In Numbers 33, God instructed Moses, that Israel was to “drive out” the inhabitants of the lands. They are to invade and conquer. And, if they let any of the inhabitants remain, they will “barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides.” And, God will do to Israel as He ought to do the previous inhabitants if they don’t drive out everyone. Numbers 34 picks up here and God instructs Moses on the boundaries of the lands and the Tribal Chiefs that shall inherit the land. The details can take away from the big picture here—God is specifically defining a promise. It’s a promise He is making. It’s instructions on how to divide up the land before Israel has it. This is important in the grand narrative of the Pentateuch because GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES. God is faithful.
Numbers 34
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), 3 your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border shall run from the end of the Salt Sea on the east. 4 And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon. 5 And the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its limit shall be at the sea.
6 “For the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast. This shall be your western border.
7 “This shall be your northern border: from the Great Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor. 8 From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad. 9 Then the border shall extend to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.
10 “You shall draw a line for your eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham. 11 And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east. 12 And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.”
13 Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you shall inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. 14 For the tribe of the people of Reuben by fathers’ houses and the tribe of the people of Gad by their fathers’ houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh. 15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
List of Tribal Chiefs
16 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 You shall take one chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. 19 These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20 Of the tribe of the people of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22 Of the tribe of the people of Dan a chief, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23 Of the people of Joseph: of the tribe of the people of Manasseh a chief, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24 And of the tribe of the people of Ephraim a chief, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25 Of the tribe of the people of Zebulun a chief, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26 Of the tribe of the people of Issachar a chief, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27 And of the tribe of the people of Asher a chief, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28 Of the tribe of the people of Naphtali a chief, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” 29 These are the men whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.
[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?
+ What is God describing to Moses? [v1—15]
+ What people are to inherit the land? [v16—29]
[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?
+ Is there a sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ How can you, today, focus on God’s faithfulness?
[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?
+ What is my next step?
+ Who, today, can you share a message of faithfulness with?
STUDY GUIDE [ WWW.ESV.ORG ]
+ Num. 34:1–15 God promised Abraham that his descendants would be given “all the land of Canaan” (Gen. 17:8). Here the Lord describes the borders of the Promised Land. The boundary is not always clear. In general terms, Canaan consisted of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River plus modern Lebanon and a portion of modern Syria.
+ Num. 34:1–6 The southern border of the Promised Land runs from the southern end of the Dead Sea (the Salt Sea), south of Kadesh-barnea, to the Mediterranean coast, west of Gaza (the Brook of Egypt). The western border of the Promised Land is the Mediterranean (the Great Sea).
+ Num. 34:7–9 The northern border of the Promised Land runs from the Mediterranean, north of Byblos, to Hazar-enan, which was perhaps an oasis on the edge of the desert east of Zedad.
+ Num. 34:10–15 The eastern border of the Promised Land is the hardest to define. From Hazar-enan it apparently runs southward along the edge of the desert before swinging westward to the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Chinnereth). From there it runs south along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea.
+ Num. 34:16–29 The men who divide the land are the chiefs of the 10 tribes who will settle west of the Jordan. No chiefs of Reuben and Gad are listed because they are settling east of the Jordan.