Saturday 29Jan2022
Shabbat Shalom. Today is the Seventh Day of the Biblical Week. Let us rest from all our work to remember the Sabbath Day and honour it.
In my Old Testament readings this afternoon, I came across a long but noteworthy passage in the book of Numbers chapter 33. This passage records a detailed account of all the places that the children stopped at and put up camp throughout their forty years of wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt.
At the end of their wandering, they arrived in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho where the LORD gave the following command to Moses:
Numbers 33:50 - 56 BBE Bible in Basic English
50 And in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho, the Lord said to Moses,
51 Say to the children of Israel, When you go over Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52 See that all the people of the land are forced out from before you, and put to destruction all their pictured stones, and all their metal images, and all their high places:
53 And take the land for yourselves, for your resting-place: for to you I have given the land as your heritage.
54 And you will take up your heritage in the land by the decision of the Lord, to every family its part; the greater the family the greater its heritage, and the smaller the family the smaller will be its heritage; wherever the decision of the Lord gives to any man his part, that will be his; distribution will be made to you by your fathers' tribes.
55 But if you are slow in driving out the people of the land, then those of them who are still there will be like pin-points in your eyes and like thorns in your sides, troubling you in the land where you are living.
56 And it will come about that as it was my purpose to do to them, so I will do to you.
The following lists the 42 places that the children of Israel traversed in their wanderings in the wilderness, beginning from Rameses in Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after their first Passover, and ending in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho in their fortieth year of wandering.
All in all, between Rameses in Egypt and the end of their sojourn at Jericho, the children of Israel stopped at 40 places in 40 years of wandering.
This list is based on Numbers chapter 33, Bible in Basic English
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On 15th day 1st month, on the day after Passover:
- went out from Rameses
- put up their tents in Succoth. -
From Succoth,
- put up their tents in Etham on the edge of the waste land. -
From Etham,
- turning back to Pi-hahiroth which is before Baal-zephon,
- put up their tents before Migdol. -
Journeying on from before Hahiroth,
- went through the sea into the waste land:
- went three days' journey through the waste land of Etham
- put up their tents in Marah. -
From Marah,
- went on to Elim:
- in Elim there were twelve water-springs and seventy palm-trees;
- put up their tents there. -
From Elim,
- put up their tents by the Red Sea. -
From the Red Sea,
- put up their tents in the waste land of Sin. -
From the waste land of Sin,
- put up their tents in Dophkah. -
From Dophkah,
- put up their tents in Alush. -
From Alush,
- put up their tents in Rephidim, - where there was no drinking-water for the people. -
From Rephidim,
- put up their tents in the waste land of Sinai. -
From the waste land of Sinai,
- put up their tents in Kibroth-hattaavah. -
From Kibroth-hattaavah,
- put up their tents in Hazeroth. -
From Hazeroth,
- put up their tents in Rithmah. -
From Rithmah,
- put up their tents in Rimmon-perez. -
From Rimmon-perez,
- put up their tents in Libnah. -
From Libnah,
- put up their tents in Rissah. -
From Rissah,
- put up their tents in Kehelathah. -
From Kehelathah,
- put up their tents in Mount Shepher. -
From Mount Shepher,
- put up their tents in Haradah. -
From Haradah,
- put up their tents in Makheloth. -
From Makheloth,
- put up their tents in Tahath. -
From Tahath,
- put up their tents in Terah. -
From Terah,
- put up their tents in Mithkah. -
From Mithkah,
- put up their tents in Hashmonah. -
From Hashmonah,
- put up their tents in Moseroth. -
From Moseroth,
- put up their tents in Bene-jaakan. -
From Bene-jaakan,
- put up their tents in Hor-haggidgad. -
From Hor-haggidgad,
- put up their tents in Jotbathah. -
From Jotbathah,
- put up their tents in Abronah. -
From Abronah,
- put up their tents in Ezion-geber. -
From Ezion-geber,
- put up their tents in the waste land of Zin (which is Kadesh). -
From Kadesh,
- put up their tents in Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.
- Aaron the priest died on Mount Hor, age 123 years old.
- On 1st day 5th month 40th year
- after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, -
From Mount Hor,
- put up their tents in Zalmonah. -
From Zalmonah,
- put up their tents in Punon. -
From Punon,
- put up their tents in Oboth. -
From Oboth,
- put up their tents in Iye-abarim at the edge of Moab. -
From Iyim,
- put up their tents in Dibon-gad. -
From Dibon-gad,
- put up their tents in Almon-diblathaim. -
From Almon-diblathaim,
- put up their tents in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. -
From the mountains of Abarim,
- put up their tents in the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho; - planting their tents by the side of Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth
- as far as Abel-shittim in the lowlands of Moab. - Finally, at the lowlands of Moab by Jordan at Jericho
