Numbers 33:1-56
The Stages of the Journey
1These are the journeys of the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
2At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:
3On the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover, the Israelites set out from Rameses. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians,
4who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods.
5The Israelites set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth.
6They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
7They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near Migdol.
8They set out from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.
9They set out from Marah and came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.
10They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
11They set out from the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.
12They set out from the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
13They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15They set out from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.
16They set out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.
17They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.
20They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.
21They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.
28They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.
29They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
30They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
32They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.
33They set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.
36They set out from Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.
37They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom.
38At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt.
39Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.
41And the Israelites set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.
44They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.
45They set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.
46They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.
47They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim facing Nebo.
48They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
49And there on the plains of Moab they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.
50On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,
51“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
52you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
53You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.
54And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.
55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.
56And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”
Berean Standard Bible
Moses records the stages of Israel's journey from Egypt by the command of the LORD. The list begins with Rameses, Passover night, and the Egyptians burying their firstborn. It moves through Succoth, Etham, Pi-hahiroth, the sea, Marah, Elim, Rephidim, Sinai, and the many wilderness camps that followed.
Some locations are attached to memorable events, while others appear only as names. The list does not explain every year or every emotion. It gives the journey a durable record so that Israel can remember that the LORD led them from place to place rather than leaving them to wander without a guide.
At the end, Israel camps by the Jordan opposite Jericho. The LORD commands them to drive out the inhabitants, destroy their carved images and high places, and divide the land by lot. The command belongs to Israel's particular conquest and covenant judgment, not to modern religious communities.
The warning is that if Israel does not drive them out, the remaining people and idols will become barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides. The journey's memory leads directly to a choice about what kind of worship and community Israel will establish in the land.
Questions
1 Why was the journey recorded?
AnswerIt was recorded by Moses at the LORD's command so Israel would remember how God led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness.
2 Where did the list end?
AnswerIt ended on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.
3 What was Israel commanded to do in the land?
AnswerIsrael was to drive out the inhabitants, destroy their idols and high places, and divide the land by lot.
4 What danger remained if Israel did not obey?
AnswerThe remaining people and idols would become sources of oppression and spiritual compromise in the land.
What This Means for Us
Not every season needs a dramatic explanation to be worth remembering. A list of camps can testify that God was present through ordinary movement, not only at the Red Sea or Sinai.
Keep a record of God's faithfulness that includes the uneventful places. And when you identify a practice that repeatedly pulls worship away from God, do not keep calling it harmless simply because it has become familiar.
Prayer
Faithful LORD, help us remember the whole journey, including quiet and difficult stages. Give us courage to remove what corrupts worship, gratitude for Your guidance, and patience with the road ahead. Amen.