Boundaries of the Promised Land

34 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance[a] with these borders:

Your southern side will be from the Wilderness of Zin along the boundary of Edom. Your southern border on the east will begin at the east end of the Dead Sea. Your border will turn south of the Scorpions’ Ascent,[b] proceed to Zin, and end south of Kadesh-barnea. It will go to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon.(A) The border will turn from Azmon(B) to the Brook of Egypt,(C) where it will end at the Mediterranean Sea.

Your western border will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea; this will be your western border.

This will be your northern border: From the Mediterranean Sea draw a line to Mount Hor;(D) from Mount Hor draw a line to the entrance of Hamath,[c](E) and the border will reach Zedad.(F) Then the border will go to Ziphron and end at Hazar-enan.(G) This will be your northern border.

10 For your eastern border, draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham. 11 The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah east of Ain.(H) It will continue down and reach the eastern slope of the Sea of Chinnereth.[d](I) 12 Then the border will go down to the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land defined by its borders on all sides.”

13 So Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the Lord commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of Reuben’s descendants and the tribe of Gad’s descendants have received their inheritance according to their ancestral families,[e] and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance. 15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance(J) across the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

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Footnotes

  1. 34:2 Lit inheritance—the land of Canaan
  2. 34:4 Lit of Scorpions; Jos 15:3; Jdg 1:36
  3. 34:8 Or to Lebo-hamath
  4. 34:11 = the Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1
  5. 34:14 Lit the house of their fathers

Boundaries of the Land

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries. The southern portion of your country will extend from the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea.[a] It will then run south past Scorpion Pass[b] in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon. From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.[c]

“Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

“Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hor, then to Lebo-hamath, and on through Zedad and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary.

10 “The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-enan and run south to Shepham, 11 then down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee,[d] 12 and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land.”

13 Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The Lord has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes. 14 The families of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their grants of land 15 on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho toward the sunrise.”

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Footnotes

  1. 34:3 Hebrew Salt Sea; also in 34:12.
  2. 34:4 Or the ascent of Akrabbim.
  3. 34:5 Hebrew the sea; also in 34:6, 7.
  4. 34:11 Hebrew Sea of Kinnereth.