in Libnah. 21And they pulled up stakes from Libnah and camped in Rissah. 22And they pulled up stakes from Rissah and camped in the Meeting Place. 23And they pulled up stakes from the Meeting Place and camped in Mount Shapher. 24And they pulled up stakes from Mount Shapher and camped in Haradah. 25And they pulled up stakes from Haradah and encamped in Makheloth. 26And they pulled up stakes from Makheloth and camped in Tahath. 27And they pulled up stakes from Tahath and camped in Tarah. 28And they pulled up stakes from Tarah and camped in Mithcah. 29And they pulled up stakes from Mithcah and camped in Hashmonah. 30And they pulled up stakes from Hashmonah and camped in Moseroth. 31And they pulled up stakes from Moseroth and camped in Bene-jaakan. 32And they pulled up stakes from Benejaakan and camped in The Hole in the Cleft. 33And they pulled up stakes from The Hole in the Cleft and camped in Jotbathah. 34And they pulled up stakes from Jotbathah and camped in Ebronah. 35And they pulled up stakes from Ebronah and camped in Ezion-geber. 36And they pulled up stakes from Eziongeber and camped in the wilderness of Zin; it is Kadesh. 37And they pulled up stakes from Kadesh and camped in Mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom. 38And Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the mouth of Jehovah; and he died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month. 39And Aaron was a hundred and twentythree years old at his death in Mount Hor. 40And King Arad the Canaanite, who lived in the Negeb, in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the sons of Israel. 41And they pulled up stakes from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah. 42And they pulled up stakes from Zalmonah and camped in Punon. 43And they pulled up stakes from Punon and camped in Oboth. 44And they pulled up stakes from Oboth and camped in Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab. 45And they pulled up stakes from Ijeabarim and camped in Dibon-gad. 46And they pulled up stakes from Dibongad and camped in Almon-diblathaim. 47And they pulled up stakes from Almondiblathaim and camped in the Abarim mountains, by Nebo. 48And they pulled up stakes from the Abarim mountains and camped in the plains of Moab beside Jordan, near Jericho. 49And they camped by the Jordan, from The House of Deserts even to The Meadow of Acacias in the plains of Moab. 50And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, beside Jordan, near Jericho, saying, 51Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then you shall dispossess all the ones living in the land from before you, and destroy all their engraved images; yea, you shall destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places. 53And you shall possess the land, and live in it, for I have given you the land, to possess it. 54And you shall inherit the land by lot, by your families. You shall increase the inheritance to the many, and you shall diminish the inheritance to the few; wherever the lot falls out to him, it is his. You shall inherit by the tribes of your fathers. 55And if you will not dispossess the ones living in the land from before you, then it shall be, those whom you let remain of them shall be thorns in your eyes, and as goads in your sides. And they will distress you on the land in which you are living. 56And it shall be, as I thought to do to them, so I shall do to you.


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.