1Voici les étapes des enfants d'Israël, qui sortirent du pays d'Égypte, selon leurs armées, sous la conduite de Moïse et d'Aaron. 2Or Moïse écrivit leurs marches selon leurs étapes, sur le commandement de YEHOVAH. Voici donc leurs étapes, selon leurs marches. 3Les enfants d'Israël partirent de Ramsès le premier mois, au quinzième jour du premier mois, le lendemain de la Pâque; ils sortirent à main levée, à la vue de tous les Égyptiens. 4Et les Égyptiens ensevelissaient ceux que YEHOVAH avait frappés parmi eux, tous les premiers-nés; YEHOVAH avait même exercé des jugements sur leurs dieux. 5Et les enfants d'Israël partirent de Ramsès, et campèrent à Succoth. 6Ils partirent de Succoth, et campèrent à Étham, qui est au bout du désert. 7Puis ils partirent d'Étham, se détournèrent vers Pi-Hahiroth, qui est en face de Baal-Tsephon, et campèrent devant Migdol. 8Et ils partirent de devant Pi-Hahiroth, passèrent au milieu de la mer, vers le désert, allèrent trois jours de chemin par le désert d'Étham, et campèrent à Mara. 9Puis ils partirent de Mara et vinrent à Élim; or il y avait à Élim douze sources d'eaux et soixante-dix palmiers; et ils y campèrent. 10Ils partirent d'Élim, et campèrent près de la mer Rouge. 11Puis ils partirent de la mer Rouge, et campèrent au désert de Sin. 12Et ils partirent du désert de Sin, et campèrent à Dophka. 13Et ils partirent de Dophka, et campèrent à Alush. 14Et ils partirent d'Alush, et campèrent à Rephidim, où il n'y avait point d'eau à boire pour le peuple. 15Et ils partirent de Rephidim, et campèrent au désert de Sinaï. 16Ensuite ils partirent du désert de Sinaï, et campèrent à Kibroth-Hatthaava. 17Et ils partirent de Kibroth-Hatthaava, et campèrent à Hatséroth. 18Puis ils partirent de Hatséroth, et campèrent à Rithma. 19Et ils partirent de Rithma et campèrent à Rimmon-Pérets. 20Et ils partirent de Rimmon-Pérets, et campèrent à Libna. 21Et ils partirent de Libna, et campèrent à Rissa. 22Ensuite ils partirent de Rissa, et campèrent à Kéhélatha. 23Et ils partirent de Kéhélatha, et campèrent à la montagne de Shapher. 24Et ils partirent de la montagne de Shapher, et campèrent à Harada. 25Et ils partirent de Harada, et campèrent à Makhéloth. 26Puis ils partirent de Makhéloth, et campèrent à Tahath. 27Et ils partirent de Tahath, et campèrent à Tarach. 28Et ils partirent de Tarach, et campèrent à Mithka. 29Et ils partirent de Mithka, et campèrent à Hashmona. 30Et ils partirent de Hashmona, et campèrent à Moséroth. 31Et ils partirent de Moséroth, et campèrent à Bené-Jaakan. 32Et ils partirent de Bené-Jaakan, et campèrent à Hor-Guidgad. 33Et ils partirent de Hor-Guidgad, et campèrent à Jotbatha. 34Et ils partirent de Jotbatha, et campèrent à Abrona. 35Et ils partirent de Abrona, et campèrent à Etsjon-Guéber. 36Et ils partirent d'Etsjon-Guéber, et campèrent au désert de Tsin, qui est Kadès. 37Ensuite ils partirent de Kadès, et campèrent à la montagne de Hor, à l'extrémité du pays d'Édom. 38Et Aaron, le sacrificateur, monta sur la montagne de Hor, suivant l'ordre de YEHOVAH, et il y mourut, dans la quarantième année après que les enfants d'Israël furent sortis du pays d'Égypte, le cinquième mois, le premier jour du mois. 39Et Aaron était âgé de cent vingt-trois ans, quand il mourut sur la montagne de Hor. 40Alors le Cananéen, roi d'Arad, qui habitait le Midi du pays de Canaan, apprit que les enfants d'Israël venaient. 41Et ils partirent de la montagne de Hor, et campèrent à Tsalmona. 42Et ils partirent de Tsalmona, et campèrent à Punon. 43Et ils partirent de Punon, et campèrent à Oboth. 44Puis ils partirent d'Oboth, et campèrent à Ijjé-Abarim, sur la frontière de Moab. 45Et ils partirent d'Ijjé-Abarim, et campèrent à Dibon-Gad. 46Et ils partirent de Dibon-Gad, et campèrent à Almon-Diblathaïm. 47Puis ils partirent d'Almon-Diblathaïm, et campèrent aux montagnes d'Abarim, devant Nébo. 48Et ils partirent des montagnes d'Abarim, et campèrent dans les plaines de Moab, près du Jourdain de Jérico. 49Et ils campèrent près du Jourdain, depuis Beth-Jeshimoth jusqu'à Abel-Sittim, dans les plaines de Moab. 50Or YEHOVAH parla à Moïse dans les plaines de Moab, près du Jourdain de Jérico, en disant: 51Parle aux enfants d'Israël, et dis-leur: Lorsque vous aurez passé le Jourdain pour entrer au pays de Canaan, 52Vous chasserez de devant vous tous les habitants du pays, vous détruirez toutes leurs figures, vous détruirez toutes leurs images de fonte, et vous démolirez tous leurs hauts lieux; 53Et vous prendrez possession du pays, et vous y habiterez. Car je vous ai donné le pays pour le posséder. 54Vous partagerez le pays par le sort, selon vos familles. À ceux qui sont en grand nombre, vous donnerez plus d'héritage, et à ceux qui sont en petit nombre, tu donneras moins d'héritage; chacun l'aura là où il lui sera échu par le sort; vous ferez le partage selon les tribus de vos pères. 55Mais si vous ne chassez pas devant vous les habitants du pays, ceux d'entre eux que vous aurez laissés de reste seront des épines dans vos yeux et des pointes dans vos côtés, et ils vous serreront de près dans le pays dont vous serez les habitants; 56Et il arrivera que je vous ferai comme j'ai eu dessein de leur faire.
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.