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In this next chapter, Moses outlines the Israelites’ journey to this point, and in doing so reminds them of the events that have brought them to this place. In that walk down memory lane, it can be difficult to place the locations within a linear reference of time. The entire book moves through a few months in the first 14 chapters, and suddenly it is 38 years later. After that, time seems to stand still as the people are prepared to go into the promised land. It is hard to determine when things happened in those 38 years.

33 1-2 Based on the meticulous records of departure points Moses kept, at the direction of the Eternal One, he reported that the Israelites’ wilderness journey from Egypt led by Moses and Aaron followed this itinerary: They started out from Rameses in Egypt on Month 1, day 15 (the day after observing the Passover), and were exalted before the Egyptians’ eyes (who were burying their firstborn dead, struck down by God, and whose gods the Eternal was punishing). The Israelites’ first camp after Rameses was Succoth. The next, Etham, was right where the wilderness begins. From Etham, they went toward Pi-hahiroth, facing Baal-zephon, and camped in front of Migdol. From Pi-hahiroth, they crossed the sea and entered the wilderness proper. For three days, they crossed that Etham Wilderness, stopping over at Marah and then Elim. That was a good spot to camp. Elim was an oasis with 12 springs and 70 palm trees. 10 After Elim, their next stop was at the coast of the Red Sea;[a] 11 then they camped in the Sin Wilderness. 12 After leaving Sin, they traveled to Dophkah, 13 then Alush, 14 and then Rephidim. At that point, the people were getting desperate for water and ornery on account of their discomfort and thirst. There, God told Moses to produce water for them from out of a rock.[b] 15 After that, the Sinai Wilderness. 16-17 Their stopping places after Sinai were first Kibroth-hattaavah, then Hazeroth. 18-23 They camped as they moved from place to place through Rithmah, Rimmon-perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, and Mount Shepher. 24-27 From there they moved through Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, and Terah. 28-33 Continuing their journey from place to place, they went through Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-jaakan, Hor-haggidgad, and Jotbathah. 34-37 They camped in Abronah, Ezion-geber, Kadesh (in the Zin Wilderness), and then Mount Hor (on the Edomite border). 38 It was at Mount Hor that Aaron the priest went up the mountain and died as the Eternal said he would. That was in the 40th year after the Israelites had left Egypt, and it happened on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. 40 That was also when the Canaanite king of Arad, from the Negev region, caught wind of the Israelites’ arrival and attacked them.

One battle between the Amorites (a people of Canaan) and the Israelites seems to be mentioned in four different passages (14:45; 21:1; 33:40; Deuteronomy 1:44). In this chapter, Moses is looking back at what has brought them to this place, ready to enter the land. He rehearses the death of Aaron (20:27–29) and the battle that followed. Initially, the Amorites overcome the Israelites at Hormah (14:45; 33:40; Deuteronomy 1:44) and take prisoners (21:1). Then with the Lord’s help, the Israelites rebound to defeat the king of Arad and rescue the people who have been captured (21:2–4). For some reason, this battle is mentioned in different contexts three times and with two different outcomes.

41-47 After Mount Hor, their next camp site was Zalmonah, then Punon, Oboth, Iye-abarim (on Moab’s border), Dibon-gad, Almon-diblathaim, and Nebo’s foothills of Abarim. 48 From Abarim, they set up camp on the flatlands of Moab, on the western banks of the Jordan River, east of Jericho. 49 Their camp stretched from Beth-jeshimoth on the riverbank to Abel-shittim in the flatlands.

50 In that Moabite flatland, next to the Jordan, east of Jericho, the Eternal One told Moses to speak to the people.

Moses is instructed to remind the people of their mission to take the land and utterly decimate the peoples who are presently living there.

Eternal One: 51 Tell this new generation of Israelites that as soon as they cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 they must make its inhabitants flee. They must obliterate any carved or molded images of other gods and goddesses and the high places where they’re worshiped. 53 Tell them they must take that land. I promised it to them and have determined they should live in it as their own. 54 Divide it up among the people by clan, and make decisions about who gets what partly based on the size of the groups. But once you’ve made that rough distinction, draw lots for the specific territories. Whatever you draw, that’s how the land shall be allotted. Each of the tribes from Jacob’s extended families shall have their own land. 55 If they do not fully conquer and take the land from its native inhabitants, those remaining people will be a constant irritation, causing trouble and annoyance like thorns in their eyes and barbs in their sides 56 because if they don’t fully dispossess the present occupants, I will do to the Israelites what I would have done to the Canaanites.

Footnotes

  1. 33:10 Literally, Sea of Reeds
  2. 33:14 Exodus 17:1

从埃及到约旦河

33 以下是以色列人在摩西和亚伦的领导下离开埃及列队行军的路线。 摩西遵照耶和华的吩咐记录启行的地点,以下是他们停留过的地方。

一月十五日,即逾越节的第二天,埃及人眼睁睁地看着以色列人昂首挺胸地离开了兰塞。 当时埃及人正埋葬他们的长子,耶和华击杀了他们的长子,并借此惩罚了他们的众神明。 以色列人从兰塞启行,至疏割扎营; 从疏割启行,至旷野边界的以倘扎营; 从以倘启行,又折回巴力·洗分对面的比哈·希录,在密夺附近扎营; 从比哈·希录启行,经过红海到书珥旷野,在伊坦旷野走了三天,至玛拉扎营; 从玛拉启行,至以琳扎营,那里有十二股水泉和七十棵棕树; 10 从以琳启行,至红海岸边扎营; 11 从红海启行,至汛旷野扎营; 12 从汛旷野启行,至脱加扎营; 13 从脱加启行,至亚录扎营; 14 从亚录启行,至利非订扎营,在那里民众没有水喝; 15 从利非订启行,至西奈旷野扎营; 16 从西奈旷野启行,至基博罗·哈他瓦扎营; 17 从基博罗·哈他瓦启行,至哈洗录扎营; 18 从哈洗录启行,至利提玛扎营; 19 从利提玛启行,至临门·帕烈扎营; 20 从临门·帕烈启行,至立拿扎营; 21 从立拿启行,至勒撒扎营; 22 从勒撒启行,至基希拉他扎营; 23 从基希拉他启行,至沙斐山扎营; 24 从沙斐山启行,至哈拉大扎营; 25 从哈拉大启行,至玛吉希录扎营; 26 从玛吉希录启行,至他哈扎营; 27 从他哈启行,至他拉扎营; 28 从他拉启行,至密加扎营; 29 从密加启行,至哈摩拿扎营; 30 从哈摩拿启行,至摩西录扎营; 31 从摩西录启行,至比尼·亚干扎营; 32 从比尼·亚干启行,至曷·哈吉甲扎营; 33 从曷·哈吉甲启行,至约巴他扎营; 34 从约巴他启行,至阿博拿扎营; 35 从阿博拿启行,至以旬·迦别扎营; 36 从以旬·迦别启行,至荀旷野的加低斯扎营; 37 从加低斯启行,至以东边界的何珥山扎营。

38 以色列人离开埃及后的第四十年五月一日,亚伦祭司遵照耶和华的吩咐上了何珥山,并在那里离世, 39 享年一百二十三岁。

40 在南地的迦南人亚拉得王得知了以色列人要来的消息。

41 以色列人从何珥山启行,至撒摩拿扎营; 42 从撒摩拿启行,至普嫩扎营; 43 从普嫩启行,至阿伯扎营; 44 从阿伯启行,至摩押边境的以耶·亚巴琳扎营; 45 从以耶·亚巴琳启行,至底本·迦得扎营; 46 从底本·迦得启行,至亚门·低比拉太音扎营; 47 从亚门·低比拉太音启行,至尼波对面的亚巴琳山扎营; 48 从亚巴琳山启行,至耶利哥对面、约旦河边的摩押平原扎营。 49 他们沿着约旦河在摩押平原扎营,营地从伯·耶施末一直延伸到亚伯·什亭。

50 耶和华在耶利哥对面、约旦河边的摩押平原对摩西说: 51 “你告诉以色列人,‘你们过约旦河进了迦南以后, 52 一定要赶走当地的居民,毁掉他们一切的石像和铸像,拆毁他们所有的丘坛。 53 你们要占领那片土地,住在那里,因为我已经把那里赐给你们作产业了。 54 你们要按宗族家系抽签分配土地,人口多的多分,人口少的少分,抽到哪块地就得哪块地。 55 如果你们不赶走那里的居民,留下来的人必成为你们眼里的刺和肋旁的荆棘,在你们所居之地搅扰你们, 56 我也会用预备对付他们的方法来对付你们。’”