Numbers 34:1-15
New English Translation
The Southern Border of the Land
34 [a] Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Give these instructions[b] to the Israelites, and tell them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance,[c] the land of Canaan with its borders, 3 your southern border[d] will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the Edomite border, and your southern border will run eastward to the extremity of the Salt Sea, 4 and then the border will turn from the south to the Scorpion Ascent,[e] continue to Zin, and then its direction[f] will be from the south to Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon. 5 There the border will turn from Azmon to the Stream of Egypt, and then its direction is to the sea.[g]
The Western Border of the Land
6 “‘And for a western border[h] you will have the Great Sea.[i] This will be your western border.
The Northern Border of the Land
7 “‘And this will be your northern border: From the Great Sea you will draw a line to Mount Hor; 8 from Mount Hor you will draw a line to Lebo Hamath,[j] and the direction of the border will be to Zedad. 9 The border will continue to Ziphron, and its direction will be to Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.
The Eastern Border of the Land
10 “‘For your eastern border you will draw a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 11 The border will run down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, and the border will descend and reach the eastern side of the Sea of Kinnereth.[k] 12 Then the border will continue down the Jordan River[l] and its direction will be to the Salt Sea. This will be your land by its borders that surround it.’”
13 Then Moses commanded the Israelites: “This is the land that you will inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to be given[m] to the nine-and-a-half tribes, 14 because the tribe of the Reubenites by their families,[n] the tribe of the Gadites by their families, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. 15 The two-and-a-half tribes have received their inheritance on this side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
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- Numbers 34:1 sn This chapter falls into several sections: the south (vv. 1-5), the west (v. 6), the north (vv. 7-9), the east (vv. 10-15), and then a list of appointed officials (vv. 16-29).
- Numbers 34:2 tn Or “command.”
- Numbers 34:2 tn Heb “this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance.”
- Numbers 34:3 tn The expression refers to the corner or extremity of the Negev, the South.
- Numbers 34:4 tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [ʿaqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).
- Numbers 34:4 tn Heb “its going forth,” or the way it runs.
- Numbers 34:5 sn That is, the Mediterranean.
- Numbers 34:6 tn The word for west is simply “sea,” because the sea is west of Israel.
- Numbers 34:6 sn That is, the Mediterranean Sea (also in the following verse).
- Numbers 34:8 tn Or “to the entrance to Hamath.”
- Numbers 34:11 tn Or “the Sea of Galilee” (so NLT); NCV, TEV, CEV “Lake Galilee.”sn The word means “harp.” The lake (or sea) of Galilee was so named because it is shaped somewhat like a harp.
- Numbers 34:12 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 34:13 tn The infinitive forms the direct object of what the Lord commanded. It actually means “to give,” but without an expressed subject may be made passive.
- Numbers 34:14 tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also a little later in this verse.
Numbers 34:1-15
International Standard Version
Boundaries of the Land
34 The Lord told Moses, 2 “Issue these orders to the Israelis: ‘You’re about to enter the land of Canaan. This territory has been apportioned to you as your inheritance: the entire land of Canaan, all the way to its borders.’”
The Southern Border of Israel
3 “‘To your south is the Wilderness of Zin, bordering Edom. Your southern border is to extend east toward the far end of the Dead[a] Sea, 4 then it is to turn southward to the ascent of Akrabbim, cross Zin, and then run south of Kadesh-barnea and proceed from there to Hazar-addar and across to Azmon. 5 Then the border is to turn from Azmon toward the wadi[b] of Egypt and from there to the Mediterranean[c] Sea.’”
The Western Border of Israel
6 “‘The western[d] border is to be the Mediterranean[e] Sea. This is to be the western border.’”
The Northern Border of Israel
7 “‘Your northern border is to extend from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor. 8 From Mount Hor, you are to mark out the entrance to Hammath, with the border running through Zedad, 9 then through Ziphron, and then to Hazar-enan. This is to be the northern border.’”
The Eastern Border of Israel
10 “‘You are to mark the border on the east from Hazar-enan to Shepham. 11 The border is then to extend from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, then to the Sea of Chinnereth[f] on the east. 12 The border is to continue along the Jordan River all the way to the Dead Sea. This is to be your land, as measured by its boundaries.’”
Assigning Tribal Responsibilities
13 Moses commanded the Israelis, “You are to inherit this land by lot, just as the Lord commanded to give it to the remaining[g] nine and a half tribes. 14 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, as defined by their ancestral houses, have received their inheritance. 15 These two and a half tribes received their inheritance this side of the Jordan River, east of Jericho, facing the rising sun.”
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- Numbers 34:3 Lit. Salt; and so in 34:12
- Numbers 34:5 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
- Numbers 34:5 The Heb. lacks Mediterranean
- Numbers 34:6 Lit. sea
- Numbers 34:6 Lit. Great; and so throughout the chapter
- Numbers 34:11 I.e. the Sea of Galilee
- Numbers 34:13 The Heb. lacks remaining
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