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 Ascent of Akrabbim,[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;[c](D) from Mount Hor draw a line to the entrance of Hamath,[d](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.[e](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 the Reubenites and the tribe of the Gadites have received their inheritance according to their ancestral houses, 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 from Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 34:2 Lit inheritance—the land of Canaan
  2. Numbers 34:4 Lit of Scorpions; Jos 15:3; Jdg 1:36
  3. Numbers 34:7 In Lebanon; Nm 20:22-28; 33:37-56
  4. Numbers 34:8 Or to Lebo-hamath
  5. Numbers 34:11 = the Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1

The Land of Canaan Is Divided

34 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the Israelites[a] and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that was allotted to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries. Your southern edge will be from the desert of Zin toward the side of Edom, and your southern border will be from the end of the Salt Sea[b] to the east; your boundary will turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim[c] and will pass over to Zin, and its limits will be from the south of Kadesh Barnea; it will continue to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon. The boundary will turn from Azmon to the valley of Egypt, and its limits will be to the sea.

“‘Your western boundary will be the Great Sea;[d] this will be your western boundary. Your northern border will be from the Great Sea;[e] you will make a boundary from the Great Sea[f] to Mount Hor. From Mount Hor you will make a boundary to reach Hamath; the limits of the territory will be at Zedad. The boundary will go out to Ziphron, and its limits will be at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary to the north.

10 “‘You will mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar Enan to Shepham; 11 the boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah from the east side of Ain, and the boundary will go down and border on the eastern side of the Sea of Kinnereth. 12 The boundary will go down to the Jordan, and its limits will be at the Salt Sea.[g] This will be your land according to its boundaries all around.’”

13 So Moses commanded the Israelites,[h] saying, “This is the land that you will obtain as an inheritance for yourself by lot, which Yahweh commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of the children of the Reubenites,[i] the children of the Gadites,[j] and the half-tribe of Manasseh took their inheritance according to the house of their families.[k] 15 The two and a half tribes have taken their inheritance from beyond the Jordan across Jericho, east toward the sunrise.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 34:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 34:3 That is, the Dead Sea
  3. Numbers 34:4 Or “Scorpions”
  4. Numbers 34:6 That is, the Mediterranean
  5. Numbers 34:7 That is, the Mediterranean
  6. Numbers 34:7 That is, the Mediterranean
  7. Numbers 34:12 That is, the Dead Sea
  8. Numbers 34:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Numbers 34:14 Hebrew “Reubenite”
  10. Numbers 34:14 Hebrew “Gadite”
  11. Numbers 34:14 Or “their fathers”