Sedra 10, MASEY
Numbers 33:1 – 36: 13
33:1 ELEH MASEY VENEY YISRA-EL ASHER YATSU ME ERETS MITSRAYIM LE TSIVOTAM BE YAD MOSHEH VE AHARON
אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְצִבְאֹתָם בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן
KJ (King James translation): These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.
BN (BibleNet translation): These are the stages of the journey of the Beney Yisra-El, the route that they followed out of the land of Mitsrayim, marching in troops, under the command of Mosheh and Aaron.
MASEY: stages? journeys? The phrasing suggests the opening of a book, and not a chapter within one - yet one more ancient document or tribal memory that Ezra and his team felt had to be included, merging them all into a single document, but never managing to do so seamlessly, so that we can see the joins. So, for instance, we have been told previously that they left as pilgrims, and only carried out their military muster at the start of the Book of Numbers, two years after leaving Mitsrayim; where here they have setout in military formation.
YATSU BE TSIVOTAM is what armies do, not civilian refugees: "marched out by battalion" would be an accurate literal translation. I have a sense that this document may be part of a military archive from the time of Ach-Mousa and the routing of the Hyksos, rather than the liturgical archive of the Beney Levi, or the travel itinerary recorded by the historians.
33:2 VA YIKTOV MOSHEH ET MOTSA'EYHEM LE MASEYHEM AL PI YHVH VE ELEH MASEYHEM LE MOTSA'EYHEM
וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת מוֹצָאֵיהֶם לְמַסְעֵיהֶם עַל פִּי יְהוָה וְאֵלֶּה מַסְעֵיהֶם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶם
KJ: And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.
BN: And Mosheh wrote down these marches, stage by stage, on the instruction of YHVH; and these are their stages of those marches.
Where did he write them? On what? In what alphabet? And when? This is a fiction of the Redactor's, or an adapted Egyptian parchment; what is interesting is not whether the details of the journey are accurate or not, because that cannot be known by us any more than it was knowable in Ezra's time. The interesting part is trying to determine why the Redactor invented the journey in this way, in this order, the specific significance of each of these locations. Was it a pilgrimage from desert shrine to desert shrine, or merely a route that enabled regular stops at watering-places and caravanserai? As we have seen previously, this route does not take them anywhere near the Red Sea until many months after they set out from Egypt, and even then only at some distance to its north.
33:3 VA YIS'U ME RAMSES BA CODESH HA RISHON BA CHAMISHAH ASAR YOM LA CHODESH HA RISHON MI MACHARAT HA PESACH YATS'U VENEY YISRA-EL BE YAD RAMAH LE EYNEY KOL MITSRAYIM
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרַעְמְסֵס בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן מִמָּחֳרַת הַפֶּסַח יָצְאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיָד רָמָה לְעֵינֵי כָּל מִצְרָיִם
BN: They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morning after the Passover the Beney Yisra-El went out with a high hand in the sight of all of Mitsrayim.
For commentary on these stages, see my notes to Exodus 13:17 ff.
BA CHODESH HA RISHON: I have written on several occasions about the change from the Egyptian to the Babylonian calendar, with Passover in the first month, according to the Egyptian, but Rosh ha Shanah in the first month, according to the Babylonian. Self-evidently the Babylonian was not in use until the time of the exile, which is to say from 586 BCE; so we can again deduce that this chapter is based on an Egyptian document.
RAMSES: Was there even such a place? Ramses is a Yehuditisation of Ra-Mousa, or possibly Ra-Meses; not so much a Pharaoh as a dynastic title, in the way we might say Tudor rather than Henry, or Stuart rather than James. But neither Rameses I nor Rameses II were Hyksos - one came before them, the other after their removal - and their capital was at ... well, actually, they had two, Memphis in Upper Egypt, and On in Lower Egypt, the latter being Yoseph's base when he became Vizier. The Hyksos capital was at Avaris, which was in Goshen, on the delta of the Nile, in the marshy region known as the Sea of Reeds. We know from the Yoseph tales in Genesis that the Habiru, the Beney Yisra-El, were also settled in Goshen, and while the Exodus story holds them to have been "avadim", the word "avadim" meant, at the time, either that favoured group of Habiru who "worshipped" the Hyksos gods, under the leadership of Tsaphnat Pa'ne'ach whom they called Yoseph, or that displaced group of now-outcast Habiru who had come into Mitsrayim with the Hyksos and lost their status when the Hyksos were overthrown; or possibly a rebellious group of Habiru under a dissident prince whose name bore similarities to that of Ach-Mousa, and who took advantage of the civil war between the Hyksos and the "old guard" of pre-Hyksos Ra-worshipping Egyptians to flee into the desert; or much more likely the low-caste group known as Habiru who had maintained the worship of the old gods when the Hyksos conquered, and who were now simply seeking permission to go and witness the volcanic eruption in the Sinai desert, to celebrate the Pesach, and to conduct a ceremony of covenant renewal with their very particular deity. Any of these - and there are other options considered by the scholars too. None of which include a city named Rameses.
"On the morrow after the Passover" would surely have been the 16th, because Passover always falls on the day of the fullmoon, which is the 15th of the month. Yes and no. First: Yisra-Eli festivals are all lunar, and the day begins when the moon rises, not when the sun sets. Passover was celebrated on the evening of the 14th and the day of the 15th - so "the morrow" would indeed have been the 16th. But, in Exodus 12, where we witnessed the celebration of the Passover, still in Egypt, "and it came to pass..." verse 29 ... "And it came to pass at midnight, that YHVH smote all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne, down to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of cattle." Does "one second after midnight count as the "morrow" in a lunar calendar? Or did they in fact leave Egypt on the 15th?
33:4 U MITSRAYIM MEKABRIM ET ASHER HIKAH YHVH BAHEM KOL BECHOR U VE ELOHEYHEM ASAH YHVH SHEPHATIM
KJ: For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.
BN: While Mitsrayim was burying those whom YHVH had smitten among them, even all their first-born; upon their gods also YHVH executed judgments.
The overthrow of Egyptian Valhalla! Very high on Ach-Mousa's priority list: replacing the Hyksos rulers was only half the battle; restoring the ancient Mitsri (Egyptian) pantheon was the other half - and probably this was what was taking place when the laws were given at Mount Sinai, under the watchful of Hor in the form of a Golden Calf.
33:5 VA YISU VENEY YISRA-EL ME RAMESES VA YACHANU BE SUKOT
KJ: And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.
BN: And the Beney Yisra-El journeyed from Rameses, and camped in Sukot.
But isn't it at Sukot that they also end their journey, and Mosheh gives them Deuteronomy? In which case, they have spent 40 years going in a circle. Or perhaps Sukot was the destination of the "3-day journey into the desert", which was what Mosheh asked Pharaoh to permit in Exodus 5 (see verse 3 especially).
33:6 VA YISU MI SUKOT VA YAHANU VE ETAM ASHER BI KETSEH HA MIDBAR
KJ: And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.
BN: And they journeyed from Sukot, and pitched in Etam, which is on the edge of the desert.
Cf Exodus 13:20.
33:7 VA YISU ME ETAM VA YASHAV AL PI HA CHIROT ASHER AL PENEY BA'AL TSEPHON VA YACHANU LIPHNEY MIGDOL
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאֵתָם וַיָּשָׁב עַל פִּי הַחִירֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי בַּעַל צְפוֹן וַיַּחֲנוּ לִפְנֵי מִגְדֹּל
KJ: And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol.
BN: And they journeyed from Etam, and turned back to Pi Ha Chirot, which is before Ba'al Tsephon; and they camped before Migdol.
PI HA CHIROT: The next verse gives it as Peney Ha Chirot. Is Pi an abbreviation here? Or a scribal error? Or did the place have two names? See Exodus 14:2.
KJ: And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.
BN: And they journeyed from Peney Ha Chirot, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etam, and camped at Marah.
And this is all that the text feels the need to say about the greatest divine miracle in heavenly history! Maybe all they did was march through the area, and didn't wade through the tideless ocean after all. Exodus 14 requires an entire chapter!
33:9 VA YISU MI MARAH VA YAVO'U EYLIMAH U VE EYLIM SHETEYM ESREH EYNOT MAYIM VE SHIV'IM TEMARIM VA YACHANU SHAM
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמָּרָה וַיָּבֹאוּ אֵילִמָה וּבְאֵילִם שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה עֵינֹת מַיִם וְשִׁבְעִים תְּמָרִים וַיַּחֲנוּ שָׁם
KJ: And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.
BN: And they journeyed from Marah, and came to Eylim; and at Eylim there were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm-trees; and they camped there.
Exodus 15:27.
33:10 VA YISU ME EYLIM VA YACHANU AL YAM SUPH
KJ: And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.
BN: And they journeyed from Elim, and pitched by the Red Sea.
Verse 8 already had them passing through (or possibly beside) its waters, but only now do they reach the Red Sea. Whereas, had they come out through the Sea of Reeds... Or maybe they have gone back for a second time, wanting the washing facilities after so much desert wandering...
33:11 VA YISU MI YAM SUPH VA YACHANU BE MIDBAR SIN
KJ: And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.
BN: And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and camped in the wilderness of Sin.
Exodus 16:1.
33:12 VA YISU MI MIDBAR SIN VA YACHANU BE DAPHKAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמִּדְבַּר סִין וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּדָפְקָה
KJ: And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.
BN: And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and camped at Daphkah.
DOPHKAH: No mention of this place in the Exodus version, nor of Alush (next verse). Exodus 17:1 has them going directly from Sin to Rephidim. (I would have enjoyed starting that sentence "Dophka there is no mention of this place..." but that would have been Davka - דווקא - spelled rather differently, so davka I can't use it.)
33:13 VA YISU MI DAPHKAH VA YACHANU BE ALUSH
KJ: And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.
BN: And they journeyed from Daphkah, and camped at Alush.
ALUSH: See the link (though there's nothing of any use there; which, alas, is all that we know about it).
33:14 VA YISU ME ALUSH VA YACHANU BI REPHIDIM VE LO HAYAH SHAM MAYIM LA AM LISHTOT
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאָלוּשׁ וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּרְפִידִם וְלֹא הָיָה שָׁם מַיִם לָעָם לִשְׁתּוֹת
KJ: And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.
BN: And they journeyed from Alush, and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
33:15 VA YISU ME REPHIDIM VA YACHANU BE MIDBAR SINAI
KJ: And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.
BN: And they journeyed from Rephidim, and camped in the Sinai desert.
SIN...SINAI: are they two different places?
33:16 VA YISU MI MIDBAR SINAI VA YACHANU BE KIVROT HA TA'AVAH
KJ: And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibrothhattaavah.
BN: And they journeyed from the Sinai desert, and camped at Kivrot Ha Ta'avah.
KIVROT HA TA'AVAH: Likewise not previously mentioned. The name is thought to mean "the caves of desire", so the tale of the water-shortage and the hint of the sin of Merivah when the place is mentioned again at Deuteronomy 9:22 are probably ancient aetiological myths later added to the Mosheh legends.
33:17 VA YISU MI KIVROT HA TA'AVAH VA YACHANU BA CHATSEROT
KJ: And they departed from Kibrothhattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth.
BN: And they journeyed from Kivrot Ha Ta'avah, and camped at Chatserot.
CHATSEROT: And now a fourth place not mentioned in the Exodus version - are they two different journeys, or simply two different accounts.
33:18 VA YISU ME CHATSEROT VA YACHANU BE RITMAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵחֲצֵרֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּרִתְמָה
KJ: And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.
BN: And they journeyed from Chatserot, and camped at Ritmah.
RITMAH: And now a fifth.
33:19 VA YISU ME RITMAH VA YACHANU BE RIMON PARETS
KJ: And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmonparez.
BN: And they journeyed from Ritmah, and camped at Rimon Parets.
RIMON PARETS: And a sixth. Which version are we supposed to credit as historical?
33:20 VA YISU ME RIMON PARETS VA YACHANU BE LIVNAH
KJ: And they departed from Rimmonparez, and pitched in Libnah.
BN: And they journeyed from Rimon Parets, and camped at Livnah.
Neither of these are in the Exodus version.
PARETS: how many of these places carry the names of people mentioned from the tribes?
33:22 VA YISU ME RISAH VA YACHANU BI KEHELATAH
KJ: And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher.
BN: And they journeyed from Kehelatah, and camped at Mount Shapher.
SHAPHER: Nor this.
33:25 VA YISU ME CHARADAH VA YACHANU BA MAKHELOT
KJ: And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.
BN: And they journeyed from Charadah, and camped at Makhelot.
33:26 VA YISU MI MAKHELOT VA YACHANU BE TACHAT
KJ: And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.
BN: And they journeyed from Makhelot, and camped at Tachat.
TACHAT: Likewise never mentioned before or after; at least, not as a place - it does recur as a person's name in the Book of Chronicles, for which see the link. But the word means "below" or "beneath", and we shall see the significance of that description in the verses that follow.
33:27 VA YISU MI TACHAT VA YACHANU BE TARACH
KJ: And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.
BN: And they journeyed from Tachat, and camped at Tarach.
TARACH: And what if all these were not geographical places on Earth at all, and the journey not that of humans, but the entire tale a mythological voyage across the heavens, drawing its map constellation by constellation, and then the Biblical tales emerging at the next stage, telling the tales of each of these places? And if so, have we just emerged from the Cenozoic era (click here and look at the paragraph after the first illustration) and are about to enter the epoch of the patriarchs - for this is Terach, the father of Av-Ram.
33:28 VA YISU MI TARACH VA YACHANU BE MITKAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִתָּרַח וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמִתְקָה
KJ: And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.
BN: And they journeyed from Tarach, and camped at Mitkah.
MITKAH: Nor this. MITKAH means "sweet".
33:29 VA YISU MI MITKAH VA YACHANU BE CHASHMONAH
KJ: And they went from Mithcah, and pitched in Hashmonah.
BN: And they journeyed from Mitkah, and camped at Chashmonah.
CHASHMONAH: Nor this. Joshua 15:27 has a CHESHMON, from the same root, which has the sense of arable, fertile though still muddy soil. And of course the name HASMONEAN derives as well (with an Aramaic Aleph penultimately).
33:30 VA YISU ME CHASHMONAH VA YACHANU BE MOSEROT
KJ: And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth.
BN: And they journeyed from Chashmonah, and camped at Moserot.
MOSEROT: Deuteronomy 10:6 will tell us that Aharon died at Moserah, which some scholars assume must be the same place as Moserot, though I am still searching for a good reason for doing that (and in addition Numbers 20:22ff has Aharon dying on the summit of Mount Hor, which is nowhere near Moserot or Moserah).
33:31 VA YISU MI MOSEROT VA YACHANU BIVNEY YA'AKAN
KJ: And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Benejaakan.
BN: And they journeyed from Moserot, and camped at Beney Ya'akan.
BIVNEY YA'AKAN: And now my search - see previous verse - can end; because Deuteronomy 10:6 has them arrive in Moserah from Be'erot, which belonged to the Beney Ya'akan. So Moserah there probably is Moserot here - but Beney Ya'akan here is even more probably Be'erot there - though Be'erot simply means "wells" and so it probably isn't the name of the place anyway. The Beney Ya'akan also get a mention in the genealogical list in 1 Chronicles 1:42.
33:32 VA YISU MI BENEY YA'AKAN VA YACHANU BE CHOR HA GIDGAD
KJ: And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad.
BN: And they journeyed from Beney Ya'akan, and camped at Chor Ha Gidgad.
CHOR HA GIDGAD: See Deuteronomy 10:7 for this one, though there the CHOR is dropped and the name is rendered as GUDGODAH.
33:33 VA YISU ME CHOR HA GIDGAD VA YACHANU BE YATVATAH
KJ: And they went from Horhagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah.
BN: And they journeyed from Chor ha Gidgad, and camped at Yatvatah.
YATVATAH: Likwise recurs at Deuteronomy 10:7. There is also a Yatvah at 2 Kings 21:19, spelled with a Tet as here, and therefore the same variation as MASERAH/MASEROT. Not to be confused with Yotapata (Yehudit Yodphat - יוֹדְפַת) where Josephus turned coat in favour of the Romans (click here for the full tale)
33:34 VA YISU MI YATVATAH VA YACHANU BE AVRONAH
KJ: And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.
BN: And they journeyed from Yatvatah, and camped at Avronah.
AVRONAH: The only mention of this place too; but note the root, which is AVAR, "to ", which may well simply describe a crossing-point of the hills or a stream, but is also conencted to the word IVRI, or Hebrew.
KJ: And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.
BN: And they journeyed from Kadesh, and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.
33:42 VA YISU MI TSALMONAH VA YACHANU BE PHUNON
KJ: And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon.
BN: And they journeyed from Tsalmonah, and camped at Phunon.
Properly Punon, rendered Phunon by the prefictual preposition; see next verse.
A full map of the heavens requires the underworld, as much as it does the visible skies (we would say the southern as well as the northern hemisphere, but to the ancients this was also about nighttime versus daytime, and winter versus summer). The Egyptian account is known as the Am Tu'at, and can be found in my translation here.
33:45 VA YISU ME IYIM VA YACHANU BE DIYVON GAD
BN: And they journeyed from Iyim, and camped at Diyvon Gad.
IYIM: Why does it change? Probably just laziness - "the islands" as a short-form. Germans say Frankfurt, and you have to ask if they mean am Mein or an der Oder; the same with Newcastle in England, and Springfield in America. The same with Diyvon Gad actually; see the next note.
33:46 VA YISU MI DIYVON GAD VA YACHANU BE ALMON DIVLAT YAMAH
KJ: And they removed from Dibongad, and encamped in Almondiblathaim.
BN: And they journeyed from Diyvon Gad, and camped at Almon Divlat Yamah.
ALMON DIVLAT YAMAH: Need to check for meanings, but I am inclined to split this into three words, not two, and to drop the qamas below the Tav as I think it is an error (click here for more about this). Otherwise it would have to be Almon Divlatayamah. Translations also recognise that there is something wrong, and go for Divlatayim as a correction. The problem with this is that the qamas-hey ending then becomes a different error, adding a dative where VA YACHANU has been shown to be transitive and not intransitive in all the preceding verses. So:
33:47 VA YISU ME ALMON DIVLAT YAMAH VA YACHANU BE HAREY HA AVARIM LIPHNEY NEVO
KJ: And they removed from Almondiblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
BN: And they journeyed from Almon Divlat Yamah, and camped in the mountains of Avarim, in front of Nevo.
See Numbers 27:12; this is where YHVH has instructed Mosheh to go to die.
samech break
33:50 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH BE ARVOT MO-AV AL YARDEN YERECHO LEMOR
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh in the plains of Mo-Av by the Yarden at Yerecho, saying:
Yet one more verse which confirms that Mosheh cannnot possibly have been the author, or even the scribe. This is a narrator, using the 3rd person singular.
33:51 DABER EL BENEY YISRA-EL VE AMARTA ALEYHEM KI ATEM OVRIM ET HA YARDEN EL ERETS KENA'AN
KJ: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
BN: Speak to the Beney Yisra-El, and say to them: "When you cross over the Yarden into the land of Kena'an...
The concept of peoples sharing a land, of common ownership, tolerance, multi-culturalism, even multi-religionism - not even a consideration. Us or you. And death. Verse 35 explains why - and the Charter of Hamas in today's Israel.
33:54 VE HITNACHALTEM ET HA ARETS BE GORAL LE MISHPECHOTEYCHEM LA RAV TARBU ET NACHALATO VE LA ME'AT TAM'IYT ET NACHALATO EL ASHER YETS'E LO SHAMAH HA GORAL LO YIHEYEH LE MATOT AVOTEYCHEM TITNECHALU
KJ: And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
BN: And you shall inherit the land by lot according to your families - to the more you shall give the larger inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the lesser inheritance; wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his; according to your ancestral tribes you shall inherit.
Re-stating what was given previously - Numbers 26:53ff.
33:55 VE IM LO TORIYSHU ET YOSHVEY HA ARETS MI PENEYCHEM VE HAYAH ASHER TOTIYRU ME HEM LE SIKIM BE EYNEYCHEM VE LI TSENIYNIM BE TSIDEYCHEM VE TSARERU ET'CHEM AL HA ARETS ASHER ATEM YOSHVIM BAH
KJ: But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
BN: But if you fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them who you allow to remain will be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you dwell.
IM LO TORIYSHU: The translation makes this sound like a matter of choice, even refusal, whereas what it means is "if you do not succeed"... and by this means YHVH is exonerated from any future problems!
But surely, if YHVH has promised them the land, and he is after all the decision-maker of the entire cosmos, then with his miracles and his great and wondrous deeds he will simply give them the land, and they won't be able to fail to take it... or they will fail, and it will be YHVH punishing them for not being fully obedient... see the next verse for that...
33:56 VE HAYAH KA ASHER DIMIYTI LA'ASOT LAHEM E'ESEH LACHEM
KJ: Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.
BN: And it shall come to pass, that as I thought to do to them, so will I do to you.
Meaning what exactly? That when I was their god I gave them the land; but now I have switched my allegiance to you? No: it means that, whatever the outcome, it is to be perceived as my intention; good or bad, still my intention. Reward or punishment, still my intention. The god is always the explanation, no matter what.
pey break
RAMSES: Was there even such a place? Ramses is a Yehuditisation of Ra-Mousa, or possibly Ra-Meses; not so much a Pharaoh as a dynastic title, in the way we might say Tudor rather than Henry, or Stuart rather than James. But neither Rameses I nor Rameses II were Hyksos - one came before them, the other after their removal - and their capital was at ... well, actually, they had two, Memphis in Upper Egypt, and On in Lower Egypt, the latter being Yoseph's base when he became Vizier. The Hyksos capital was at Avaris, which was in Goshen, on the delta of the Nile, in the marshy region known as the Sea of Reeds. We know from the Yoseph tales in Genesis that the Habiru, the Beney Yisra-El, were also settled in Goshen, and while the Exodus story holds them to have been "avadim", the word "avadim" meant, at the time, either that favoured group of Habiru who "worshipped" the Hyksos gods, under the leadership of Tsaphnat Pa'ne'ach whom they called Yoseph, or that displaced group of now-outcast Habiru who had come into Mitsrayim with the Hyksos and lost their status when the Hyksos were overthrown; or possibly a rebellious group of Habiru under a dissident prince whose name bore similarities to that of Ach-Mousa, and who took advantage of the civil war between the Hyksos and the "old guard" of pre-Hyksos Ra-worshipping Egyptians to flee into the desert; or much more likely the low-caste group known as Habiru who had maintained the worship of the old gods when the Hyksos conquered, and who were now simply seeking permission to go and witness the volcanic eruption in the Sinai desert, to celebrate the Pesach, and to conduct a ceremony of covenant renewal with their very particular deity. Any of these - and there are other options considered by the scholars too. None of which include a city named Rameses.
"On the morrow after the Passover" would surely have been the 16th, because Passover always falls on the day of the fullmoon, which is the 15th of the month. Yes and no. First: Yisra-Eli festivals are all lunar, and the day begins when the moon rises, not when the sun sets. Passover was celebrated on the evening of the 14th and the day of the 15th - so "the morrow" would indeed have been the 16th. But, in Exodus 12, where we witnessed the celebration of the Passover, still in Egypt, "and it came to pass..." verse 29 ... "And it came to pass at midnight, that YHVH smote all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne, down to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of cattle." Does "one second after midnight count as the "morrow" in a lunar calendar? Or did they in fact leave Egypt on the 15th?
33:4 U MITSRAYIM MEKABRIM ET ASHER HIKAH YHVH BAHEM KOL BECHOR U VE ELOHEYHEM ASAH YHVH SHEPHATIM
וּמִצְרַיִם מְקַבְּרִים אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה יְהוָה בָּהֶם כָּל בְּכוֹר וּבֵאלֹהֵיהֶם עָשָׂה יְהוָה שְׁפָטִים
KJ: For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.
BN: While Mitsrayim was burying those whom YHVH had smitten among them, even all their first-born; upon their gods also YHVH executed judgments.
The overthrow of Egyptian Valhalla! Very high on Ach-Mousa's priority list: replacing the Hyksos rulers was only half the battle; restoring the ancient Mitsri (Egyptian) pantheon was the other half - and probably this was what was taking place when the laws were given at Mount Sinai, under the watchful of Hor in the form of a Golden Calf.
33:5 VA YISU VENEY YISRA-EL ME RAMESES VA YACHANU BE SUKOT
וַיִּסְעוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵרַעְמְסֵס וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּסֻכֹּת
KJ: And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.
BN: And the Beney Yisra-El journeyed from Rameses, and camped in Sukot.
 |
| The route - according to the "Red Sea" scholars |
33:6 VA YISU MI SUKOT VA YAHANU VE ETAM ASHER BI KETSEH HA MIDBAR
וַיִּסְעוּ מִסֻּכֹּת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְאֵתָם אֲשֶׁר בִּקְצֵה הַמִּדְבָּר
KJ: And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.
BN: And they journeyed from Sukot, and pitched in Etam, which is on the edge of the desert.
Cf Exodus 13:20.
33:7 VA YISU ME ETAM VA YASHAV AL PI HA CHIROT ASHER AL PENEY BA'AL TSEPHON VA YACHANU LIPHNEY MIGDOL
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאֵתָם וַיָּשָׁב עַל פִּי הַחִירֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי בַּעַל צְפוֹן וַיַּחֲנוּ לִפְנֵי מִגְדֹּל
KJ: And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol.
BN: And they journeyed from Etam, and turned back to Pi Ha Chirot, which is before Ba'al Tsephon; and they camped before Migdol.
PI HA CHIROT: The next verse gives it as Peney Ha Chirot. Is Pi an abbreviation here? Or a scribal error? Or did the place have two names? See Exodus 14:2.
33:8 VA YISU MI PENEY HA CHIROT VA YA'AVRU VETOCH HA YAM HA MIDBARAH VA YELCHU DERECH SHELOSHET YAMIM BE MIDBAR ETAM VA YACHANU BE MARAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִפְּנֵי הַחִירֹת וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְתוֹךְ הַיָּם הַמִּדְבָּרָה וַיֵּלְכוּ דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים בְּמִדְבַּר אֵתָם וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמָרָה
KJ: And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.
BN: And they journeyed from Peney Ha Chirot, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etam, and camped at Marah.
And this is all that the text feels the need to say about the greatest divine miracle in heavenly history! Maybe all they did was march through the area, and didn't wade through the tideless ocean after all. Exodus 14 requires an entire chapter!
33:9 VA YISU MI MARAH VA YAVO'U EYLIMAH U VE EYLIM SHETEYM ESREH EYNOT MAYIM VE SHIV'IM TEMARIM VA YACHANU SHAM
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמָּרָה וַיָּבֹאוּ אֵילִמָה וּבְאֵילִם שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה עֵינֹת מַיִם וְשִׁבְעִים תְּמָרִים וַיַּחֲנוּ שָׁם
KJ: And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.
BN: And they journeyed from Marah, and came to Eylim; and at Eylim there were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm-trees; and they camped there.
Exodus 15:27.
33:10 VA YISU ME EYLIM VA YACHANU AL YAM SUPH
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאֵילִם וַיַּחֲנוּ עַל יַם סוּף
BN: And they journeyed from Elim, and pitched by the Red Sea.
Verse 8 already had them passing through (or possibly beside) its waters, but only now do they reach the Red Sea. Whereas, had they come out through the Sea of Reeds... Or maybe they have gone back for a second time, wanting the washing facilities after so much desert wandering...
33:11 VA YISU MI YAM SUPH VA YACHANU BE MIDBAR SIN
וַיִּסְעוּ מִיַּם סוּף וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמִדְבַּר סִין
KJ: And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.
BN: And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and camped in the wilderness of Sin.
Exodus 16:1.
33:12 VA YISU MI MIDBAR SIN VA YACHANU BE DAPHKAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמִּדְבַּר סִין וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּדָפְקָה
KJ: And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.
BN: And they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and camped at Daphkah.
DOPHKAH: No mention of this place in the Exodus version, nor of Alush (next verse). Exodus 17:1 has them going directly from Sin to Rephidim. (I would have enjoyed starting that sentence "Dophka there is no mention of this place..." but that would have been Davka - דווקא - spelled rather differently, so davka I can't use it.)
33:13 VA YISU MI DAPHKAH VA YACHANU BE ALUSH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִדָּפְקָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּאָלוּשׁ
KJ: And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.
BN: And they journeyed from Daphkah, and camped at Alush.
ALUSH: See the link (though there's nothing of any use there; which, alas, is all that we know about it).
33:14 VA YISU ME ALUSH VA YACHANU BI REPHIDIM VE LO HAYAH SHAM MAYIM LA AM LISHTOT
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאָלוּשׁ וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּרְפִידִם וְלֹא הָיָה שָׁם מַיִם לָעָם לִשְׁתּוֹת
BN: And they journeyed from Alush, and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
33:15 VA YISU ME REPHIDIM VA YACHANU BE MIDBAR SINAI
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרְפִידִם וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי
KJ: And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.
BN: And they journeyed from Rephidim, and camped in the Sinai desert.
SIN...SINAI: are they two different places?
33:16 VA YISU MI MIDBAR SINAI VA YACHANU BE KIVROT HA TA'AVAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמִּדְבַּר סִינָי וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּקִבְרֹת הַתַּאֲוָה
KJ: And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibrothhattaavah.
BN: And they journeyed from the Sinai desert, and camped at Kivrot Ha Ta'avah.
KIVROT HA TA'AVAH: Likewise not previously mentioned. The name is thought to mean "the caves of desire", so the tale of the water-shortage and the hint of the sin of Merivah when the place is mentioned again at Deuteronomy 9:22 are probably ancient aetiological myths later added to the Mosheh legends.
33:17 VA YISU MI KIVROT HA TA'AVAH VA YACHANU BA CHATSEROT
וַיִּסְעוּ מִקִּבְרֹת הַתַּאֲוָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּחֲצֵרֹת
KJ: And they departed from Kibrothhattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth.
BN: And they journeyed from Kivrot Ha Ta'avah, and camped at Chatserot.
CHATSEROT: And now a fourth place not mentioned in the Exodus version - are they two different journeys, or simply two different accounts.
33:18 VA YISU ME CHATSEROT VA YACHANU BE RITMAH
KJ: And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.
BN: And they journeyed from Chatserot, and camped at Ritmah.
RITMAH: And now a fifth.
33:19 VA YISU ME RITMAH VA YACHANU BE RIMON PARETS
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרִתְמָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּרִמֹּן פָּרֶץ
KJ: And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmonparez.
BN: And they journeyed from Ritmah, and camped at Rimon Parets.
RIMON PARETS: And a sixth. Which version are we supposed to credit as historical?
33:20 VA YISU ME RIMON PARETS VA YACHANU BE LIVNAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרִמֹּן פָּרֶץ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּלִבְנָה
KJ: And they departed from Rimmonparez, and pitched in Libnah.
BN: And they journeyed from Rimon Parets, and camped at Livnah.
Neither of these are in the Exodus version.
PARETS: how many of these places carry the names of people mentioned from the tribes?
LIVNAH: If this is the Livnah where Yehoshu'a fought an important battle, and which is mentioned in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, that was in the south-western part of the tribal area of Yehudah, a very long way north of the Red Sea, and definitely inside Kena'an in Mosheh's time. So perhaps it wasn't that Livnah. See the link under the name for all these references.
33:21 VA YISU MI LIVNAH VA YACHANU BE RISAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִלִּבְנָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּרִסָּה
KJ: And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.
BN: And they journeyed from Livnah, and camped at Risah.
RISAH: Yet one more; this one never mentioned again either.
33:21 VA YISU MI LIVNAH VA YACHANU BE RISAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִלִּבְנָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּרִסָּה
KJ: And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.
BN: And they journeyed from Livnah, and camped at Risah.
RISAH: Yet one more; this one never mentioned again either.
33:22 VA YISU ME RISAH VA YACHANU BI KEHELATAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרִסָּה וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּקְהֵלָתָה
KJ: And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.
BN: And they journeyed from Risah, and camped at Kehelatah.
BN: And they journeyed from Risah, and camped at Kehelatah.
KEHELATAH: Nor this.
33:23 VA YISU MI KEHELETAH VA YACHANU BE HAR SHAPHER
33:23 VA YISU MI KEHELETAH VA YACHANU BE HAR SHAPHER
וַיִּסְעוּ מִקְּהֵלָתָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּהַר שָׁפֶר
KJ: And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher.
BN: And they journeyed from Kehelatah, and camped at Mount Shapher.
SHAPHER: Nor this.
33:24 VA YISU ME HAR SHAPHER VA YACHANU BA CHARADAH
KJ: And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.
BN: And they journeyed from Mount Shapher, and camped at Charadah.
CHARADAH: Nor this.
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵהַר שָׁפֶר וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּחֲרָדָה
BN: And they journeyed from Mount Shapher, and camped at Charadah.
CHARADAH: Nor this.
33:25 VA YISU ME CHARADAH VA YACHANU BA MAKHELOT
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵחֲרָדָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמַקְהֵלֹת
KJ: And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.
BN: And they journeyed from Charadah, and camped at Makhelot.
MAKHELOT: Nor this - and note that MAKHELOT and KEHELATAH in verse 23 both come from the same root, a KAHAL being an "assembly" - so these may not even be places, in the sense of having an oasis or a palm tree or anything that might be mappable and refindable in all that scrub and sand: merely "assembly points", an opportunity to slow down the speedy vanguard and let the stragglers catch up.
33:26 VA YISU MI MAKHELOT VA YACHANU BE TACHAT
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמַּקְהֵלֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּתָחַת
KJ: And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.
BN: And they journeyed from Makhelot, and camped at Tachat.
TACHAT: Likewise never mentioned before or after; at least, not as a place - it does recur as a person's name in the Book of Chronicles, for which see the link. But the word means "below" or "beneath", and we shall see the significance of that description in the verses that follow.
33:27 VA YISU MI TACHAT VA YACHANU BE TARACH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִתָּחַת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּתָרַח
KJ: And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.
BN: And they journeyed from Tachat, and camped at Tarach.
TARACH: And what if all these were not geographical places on Earth at all, and the journey not that of humans, but the entire tale a mythological voyage across the heavens, drawing its map constellation by constellation, and then the Biblical tales emerging at the next stage, telling the tales of each of these places? And if so, have we just emerged from the Cenozoic era (click here and look at the paragraph after the first illustration) and are about to enter the epoch of the patriarchs - for this is Terach, the father of Av-Ram.
33:28 VA YISU MI TARACH VA YACHANU BE MITKAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִתָּרַח וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמִתְקָה
KJ: And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.
BN: And they journeyed from Tarach, and camped at Mitkah.
MITKAH: Nor this. MITKAH means "sweet".
33:29 VA YISU MI MITKAH VA YACHANU BE CHASHMONAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמִּתְקָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּחַשְׁמֹנָה
BN: And they journeyed from Mitkah, and camped at Chashmonah.
CHASHMONAH: Nor this. Joshua 15:27 has a CHESHMON, from the same root, which has the sense of arable, fertile though still muddy soil. And of course the name HASMONEAN derives as well (with an Aramaic Aleph penultimately).
33:30 VA YISU ME CHASHMONAH VA YACHANU BE MOSEROT
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵחַשְׁמֹנָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמֹסֵרוֹת
BN: And they journeyed from Chashmonah, and camped at Moserot.
MOSEROT: Deuteronomy 10:6 will tell us that Aharon died at Moserah, which some scholars assume must be the same place as Moserot, though I am still searching for a good reason for doing that (and in addition Numbers 20:22ff has Aharon dying on the summit of Mount Hor, which is nowhere near Moserot or Moserah).
33:31 VA YISU MI MOSEROT VA YACHANU BIVNEY YA'AKAN
וַיִּסְעוּ מִמֹּסֵרוֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּבְנֵי יַעֲקָן
KJ: And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Benejaakan.
BN: And they journeyed from Moserot, and camped at Beney Ya'akan.
BIVNEY YA'AKAN: And now my search - see previous verse - can end; because Deuteronomy 10:6 has them arrive in Moserah from Be'erot, which belonged to the Beney Ya'akan. So Moserah there probably is Moserot here - but Beney Ya'akan here is even more probably Be'erot there - though Be'erot simply means "wells" and so it probably isn't the name of the place anyway. The Beney Ya'akan also get a mention in the genealogical list in 1 Chronicles 1:42.
33:32 VA YISU MI BENEY YA'AKAN VA YACHANU BE CHOR HA GIDGAD
וַיִּסְעוּ מִבְּנֵי יַעֲקָן וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּחֹר הַגִּדְגָּד
BN: And they journeyed from Beney Ya'akan, and camped at Chor Ha Gidgad.
CHOR HA GIDGAD: See Deuteronomy 10:7 for this one, though there the CHOR is dropped and the name is rendered as GUDGODAH.
33:33 VA YISU ME CHOR HA GIDGAD VA YACHANU BE YATVATAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵחֹר הַגִּדְגָּד וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּיָטְבָתָה
BN: And they journeyed from Chor ha Gidgad, and camped at Yatvatah.
YATVATAH: Likwise recurs at Deuteronomy 10:7. There is also a Yatvah at 2 Kings 21:19, spelled with a Tet as here, and therefore the same variation as MASERAH/MASEROT. Not to be confused with Yotapata (Yehudit Yodphat - יוֹדְפַת) where Josephus turned coat in favour of the Romans (click here for the full tale)
33:34 VA YISU MI YATVATAH VA YACHANU BE AVRONAH
וַיִּסְעוּ מִיָּטְבָתָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעַבְרֹנָה
KJ: And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.
BN: And they journeyed from Yatvatah, and camped at Avronah.
AVRONAH: The only mention of this place too; but note the root, which is AVAR, "to ", which may well simply describe a crossing-point of the hills or a stream, but is also conencted to the word IVRI, or Hebrew.
cross
33:35 VA YISU ME AVRONAH VA YACHANU BE ETSYON GAVER
KJ: And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Eziongaber.
BN: And they journeyed from Avronah, and camped at Etsyon Gaver.
33:35 VA YISU ME AVRONAH VA YACHANU BE ETSYON GAVER
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵעַבְרֹנָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעֶצְיֹן גָּבֶר
BN: And they journeyed from Avronah, and camped at Etsyon Gaver.
ETSYON GAVER: The recurrence at Deuteronomy 2:8 very clearly places it in southern Edom, close to the Red Sea, though it also has them going there by travelling southwards, to the Red Sea from the Aravah, which is rather surprising. 1 Kings 9:26 is even more precise, building a fleet there, as do several other references, for which see the link under the name. "Eloth" in those references is today's Eilat.
33:36 VA YISU ME ETS'YON GAVER VA YACHANU VE MIDBAR TSIN HI KADESH
KJ: And they removed from Eziongaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
BN: And they journeyed from Ets'yon Gever, and camped in the wilderness of Tsin, which is Kadesh.
TSIN: Tsin (צִן) is not the same as Sin (סִין) in verse 11, though most translations render it as though it were. A TSIN is a low palm tree; SIN, or properly SIYN, means "muddy", and is usually used for the sort of muddy clay we get in the London area.
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵעֶצְיֹן גָּבֶר וַיַּחֲנוּ בְמִדְבַּר צִן הִוא קָדֵשׁ
BN: And they journeyed from Ets'yon Gever, and camped in the wilderness of Tsin, which is Kadesh.
TSIN: Tsin (צִן) is not the same as Sin (סִין) in verse 11, though most translations render it as though it were. A TSIN is a low palm tree; SIN, or properly SIYN, means "muddy", and is usually used for the sort of muddy clay we get in the London area.
KADESH: See the link.
33:37 VA YISU MI KADESH VA YACHANU BE HOR HA HAR BI KETSEH ERETS EDOM
33:37 VA YISU MI KADESH VA YACHANU BE HOR HA HAR BI KETSEH ERETS EDOM
וַיִּסְעוּ מִקָּדֵשׁ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּהֹר הָהָר בִּקְצֵה אֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם
KJ: And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.
BN: And they journeyed from Kadesh, and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.
This appears to be the end of the pilgrimage, if it was a pilgrimage; or the route-march across the desert, if it was a military campaign. What we have not been told, except on a very few occasions, is how long they spent at any of these, or how long it took to move between them; but by the time they reach Mount Hor, 38 years have supposedly passed!
Hor, of course, is the father of the gods, known in Greek as Horus, worshipped especially at his holy mountain, and represented in the Egyptian world in the form of a Golden Calf. Taking his name from the god's name, his High Priest is likely to have been called Haroun or Aharon.
33:38 VA YA'AL AHARON HA KOHEN EL HOR HA HAR AL PI YHVH VA YAMAT SHAM BI SHENAT HA ARBA'IM LETSET BENEY YISRA-EL ME ERETS MITSRAYIM BA CHODESH HA CHAMISHI BE ECHAD LA CHODESH
KJ: And Aaron 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 were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.
BN: Then Aharon the Kohen went up into Mount Hor on the instruction of YHVH, and died there, in the fortieth year after the Beney Yisra-El had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
See Numbers 20:22-29 for the full account of Aharon's death and burial; but then see Deuteronomy 10:6. which moves the event to Moserah.
As with the cave at Mount Chorev, where Mosheh went to compose the Laws, I imagine an established shrine on Mount Hor, something in the manner of the Nabataean constructions a few centuries later in nearby Petra, something in the manner of the Monastery of the Temptation in Yericho (Jericho), which is in the illustration; and that in such a place there would have been folk whose religious duties included hospicing the elderly like Aharon - and something similar on Mount Avarim for Mosheh later.
BA CHODESH: Would that have the 5th month in the Egyptian or the Babylonian calendar? Shevat in the latter, which is February, Av in the former, which is July or August.
33:39 VE AHARON BEN SHELOSH VE ESRIM U ME'AT SHANAH BE MOTO BE HOR HA HAR
KJ: And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.
BN: And Aharon was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
Methinks the Beney Yisra-El were counting their calendar in kilometres rather than in miles; if we take the same ratio (5:8), this would have made him around 76, but it would also reduce the 40 years in the wilderness to slightly less than 25.
Note again the linguistic connection between Aharon (אַהֲרֹן) and Mount Hor (הֹר) - we cannot ignore the possibility that Aharon was originally conceived as a god, even carried as the ikon of a god, and that what was left on his holy mountain, Mount Hor, was the ikon, not a man. Or he was a man, but a priest of Hor (Horus is the Greek form), not YHVH, which is why he built Horus' symbol, the golden calf, and was brought here to die. Aharon in Arabic is Haroun.
samech break
33:40 VA YISHMA HA KENA'ANI MELECH ARAD VE HU YOSHEV BA NEGEV BE ERETS KENA'AN BE VO BENEY YISRA-EL
KJ: And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
BN: And the Kena'ani, the king of Arad, who lived in the south of the land of Kena'an, heard of the coming of the Beney Yisra-El.
ARAD: See the link.
33:38 VA YA'AL AHARON HA KOHEN EL HOR HA HAR AL PI YHVH VA YAMAT SHAM BI SHENAT HA ARBA'IM LETSET BENEY YISRA-EL ME ERETS MITSRAYIM BA CHODESH HA CHAMISHI BE ECHAD LA CHODESH
וַיַּעַל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן אֶל הֹר הָהָר עַל פִּי יְהוָה וַיָּמָת שָׁם בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבָּעִים לְצֵאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַחֲמִישִׁי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ
KJ: And Aaron 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 were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.
BN: Then Aharon the Kohen went up into Mount Hor on the instruction of YHVH, and died there, in the fortieth year after the Beney Yisra-El had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
See Numbers 20:22-29 for the full account of Aharon's death and burial; but then see Deuteronomy 10:6. which moves the event to Moserah.
BA CHODESH: Would that have the 5th month in the Egyptian or the Babylonian calendar? Shevat in the latter, which is February, Av in the former, which is July or August.
33:39 VE AHARON BEN SHELOSH VE ESRIM U ME'AT SHANAH BE MOTO BE HOR HA HAR
וְאַהֲרֹן בֶּן שָׁלֹשׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה בְּמֹתוֹ בְּהֹר הָהָר
KJ: And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.
BN: And Aharon was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
Methinks the Beney Yisra-El were counting their calendar in kilometres rather than in miles; if we take the same ratio (5:8), this would have made him around 76, but it would also reduce the 40 years in the wilderness to slightly less than 25.
Note again the linguistic connection between Aharon (אַהֲרֹן) and Mount Hor (הֹר) - we cannot ignore the possibility that Aharon was originally conceived as a god, even carried as the ikon of a god, and that what was left on his holy mountain, Mount Hor, was the ikon, not a man. Or he was a man, but a priest of Hor (Horus is the Greek form), not YHVH, which is why he built Horus' symbol, the golden calf, and was brought here to die. Aharon in Arabic is Haroun.
samech break
33:40 VA YISHMA HA KENA'ANI MELECH ARAD VE HU YOSHEV BA NEGEV BE ERETS KENA'AN BE VO BENEY YISRA-EL
וַיִּשְׁמַע הַכְּנַעֲנִי מֶלֶךְ עֲרָד וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב בַּנֶּגֶב בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן בְּבֹא בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
BN: And the Kena'ani, the king of Arad, who lived in the south of the land of Kena'an, heard of the coming of the Beney Yisra-El.
ARAD: See the link.
NEGEV: Some translations prefer to keep the name NEGEV, rather than translating it as "south". Both are correct, though actually the root of NEGEV means "dry".
33:41 VA YISU ME HOR HA HAR VA YACHANU BE TSALMONAH
KJ: And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.
BN: And they journeyed from Mount Hor, and camped at Tsalmonah.
TSALMONAH: A place, or the name of a person? In Judges 8:5, and in Psalm 83:12, he is Tsalmun'a with an Ayin rather than a Hey ending (צַלְמֻנָּע), a king of Midyan. Tsalmunah with a Hey ending comes from the root TSALAM, which means "shady" (or has to do with the darkness, which is why, using the term metaphorically, a false idol or ikon is kown as a Tselem - as in the "image and likeness" of Genesis 1:27). As with so many of the names in this version of the journey, Tsalmonah makes no other appearance in the Tanach.
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵהֹר הָהָר וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּצַלְמֹנָה
KJ: And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.
BN: And they journeyed from Mount Hor, and camped at Tsalmonah.
TSALMONAH: A place, or the name of a person? In Judges 8:5, and in Psalm 83:12, he is Tsalmun'a with an Ayin rather than a Hey ending (צַלְמֻנָּע), a king of Midyan. Tsalmunah with a Hey ending comes from the root TSALAM, which means "shady" (or has to do with the darkness, which is why, using the term metaphorically, a false idol or ikon is kown as a Tselem - as in the "image and likeness" of Genesis 1:27). As with so many of the names in this version of the journey, Tsalmonah makes no other appearance in the Tanach.
33:42 VA YISU MI TSALMONAH VA YACHANU BE PHUNON
וַיִּסְעוּ מִצַּלְמֹנָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּפוּנֹן
BN: And they journeyed from Tsalmonah, and camped at Phunon.
Properly Punon, rendered Phunon by the prefictual preposition; see next verse.
I have repeatedly suggested that this journey across the wilderness was not a historical expedition at all, but a metaphorical account of the heavens. As we approach the very end of the pilgrimage, is it just coincidental that we reached Tsalmonah, where the sun has gone into the shade, and now Punon, which is the sunset itself, the beginning of darkness? From the root PUN, which also gives the idea of a corner being turned, as in the SHA'AR HAPONEH, one of the corner gates in later Yeru-Shala'im (cf 2 Chronicles 25:23 and 2 Kings 14:13).
33:43 VA YISU MI PUNON VA YACHANU BE OVOT
KJ: And they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth.
BN: And they journeyed from Punon, and camped at Ovot.
OVOT: And if, after burying your your ikon (TSELEM) of the deity (Aharon as Hor) on the holy mountain, and have just arrived, like Dante, at the entrance to the Underworld, the place of darkness, you might expect, as Macbeth did, to encounter witches - or at the very least soothsayers. OVOT in Yehudit.
33:44 VA YISU ME OVOT VA YACHANU BE IYEY HA AVARIM BI GEVUL MO-AV
KJ: And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ijeabarim, in the border of Moab.
BN: And they journeyed from Ovot, and camped at Iyey Ha Avarim, on the border of Mo-Av.
IYEY HA AVARIM: Think of King Arthur, being sent out in his boat of death by Guinevere, across the marshes to the Isle of Avalon. Or, in this case, Osher in his casket made of bulrushes, sent into the Mediterranean by his wicked uncle Set, to sail past the islands of Cyprus and the Greek archipelago and come to rest at Byblos. IYEY means "islands". AVARIM comes from the same root that yields "Hebrews": "to cross over". So we have reached the end of the living world, and are ready to descend into the Underworld.
33:43 VA YISU MI PUNON VA YACHANU BE OVOT
וַיִּסְעוּ מִפּוּנֹן וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּאֹבֹת
BN: And they journeyed from Punon, and camped at Ovot.
OVOT: And if, after burying your your ikon (TSELEM) of the deity (Aharon as Hor) on the holy mountain, and have just arrived, like Dante, at the entrance to the Underworld, the place of darkness, you might expect, as Macbeth did, to encounter witches - or at the very least soothsayers. OVOT in Yehudit.
33:44 VA YISU ME OVOT VA YACHANU BE IYEY HA AVARIM BI GEVUL MO-AV
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאֹבֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעִיֵּי הָעֲבָרִים בִּגְבוּל מוֹאָב
BN: And they journeyed from Ovot, and camped at Iyey Ha Avarim, on the border of Mo-Av.
IYEY HA AVARIM: Think of King Arthur, being sent out in his boat of death by Guinevere, across the marshes to the Isle of Avalon. Or, in this case, Osher in his casket made of bulrushes, sent into the Mediterranean by his wicked uncle Set, to sail past the islands of Cyprus and the Greek archipelago and come to rest at Byblos. IYEY means "islands". AVARIM comes from the same root that yields "Hebrews": "to cross over". So we have reached the end of the living world, and are ready to descend into the Underworld.
A full map of the heavens requires the underworld, as much as it does the visible skies (we would say the southern as well as the northern hemisphere, but to the ancients this was also about nighttime versus daytime, and winter versus summer). The Egyptian account is known as the Am Tu'at, and can be found in my translation here.
33:45 VA YISU ME IYIM VA YACHANU BE DIYVON GAD
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵעִיִּים וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּדִיבֹן גָּד
KJ: And they departed from
Iim, and pitched in Dibongad.
IYIM: Why does it change? Probably just laziness - "the islands" as a short-form. Germans say Frankfurt, and you have to ask if they mean am Mein or an der Oder; the same with Newcastle in England, and Springfield in America. The same with Diyvon Gad actually; see the next note.
Earlier (Numbers 21:30) it was called Divon, and was then included among the cities which Gad "built"' - so is the text using its later name, with which readers would have been familiar? If yes, then again we have evidence for the date of writing and against the god-given as we have it now Torah.
As to the meaning, the root is DUV, and can be found as MEDIVOT at Leviticus 26:16 - the "pining", "grieving", "sorrow" and "wailing" that accompanies death.
And if this is a correct re-reading of the wilderness journey, should we now accept that they did indeed begin the journey at the Red Sea, but that a "red sea" is simply a metaphor for the sunrise? And actually they began their journey when the waters of the Red Sea broke - the ultimate image of Creation itself! Now go back and look at IYEY HA AVARIM, and think Pass-Over.
וַיִּסְעוּ מִדִּיבֹן גָּד וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעַלְמֹן דִּבְלָתָיְמָה
KJ: And they removed from Dibongad, and encamped in Almondiblathaim.
BN: And they journeyed from Diyvon Gad, and camped at Almon Divlat Yamah.
ALMON DIVLAT YAMAH: Need to check for meanings, but I am inclined to split this into three words, not two, and to drop the qamas below the Tav as I think it is an error (click here for more about this). Otherwise it would have to be Almon Divlatayamah. Translations also recognise that there is something wrong, and go for Divlatayim as a correction. The problem with this is that the qamas-hey ending then becomes a different error, adding a dative where VA YACHANU has been shown to be transitive and not intransitive in all the preceding verses. So:
ALMON: There is a town with this name, in the tribal territory of Bin-Yamin, adjacent to Beit Anatot (Christian Bethany), mentioned in Joshua 21:18, but I am more interested in ELEM, which is the word for a young man, and ALMA, the same for a young woman, who has recently married, whose marriage has been consummated, but who has not yet become a parent. The root is OLAM, which is "eternity". Though there are also the Elamites, spelled with the same letters.
DIVLAT: Of which the final two letters are an indication of an ellision, DIVLIM or DIVLOT "shel" - the whatever-it-means "of" YAMAH. And what does it mean? The root DAVAL has the sense of something "compressed", gathered in the hands and pressed, into a cake if it's flour-and-water, into mud-bricks if it's wet clay. DEVELIM are specifically cakes made of dried figs, and forgive the dreadful pun (you can''t forgive if we are in the Underworld; there is no expiation there), but DEVELIM are the devil to make. And I make that dreadful pun because those fig-cakes are the ones that Avi-Gayil made for David, in 1 Samuel 25:18), when he too had descended into the Underworld (She'ol), and was being pursued by that devil of a king Sha'ul (the word is also found, again with King David, at 1 Chronicles 12:41 - and of course the fig, specifically the sycamore fig, is the tree associated with the one in the Garden of Eden in most Jewish commentaries; see my notes at Genesis 3:6.)
YAMAH: Yam means "sea", of which there are four in Kena'an - the Red Sea to the distant south, the Mediterranean to the west, the Sea of Galilee in the north, and this one, where they are camped, which is Yam ha Melach, the Dead Sea.
So this would leave ALMON DIVLAT YAMAH as something like "the eternal fig-trees along the Dead Sea". And why not?
33:47 VA YISU ME ALMON DIVLAT YAMAH VA YACHANU BE HAREY HA AVARIM LIPHNEY NEVO
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵעַלְמֹן דִּבְלָתָיְמָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּהָרֵי הָעֲבָרִים לִפְנֵי נְבוֹ
KJ: And they removed from Almondiblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
BN: And they journeyed from Almon Divlat Yamah, and camped in the mountains of Avarim, in front of Nevo.
See Numbers 27:12; this is where YHVH has instructed Mosheh to go to die.
NEVO: See the link.
33:48 VA YISU ME HAREY HA AVARIM VA YACHANU BE ARVOT MO-AV AL YARDEN YERECHO
KJ: And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
BN: And they journeyed from the mountains of Avarim, and pitched in the plains of Mo-Av by the Yarden at Yerecho.
AL YARDEN YERECHO: I have ignored this strange phrase until now, but can no longer. It is invariably translated as "by the Jordan at Jericho", but Jericho is not spelled like this, nor pronounced like this - or maybe it is. The word here is YERECH, which means "a thigh", and I believe the intention is metaphorical: this is the thigh of the river Jordan, which is a long thin river that widens, just below Jericho in fact, into the Dead Sea, or the Yam ha Aravah as the Tanach calls it. That a pun on its location close to Jericho is also intended I will not dispute, though it is entirely possible that Jericho was named Jericho because it sits on the thigh of the river. Mo-Av itself lay to the south and east of the Dead Sea, Yericho to the north and west, though the hills that become the Golan Heights as they move north of Jericho are known to this day as the Hills of Mo-Av.
33:48 VA YISU ME HAREY HA AVARIM VA YACHANU BE ARVOT MO-AV AL YARDEN YERECHO
וַיִּסְעוּ מֵהָרֵי הָעֲבָרִים וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ
BN: And they journeyed from the mountains of Avarim, and pitched in the plains of Mo-Av by the Yarden at Yerecho.
AL YARDEN YERECHO: I have ignored this strange phrase until now, but can no longer. It is invariably translated as "by the Jordan at Jericho", but Jericho is not spelled like this, nor pronounced like this - or maybe it is. The word here is YERECH, which means "a thigh", and I believe the intention is metaphorical: this is the thigh of the river Jordan, which is a long thin river that widens, just below Jericho in fact, into the Dead Sea, or the Yam ha Aravah as the Tanach calls it. That a pun on its location close to Jericho is also intended I will not dispute, though it is entirely possible that Jericho was named Jericho because it sits on the thigh of the river. Mo-Av itself lay to the south and east of the Dead Sea, Yericho to the north and west, though the hills that become the Golan Heights as they move north of Jericho are known to this day as the Hills of Mo-Av.
Then add to this that YARDEN is the Yehudit pronunciation of Jordan, and it comes from the root "YARAD" which means "to go down"; so AL YARDEN YERICHO may not even be a reference to the river at all, but could be to the point at which the hills "go down" into the city.
33:49 VA YACHANU AL HA YARDEN MI BEIT HA YESHIMOT AD AVEL HA SHITIM BE ARVOT MO-AV
KJ: And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.
BN: And they camped by the Yarden, from Beit Ha Yeshimot as far as Avel Shitim in the plains of Mo-Av.
BEIT HA YESHIMOT: For some reason the KJ, and other translators, ignore the definite article here: a BEIT follows by a definite article is always a "shrine", and not just somebody's "house". YESHIMON is one of the names for the desert, usually the desert at its most empty and desolate - see Psalms 68:8 and 78:40 for this; but also see Psalm 55:16, where the reason for this is explained: the root means "empty" and "desolate", and is used for the human world as much as it is for the natural world. The link to Psalm 55:16 square-brackets the probable explanation of this, which is YESI MAVET - יַשִּׁ֤י מָ֨וֶת - "the incitement towards death". So was BEIT HA YEHSIMOT in fact a cemetery? And is this then where Mosheh was buried. I think it is highly probable, on both counts.
33:49 VA YACHANU AL HA YARDEN MI BEIT HA YESHIMOT AD AVEL HA SHITIM BE ARVOT MO-AV
וַיַּחֲנוּ עַל הַיַּרְדֵּן מִבֵּית הַיְשִׁמֹת עַד אָבֵל הַשִּׁטִּים בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב
KJ: And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.
BN: And they camped by the Yarden, from Beit Ha Yeshimot as far as Avel Shitim in the plains of Mo-Av.
BEIT HA YESHIMOT: For some reason the KJ, and other translators, ignore the definite article here: a BEIT follows by a definite article is always a "shrine", and not just somebody's "house". YESHIMON is one of the names for the desert, usually the desert at its most empty and desolate - see Psalms 68:8 and 78:40 for this; but also see Psalm 55:16, where the reason for this is explained: the root means "empty" and "desolate", and is used for the human world as much as it is for the natural world. The link to Psalm 55:16 square-brackets the probable explanation of this, which is YESI MAVET - יַשִּׁ֤י מָ֨וֶת - "the incitement towards death". So was BEIT HA YEHSIMOT in fact a cemetery? And is this then where Mosheh was buried. I think it is highly probable, on both counts.
AVEL SHITIM: And how odd a coincidence is that! Take a look at Genesis 50:11, or at my link to AVEL MITSRAYIM, because AVELUT is the period of mourning that immediately follows the burial, and usually lasts a full lunar month (click here). In this case the cemetery is in a grove of acacias (SHITIM) - which we would expect if it is Mosheh who is being buried and mourned, because acacia is the principal wood used throughout his epic for the building of anything to do with the religious cult (Exodus 25, 26 and 27 have numerous examples).
So we have watched this mythological journey descend by place-name into the Underworld. So we should not be surprised to have arrived at these two burial-grounds.
And yet, according to the text, Mosheh, who handed over to his successor several chapters ago, who was sent up the mountain to die several chapters ago, is still alive, and well, and in command.
samech break
33:50 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH BE ARVOT MO-AV AL YARDEN YERECHO LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ לֵאמֹר
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh in the plains of Mo-Av by the Yarden at Yerecho, saying:
Yet one more verse which confirms that Mosheh cannnot possibly have been the author, or even the scribe. This is a narrator, using the 3rd person singular.
33:51 DABER EL BENEY YISRA-EL VE AMARTA ALEYHEM KI ATEM OVRIM ET HA YARDEN EL ERETS KENA'AN
דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּי אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן
KJ: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
BN: Speak to the Beney Yisra-El, and say to them: "When you cross over the Yarden into the land of Kena'an...
OVRIM: Yet again the play on the word that yields "Hebrews": "those who crossed over".
33:52 VE HORASHTEM ET KOL YOSHVEY HA ARETS MI PENEYCHEM VE IBADETEM ET KOL MASKIYTAM VE ET KOL TSALMEY MASECHOTAM TE'AVEDU VE ET KOL BAMOTAM TASHMIYDU
KJ: Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:
BN: Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their carved images, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
We speak with little but praise for Mosheh and the Beney Yisra-El, founders of moral law, et cetera; but what their god asked of them was the destruction of whole civilisations, both the humans and the belief systems. What ISIS is doing at Palmyra; what the British did at Yuan Ming Yuan... This may have started as a religious pilgrimage and covenant renewal ceremony, but the fanaticism has now taken over and it has become a crusade (or the march of conquest by Ach-Mousa, which was probably the same thing). The history of Christianity and Islam is not, I'm afraid, any less reprehensible.
33:53 VE HORASHTEM ET HA ARETS VIY'SHAVTEM BAH KI LACHEM NATATI ET HA ARETS LARESHET OTAH
וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ כִּי לָכֶם נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתָהּ
KJ: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
BN: And you shall drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell in it; for I have given the land to you as a possession.
33:52 VE HORASHTEM ET KOL YOSHVEY HA ARETS MI PENEYCHEM VE IBADETEM ET KOL MASKIYTAM VE ET KOL TSALMEY MASECHOTAM TE'AVEDU VE ET KOL BAMOTAM TASHMIYDU
וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶם וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֵת כָּל מַשְׂכִּיֹּתָם וְאֵת כָּל צַלְמֵי מַסֵּכֹתָם תְּאַבֵּדוּ וְאֵת כָּל בָּמוֹתָם תַּשְׁמִידוּ
KJ: Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:
BN: Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their carved images, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
We speak with little but praise for Mosheh and the Beney Yisra-El, founders of moral law, et cetera; but what their god asked of them was the destruction of whole civilisations, both the humans and the belief systems. What ISIS is doing at Palmyra; what the British did at Yuan Ming Yuan... This may have started as a religious pilgrimage and covenant renewal ceremony, but the fanaticism has now taken over and it has become a crusade (or the march of conquest by Ach-Mousa, which was probably the same thing). The history of Christianity and Islam is not, I'm afraid, any less reprehensible.
33:53 VE HORASHTEM ET HA ARETS VIY'SHAVTEM BAH KI LACHEM NATATI ET HA ARETS LARESHET OTAH
וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ כִּי לָכֶם נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתָהּ
KJ: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
BN: And you shall drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell in it; for I have given the land to you as a possession.
The concept of peoples sharing a land, of common ownership, tolerance, multi-culturalism, even multi-religionism - not even a consideration. Us or you. And death. Verse 35 explains why - and the Charter of Hamas in today's Israel.
33:54 VE HITNACHALTEM ET HA ARETS BE GORAL LE MISHPECHOTEYCHEM LA RAV TARBU ET NACHALATO VE LA ME'AT TAM'IYT ET NACHALATO EL ASHER YETS'E LO SHAMAH HA GORAL LO YIHEYEH LE MATOT AVOTEYCHEM TITNECHALU
וְהִתְנַחַלְתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּגוֹרָל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶם לָרַב תַּרְבּוּ אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלַמְעַט תַּמְעִיט אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ אֶל אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא לוֹ שָׁמָּה הַגּוֹרָל לוֹ יִהְיֶה לְמַטּוֹת אֲבֹתֵיכֶם תִּתְנֶחָלוּ
KJ: And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
BN: And you shall inherit the land by lot according to your families - to the more you shall give the larger inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the lesser inheritance; wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his; according to your ancestral tribes you shall inherit.
Re-stating what was given previously - Numbers 26:53ff.
33:55 VE IM LO TORIYSHU ET YOSHVEY HA ARETS MI PENEYCHEM VE HAYAH ASHER TOTIYRU ME HEM LE SIKIM BE EYNEYCHEM VE LI TSENIYNIM BE TSIDEYCHEM VE TSARERU ET'CHEM AL HA ARETS ASHER ATEM YOSHVIM BAH
וְאִם לֹא תוֹרִישׁוּ אֶת יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶם וְהָיָה אֲשֶׁר תּוֹתִירוּ מֵהֶם לְשִׂכִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם וְלִצְנִינִם בְּצִדֵּיכֶם וְצָרְרוּ אֶתְכֶם עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם יֹשְׁבִים בָּהּ
KJ: But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
BN: But if you fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them who you allow to remain will be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you dwell.
IM LO TORIYSHU: The translation makes this sound like a matter of choice, even refusal, whereas what it means is "if you do not succeed"... and by this means YHVH is exonerated from any future problems!
But surely, if YHVH has promised them the land, and he is after all the decision-maker of the entire cosmos, then with his miracles and his great and wondrous deeds he will simply give them the land, and they won't be able to fail to take it... or they will fail, and it will be YHVH punishing them for not being fully obedient... see the next verse for that...
33:56 VE HAYAH KA ASHER DIMIYTI LA'ASOT LAHEM E'ESEH LACHEM
וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּמִּיתִי לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם אֶעֱשֶׂה לָכֶם
BN: And it shall come to pass, that as I thought to do to them, so will I do to you.
Meaning what exactly? That when I was their god I gave them the land; but now I have switched my allegiance to you? No: it means that, whatever the outcome, it is to be perceived as my intention; good or bad, still my intention. Reward or punishment, still my intention. The god is always the explanation, no matter what.
pey break
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