Chapter Thirty-Three
The Exodus in Review
Due to the number and nature (difficult to read and pronounce) of the location names (as well as some of the people’s names) in this and the next chapter, many choose not to read these chapters. One could easily ask why is there a summary of each location? Especially since there is not much detail given. There are several potential reasons, however, it seems that there is a very serious and somber point made here, and that is disobedience to God has a price. The Israelites had their groanings, complaints, and disagreements along the way, but nothing was comparable to their disbelief regarding God’s ability of using them to clear out the Promised Land of its pagan-worshiping occupants. This list of stages is a harsh reminder that sin has consequences, as the list would have been much shorter if they simply trusted God and not their perception of the world.
33:1 These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places. 3 They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4 while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them. On their gods also the LORD executed judgments.
The first forty-nine verses of this chapter identify the past forty years in forty-one stages (Hebrew ‘mǎs·’ê’,[1] meaning to “set out,” to journey) from Egypt to the plains of Moab (42 locations in total, not all are known today). They began their journey the day after the first Passover, the fateful night of the tenth and final plague (see Exodus 12:29-32), when the firstborns that were not protected by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and lintels were killed. Pharaoh released the people of Israel the following day. As they began their journey out of Egypt, the Egyptians began to bury their dead. By demonstrating power over life and death, God executed judgment on also their pagan gods, revealing to the Egyptians that their gods were both false and powerless.
33:5 So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. 6 And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7 And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8 And they set out from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they went a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9 And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10 And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11 And they set out from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 And they set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 And they set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 And they set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15 And they set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.
The first leg of their journey was from Egypt to the region around Mount Sinai. The miracle of them crossing the Red Sea is simply referred to as, “passed through the midst of the sea,” with no mention of the drama, anxiety, or wonderment of that event. As mentioned earlier, very little information about each location is given, plus nothing is stated about the people’s complaints or about God’s provisions and miracles.
33:16 And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 And they set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 And they set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 And they set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 And they set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21 And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 And they set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23 And they set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 And they set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 And they set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 And they set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 And they set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 And they set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 And they set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 And they set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31 And they set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 And they set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34 And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 And they set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36 And they set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh). 37 And they set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.
The record of the journey between the wilderness of Sinai to Kadesh contains several locations that appear only in this chapter. Since no additional information is given, there is no record of why they stopped there, nor any idea as to where they were located, some remain a mystery today.
33:38 And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
From Kadesh-barnea they traveled to Mount Hor. The list pauses to give tribute to Aaron, who went up Mount Hor and died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites left Egypt (see Numbers 20:25-28). He was 123 years old when he died.
33:40 And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.
Around the time they camped at Mount Hor, the Canaanite king of Arad heard about the people of Israel coming their way, so he began to fight against them, taking a few of them captive. God gave them the ability to destroy them (see Numbers 21:1-3). Considering that very little information is given in this chapter about these locations, with no mention of disobedience and very little about God’s actions, it is perplexing as to why this Canaanite was mentioned here. Perhaps it was listed to offer hope, as the encounter with this kingdom was their first major victory. The momentum from this battle helped them gain faith in God, giving them the confidence their parents lacked.
33:41 And they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 And they set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 And they set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44 And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the territory of Moab. 45 And they set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 And they set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 And they set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48 And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho; 49 they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
The list of the last series of stops from Mount Hor to the plains of Moab also contain several unknown and one-time appearing location names. Subtracting Rameses as the starting point and the plains of Moab as the location they were currently camped, the number of points in between were 40, over a 40-year period. Some stops may have been a day or two while other stops (such as in the Sinai area) over a year.
A Summary of What's Next
33:50 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”
God tells Moses to speak to the people that when they cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, that they are to drive out all current inhabitants of the land (they were previously warned to completely follow the instructions and kill them all).[2] In addition to the complete removal of the pagan worshiping people, they were to destroy all worship related objects as well. That included destroying and removing any stone statues and metal images of their gods, and destroying their pagan worship centers, typically on high hills.[3] Once the people were removed and the spiritual corruption eradicated, they could take possession of the land and settle in the Promised Land. The land was to be allocated by lot (ultimately guided by God, who would give the larger allocation to the larger tribes and less land to the smaller tribes).[4]
However, if they fail to drive out the current inhabitants of the land, then those that remain will (not ‘may’) be as barbs (Hebrew ‘śik·kîm’,[5] found only this one time in Scripture, is a noun referring to a barb, prick or a short needle, can also be like a sharp stick or branch) in their eyes (rendering both intense pain and blindness) and thorns in their sides (Hebrew ‘ṣenî·nim’,[6] a noun similar to ‘śik·kîm’, being like a stick, the word can also refer to a thorn or spiny growth, used only in one other location, see Joshua 23:13, where it talks about thorns in the eyes). Perhaps to make sure the imagery was understood, God amplifies by adding that those people will (again not ‘may’) trouble them in the land, and further warns, “And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.” (Numbers 33:56, NLT)[7]
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[2] See commentary under Exodus 23:20-24.
[3] See commentary under Exodus 34:13-14.
[4] See commentary under Numbers 26:52-56.
[7] See also Considerations under Leviticus 26:46 regarding Israel’s sad history.