The Torah · Old Testament

Numbers 34

Canaan's boundaries and the leaders dividing the land

General context

The Lord defines the land of Canaan that Israel is to receive, tracing its southern, western, northern and eastern boundaries. Moses states that this allotment is for nine and a half tribes, since Reuben, Gad and half Manasseh have already received their inheritance east of Jordan. A second instruction appoints Eleazar and Joshua to oversee division of the land, joined by one representative from each tribe receiving this allotment. Caleb son of Jephunneh is named for Judah, followed by the other tribal representatives.

Cited passages: Numbers 34:1, Numbers 34:2, Numbers 34:3, Numbers 34:4, Numbers 34:5, Numbers 34:6, Numbers 34:7, Numbers 34:8, Numbers 34:9, Numbers 34:10, Numbers 34:11, Numbers 34:12, Numbers 34:13, Numbers 34:14, Numbers 34:15, Numbers 34:16, Numbers 34:17, Numbers 34:18, Numbers 34:19, Numbers 34:20, Numbers 34:21, Numbers 34:22, Numbers 34:23, Numbers 34:24, Numbers 34:25, Numbers 34:26, Numbers 34:27, Numbers 34:28, Numbers 34:29

Numbers 34 (KJV)

¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

²Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)

³Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:

⁴And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadesh-barnea, and shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass on to Azmon:

⁵And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.

⁶And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.

⁷And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:

⁸From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:

⁹And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border.

¹⁰And ye shall point out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham:

¹¹And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:

¹²And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.

¹³And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the Lord commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:

¹⁴For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:

¹⁵The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.

¹⁶And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

¹⁷These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.

¹⁸And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.

¹⁹And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

²⁰And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.

²¹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.

²²And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.

²³The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.

²⁴And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.

²⁵And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.

²⁶And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.

²⁷And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.

²⁸And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.

²⁹These are they whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

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Historical context

The boundary description names the Salt Sea, the wilderness of Zin, Kadesh-barnea, the Great Sea, the entrance of Hamath, the Sea of Chinnereth and Jordan, among other markers. At 34:5 the KJV says river of Egypt, the ASV brook of Egypt and the BBE stream of Egypt. A Mount Hor appears in the northern boundary; the preceding chapter places Aaron's Mount Hor at Edom's edge. The two settings should not be combined merely because the English names match. The description gives no modern national borders.

Cited passages: Numbers 34:3, Numbers 34:4, Numbers 34:5, Numbers 34:6, Numbers 34:7, Numbers 34:8, Numbers 34:9, Numbers 34:10, Numbers 34:11, Numbers 34:12, Numbers 33:37, Numbers 33:38, Numbers 33:39

Literary context

The passage first defines the extent of the inheritance and then names the people responsible for distributing it. The note about the two and a half eastern tribes explains the scope of the western allocation rather than making them disappear from Israel's inheritance. After a sequence of geographical markers, the personal roster gives the administrative task named participants. These are appointments for distribution; the chapter does not narrate the completed allotments.

Cited passages: Numbers 34:2, Numbers 34:3, Numbers 34:4, Numbers 34:5, Numbers 34:6, Numbers 34:7, Numbers 34:8, Numbers 34:9, Numbers 34:10, Numbers 34:11, Numbers 34:12, Numbers 34:13, Numbers 34:14, Numbers 34:15, Numbers 34:16, Numbers 34:17, Numbers 34:18, Numbers 34:19, Numbers 34:20, Numbers 34:21, Numbers 34:22, Numbers 34:23, Numbers 34:24, Numbers 34:25, Numbers 34:26, Numbers 34:27, Numbers 34:28, Numbers 34:29

Key moments

The land to be allotted (Numbers 34:2). The command introduces Canaan as the land Israel is to inherit.
The eastern tribes accounted for (Numbers 34:15). The text states that two and a half tribes have received land east of Jordan.
Eleazar and Joshua appointed (Numbers 34:17). The priest and Joshua are named to divide the land, with tribal representatives to follow.

For reflection

How do the boundary description and the named representatives work together? What difference does it make to distinguish an assigned responsibility from its completed outcome?