New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Numbers 34
1
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
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"Give the people of Israel a command. Tell them, 'You are going to enter Canaan. The land will be given to you as your own. Here are the borders it will have.
Reference
3
" 'Your southern border will include some of the Desert of Zin. It will be along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern border will start from the end of the Dead Sea.
Reference
4
It will cross south of Scorpion Pass. It will continue on to Zin. From there it will go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon.
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
Numbers 32:8
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There it will turn and join the Wadi of Egypt. It will come to an end at the Mediterranean Sea.
Reference
📍 Locations
6
" 'Your western border will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. That will be your border on the west.
📍 Great Sea
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" 'For your northern border, run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor.
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
Numbers 33:37
8
Continue it from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the border will go to Zedad.
Reference
📍 Locations
9
It will continue to Ziphron. It will come to an end at Hazar Enan. That will be your border on the north.
Reference
📍 Locations
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 47:17
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" 'For your eastern border, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham.
📍 Locations
11
The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah. Riblah is on the east side of Ain. From there the border will continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee.
Reference
📍 Locations
12
Then the border will go down along the Jordan River. It will come to an end at the Dead Sea. " 'That will be your land. And those will be its borders on every side.' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 34:3
13
Moses gave the people of Israel a command. He said, "Use lots when you give out the land. Each tribe will have its own share. The Lord has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes.
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"The families of the tribes of Reuben and Gad have already received their shares. The families of half of the tribe of Manasseh have also received their share.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 32:33
15
Those two and a half tribes have received their shares east of the Jordan River. It flows near Jericho. Their land is toward the sunrise."
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The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
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"Here are the names of the men who will give out the shares of the land to your people. They are the priest Eleazar and Joshua, the son of Nun.
Reference
18
Also appoint one leader from each tribe to help give out the land.
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Hanniel, the son of Ephod, is the leader from the tribe of Manasseh. Manasseh was the son of Joseph.
People
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Kemuel, the son of Shiphtan, is the leader from the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim was the son of Joseph.
People
29
Those are the men the Lord commanded to give out the shares of the land. They were commanded to give them to Israel in the land of Canaan.
Summary of Numbers 34
Numbers chapter 34 tells us the boundaries of the land that Israel will inherit within Canaan. Having wandered in the wilderness for many years, the Israelites were about to enter the land that God had promised to them, and the chapter begins by telling us what those borders were and who was chosen to divide the land by lot.
The Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River that he should instruct the children of Israel concerning the land of Canaan. He was to tell them that it would be their inheritance according to its borders.
Their southern border would be the wilderness of Zin near the border of Edom. It would run along the southern shore of the Dead Sea and up to the ascent of Akrabbim. It would then travel through Zin to the south of Kadesh-barnea and end at Hazar-addar and Azmon, which led to the river of Egypt that ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
Their western border was the Great Sea or Mediterranean. The northern border was to begin at the Great Sea and go up towards Mount Hor and past Hamath’s entrance to Zedad, Ziphron, and Hazar-enan. This border then ended at Hazar-enan. Their eastern border was to begin at Hazar-enan and go to Shepham and on to Riblah east of Ain. Along the border were the Sea of Chinnereth, the Jordan River, and the Salt Sea.
These are the borders of the land that was Israel’s future inheritance. The chapter is specific about the places that make up the borders because Israel was not going to be wandering in Canaan. Instead, the land would be divided as Israel’s inheritance.
The chapter informs us that the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had their inheritance on the east of the Jordan. This section of Scripture tells us that the nine and a half tribes were to share the inheritance of the land of Canaan with the Levites receiving the cities and their surrounding areas.
The chapter then names the people who would be responsible for dividing the land. Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun were to do this work. Eleazar represented the priesthood, and Joshua represented the new ruler of Israel who would lead them into Canaan. The Lord told Moses to choose one leader from each tribe to assist Eleazar and Joshua. From the tribe of Judah came Caleb the son of Jephunneh and from the tribe of Simeon came Samuel the son of Ammihud. Elidad the son of Chislon represented the tribe of Benjamin.
Bukki the son of Jogli represented the tribe of Dan, while Hanniel the son of Ephod represented the tribe of Manasseh, which was the tribe of Joseph. Kemuel the son of Shiphtan was the representative for the tribe of Ephraim, while Elizaphan the son of Parnach represented the tribe of Zebulun. Paltiel the son of Azzan spoke for the tribe of Issachar, and Ahihud the son of Shelomi was the representative for the tribe of Asher. Pedahel the son of Ammihud spoke for the tribe of Naphtali.
These men were chosen to divide the land of Canaan among the children of Israel. They were not chosen from among the families of Israel but from the leaders of the tribes. We are told their names because the division of the land would be an orderly process according to the directions from the Lord and not to the whim of every Israelite family.
This chapter reminds us of God’s promise to His people that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would inherit the land that He was about to give to the Israelites. It was an inheritance that was promised to them long before any of them were ever there to claim it.
It is interesting to note how meticulous God is about Israel’s inheritance. It almost seems that the Lord does not want them to settle for less than the best. The Lord did not want Israel to arrive in Canaan and have the most pious families claim the choicest parts of the land. He did not want them to take the territory belonging to the most powerful tribes of Canaan. The land was God’s gift, not the prize that the strongest families had won.
We can read the chapter and realize that Israel is not going to have a democracy. Every tribe will not choose its land. They will have Joshua to lead them, and he will have Eleazar the priest to help guide Israel as they set up their society in Canaan. Moses was going to die before they crossed the Jordan. The orderly distribution of the land was a way for Joshua to prepare for his future reign as ruler of the Israelites just as the Lord had prepared Moses for his leadership role.
The division of the land among the tribes meant that Eleazar had an important role to play as the Israelites entered Canaan. This division also meant that the land was an inheritance from the Lord, not a prize that was due to the strongest tribes.
Numbers 34 may seem to be a chapter about geography, but in reality, it is much more important than that. It tells us that the Lord has given Israel a border of a country where they will live in their own land with their own borders. Israel was no longer just wandering in circles in the wilderness. They were arriving at a place where they could call themselves a nation and start living among these borders. Each tribe had its responsibilities, families were to make room for one another, and leaders were to take up their posts so that Israel could organize itself as a nation in Canaan.
We see the connection between this chapter and the promises that God made to Abraham and Isaac in the fact that the Lord told Moses to instruct the children of Israel concerning the land of Canaan. God was not making a new promise, but rather reminding them of the one that He had made ages ago.
This chapter connects us to the promises of God because the Israelites were about to enter into the land that God had promised to them. It reminds us that God provides what he promises, and that everything that He gives is by His will and not by the desires of men.
It is no surprise that these promises and directions come through Joshua, who was the son of Nun and the future leader of Israel. Moses was not going to rule Israel for long, and he knew that he needed to prepare them for his successor.
Joshua was not alone either. Eleazar the high priest also helped lead Israel into Canaan. It was important for Israel that both the religious and tribal leaderships were present as they divided up the land that they would call their own.
Numbers 34 tells us that Israel was about to come into possession of a new land and that they would each have a piece of it. The people would not have freedom in deciding which portions they would take. They would come into Canaan as a country with well-defined borders and an orderly distribution of the land according to the will of the Lord.
The Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River that he should instruct the children of Israel concerning the land of Canaan. He was to tell them that it would be their inheritance according to its borders.
Their southern border would be the wilderness of Zin near the border of Edom. It would run along the southern shore of the Dead Sea and up to the ascent of Akrabbim. It would then travel through Zin to the south of Kadesh-barnea and end at Hazar-addar and Azmon, which led to the river of Egypt that ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
Their western border was the Great Sea or Mediterranean. The northern border was to begin at the Great Sea and go up towards Mount Hor and past Hamath’s entrance to Zedad, Ziphron, and Hazar-enan. This border then ended at Hazar-enan. Their eastern border was to begin at Hazar-enan and go to Shepham and on to Riblah east of Ain. Along the border were the Sea of Chinnereth, the Jordan River, and the Salt Sea.
These are the borders of the land that was Israel’s future inheritance. The chapter is specific about the places that make up the borders because Israel was not going to be wandering in Canaan. Instead, the land would be divided as Israel’s inheritance.
The chapter informs us that the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had their inheritance on the east of the Jordan. This section of Scripture tells us that the nine and a half tribes were to share the inheritance of the land of Canaan with the Levites receiving the cities and their surrounding areas.
The chapter then names the people who would be responsible for dividing the land. Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun were to do this work. Eleazar represented the priesthood, and Joshua represented the new ruler of Israel who would lead them into Canaan. The Lord told Moses to choose one leader from each tribe to assist Eleazar and Joshua. From the tribe of Judah came Caleb the son of Jephunneh and from the tribe of Simeon came Samuel the son of Ammihud. Elidad the son of Chislon represented the tribe of Benjamin.
Bukki the son of Jogli represented the tribe of Dan, while Hanniel the son of Ephod represented the tribe of Manasseh, which was the tribe of Joseph. Kemuel the son of Shiphtan was the representative for the tribe of Ephraim, while Elizaphan the son of Parnach represented the tribe of Zebulun. Paltiel the son of Azzan spoke for the tribe of Issachar, and Ahihud the son of Shelomi was the representative for the tribe of Asher. Pedahel the son of Ammihud spoke for the tribe of Naphtali.
These men were chosen to divide the land of Canaan among the children of Israel. They were not chosen from among the families of Israel but from the leaders of the tribes. We are told their names because the division of the land would be an orderly process according to the directions from the Lord and not to the whim of every Israelite family.
This chapter reminds us of God’s promise to His people that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would inherit the land that He was about to give to the Israelites. It was an inheritance that was promised to them long before any of them were ever there to claim it.
It is interesting to note how meticulous God is about Israel’s inheritance. It almost seems that the Lord does not want them to settle for less than the best. The Lord did not want Israel to arrive in Canaan and have the most pious families claim the choicest parts of the land. He did not want them to take the territory belonging to the most powerful tribes of Canaan. The land was God’s gift, not the prize that the strongest families had won.
We can read the chapter and realize that Israel is not going to have a democracy. Every tribe will not choose its land. They will have Joshua to lead them, and he will have Eleazar the priest to help guide Israel as they set up their society in Canaan. Moses was going to die before they crossed the Jordan. The orderly distribution of the land was a way for Joshua to prepare for his future reign as ruler of the Israelites just as the Lord had prepared Moses for his leadership role.
The division of the land among the tribes meant that Eleazar had an important role to play as the Israelites entered Canaan. This division also meant that the land was an inheritance from the Lord, not a prize that was due to the strongest tribes.
Numbers 34 may seem to be a chapter about geography, but in reality, it is much more important than that. It tells us that the Lord has given Israel a border of a country where they will live in their own land with their own borders. Israel was no longer just wandering in circles in the wilderness. They were arriving at a place where they could call themselves a nation and start living among these borders. Each tribe had its responsibilities, families were to make room for one another, and leaders were to take up their posts so that Israel could organize itself as a nation in Canaan.
We see the connection between this chapter and the promises that God made to Abraham and Isaac in the fact that the Lord told Moses to instruct the children of Israel concerning the land of Canaan. God was not making a new promise, but rather reminding them of the one that He had made ages ago.
This chapter connects us to the promises of God because the Israelites were about to enter into the land that God had promised to them. It reminds us that God provides what he promises, and that everything that He gives is by His will and not by the desires of men.
It is no surprise that these promises and directions come through Joshua, who was the son of Nun and the future leader of Israel. Moses was not going to rule Israel for long, and he knew that he needed to prepare them for his successor.
Joshua was not alone either. Eleazar the high priest also helped lead Israel into Canaan. It was important for Israel that both the religious and tribal leaderships were present as they divided up the land that they would call their own.
Numbers 34 tells us that Israel was about to come into possession of a new land and that they would each have a piece of it. The people would not have freedom in deciding which portions they would take. They would come into Canaan as a country with well-defined borders and an orderly distribution of the land according to the will of the Lord.