Numbers 34

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:32:33utc

D. Division of the Land West of Jordan (continued) 34:1-29

This chapter deals in a concise manner with the division of the promised land (vs. 1-15), and it lists the names of those who were responsible to oversee the division (vs. 16-29). What we read here is the basic allotment God gave to Israel.

Matthew Henry's Commentary observes: "There was a much larger possession promised them, which in due time they would have possessed if they had been obedient, reaching even to the river Euphrates, [Deut. 11:24]. And even so far the dominion of Israel did extend in David's time and Solomon's, [2 Chr. 9:26]. But this which is here described is Canaan only, which was the lot of the nine tribes and a half, for the other two and a half were already settled." Moses indicated later that the territory could be increased, depending upon the people's obedience. In Deuteronomy we read: "If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow-- to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him-- then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea."[ 1 ] This promise became a reality for a short time during the reign of king Solomon. The book of Second Chronicles reports: "He [Solomon] ruled over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt."

It appears that some of the border lines drawn in this chapter are difficult to trace on today's map, because the exact location of each place mentioned is not known.

About the Southern border, The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says: "The line which bounded it on the south is the most difficult to trace. According to the best Biblical geographers, the leading points here defined are as follows: The southwest angle of the southern boundary should be where the wilderness of Zin touches the border of Edom, so that the southern boundary should extend eastward from the extremity of the Dead Sea, wind around the precipitous ridge of Akrabbim (scorpions), thought to be the high and difficult Pass of Safeh, which crosses the stream that flows from the south into the Jordan-- i. e., the great valley of the Arabah, reaching from the Dead to the Red Sea." The same commentary observes that "The Israelites never actually possessed all the territory comprised within these boundaries, even when it was most extended by the conquests of David and Solomon." But there is little value to investigate these details within the scope of our study. We agree, at least in part with Adam Clarke's Commentary, which says: "All description here is useless. The situation and boundaries of the land of Canaan can only be known by actual survey, or by consulting a good map."

The verses 16-29 give us a list of names of the ten tribal leaders, who were to oversee and direct the occupation of each tribal territory, according to the allotment given to each tribe by the drawing described in the previous chapter. The nomination was an act of faith, since no territory had been conquered yet, except for the kingdoms of Og and Sihon, which had been allotted to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh. The order in which the names were given is also remarkable, since it is the order of the allotments to the various tribes, for which, at that time the lots had not yet been cast. Matthew Henry's Commentary remarks: "Some observe that the order of the tribes here very much differs from that in which they hitherto, upon all occasions, had been named, and agrees with the neighborhood of their lots in the division of the land. Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, the first three here named, lay close together; the inheritance of Dan lay next them on one side, that of Ephraim and Manasseh on another side; Zebulun and Issachar lay abreast more northerly, and, lastly, Asher and Naphtali most northward of all, as is easy to observe in looking over a map of Canaan; this (says bishop Patrick) is an evidence that Moses was guided by a divine Spirit in his writings. Known unto God are all his works beforehand, and what is new and surprising to us he perfectly foresaw, without any confusion or uncertainty." This is indeed a remarkable feature, which can hardly be called a coincidence, unless we take this whole chapter to be out of place. That would mean, however, that Moses could not have written it, and that leads to unacceptable assumptions.

The Pulpit Commentary remarks about the sequence in which the names of the tribal leaders are mentioned: "Of these tribe princes …, Caleb is the only one whose name is known to us, and he had acted in a somewhat similar capacity forty years before. This may of itself account for the tribe of Judah being named first in the list, especially as Reuben was not represented; but the order in which the other names follow is certainly remarkable. Taken in pairs (Judah and Simeon, Manasseh and Ephraim, &c.), they advance regularly from south to north, according to their subsequent position on the map. Differing as this arrangement does so markedly from any previously adopted, it is impossible to suppose that it is accidental. We must conclude either that a coincidence so apparently trivial was Divinely prearranged, or that the arrangement of the names is due to a later hand than that of Moses."

[ 1 ] Deut. 11:22-24