A thoughtful guide for your walk of faith Read with context, practice with grace.
Pentateuch · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Numbers 33

Israel's wilderness journey, rebellion, divine faithfulness, and preparation for the land.

Old Testament

Numbers 33

1These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.

2Moses wrote the starting points of their journeys by the commandment of the LORD. These are their journeys according to their starting points.

3They traveled from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover, the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians,

4while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck among them. The LORD also executed judgments on their gods.

5The children of Israel traveled from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth.

6They traveled from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.

7They traveled from Etham, and turned back to Pihahiroth, which is before Baal Zephon, and they encamped before Migdol.

8They traveled from before Hahiroth, and crossed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness. They went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and encamped in Marah.

9They traveled from Marah, and came to Elim. In Elim, there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there.

10They traveled from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea.

11They traveled from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.

12They traveled from the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.

13They traveled from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.

14They traveled from Alush, and encamped in Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

15They traveled from Rephidim, and encamped in the wilderness of Sinai.

16They traveled from the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in Kibroth Hattaavah.

17They traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah, and encamped in Hazeroth.

18They traveled from Hazeroth, and encamped in Rithmah.

19They traveled from Rithmah, and encamped in Rimmon Perez.

20They traveled from Rimmon Perez, and encamped in Libnah.

21They traveled from Libnah, and encamped in Rissah.

22They traveled from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.

23They traveled from Kehelathah, and encamped in Mount Shepher.

24They traveled from Mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah.

25They traveled from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.

26They traveled from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath.

27They traveled from Tahath, and encamped in Terah.

28They traveled from Terah, and encamped in Mithkah.

29They traveled from Mithkah, and encamped in Hashmonah.

30They traveled from Hashmonah, and encamped in Moseroth.

31They traveled from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene Jaakan.

32They traveled from Bene Jaakan, and encamped in Hor Haggidgad.

33They traveled from Hor Haggidgad, and encamped in Jotbathah.

34They traveled from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah.

35They traveled from Abronah, and encamped in Ezion Geber.

36They traveled from Ezion Geber, and encamped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

37They traveled from Kadesh, and encamped in Mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.

38Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.

39Aaron was one hundred twenty-three years old when he died in Mount Hor.

40The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

41They traveled from Mount Hor, and encamped in Zalmonah.

42They traveled from Zalmonah, and encamped in Punon.

43They traveled from Punon, and encamped in Oboth.

44They traveled from Oboth, and encamped in Iye Abarim, in the border of Moab.

45They traveled from Iyim, and encamped in Dibon Gad.

46They traveled from Dibon Gad, and encamped in Almon Diblathaim.

47They traveled from Almon Diblathaim, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

48They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

49They encamped by the Jordan, from Beth Jeshimoth even to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.

50The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

51Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, “When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.

53You shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for I have given the land to you to possess it.

54You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger groups you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.

55“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be like pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land in which you dwell.

56It shall happen that as I thought to do to them, so I will do to you.”

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Israel's wilderness journey, rebellion, divine faithfulness, and preparation for the land. Read Numbers 33 within the complete Numbers overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Numbers 33

Numbers 33 contains 56 verses and about 875 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 56 closes: “It shall happen that as I thought to do to them, so I will do to you.”” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include traveled, encamped, land, wilderness, children, israel. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Numbers 33

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Numbers 33:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer