The big picture
Numbers 34 opens in verse 1 with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 15 with “The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan…”, and closes in verse 29 with “These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of…” Repeated or prominent terms include tribe, border, children, land, prince. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Numbers · King James Version · 29Numbers 34:1-8
1–8: The LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Numbers 34:1–8 opens with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” and reaches “From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 34 develops its own movement around tribe, border, children, land, prince, with particular weight carried by border, south, land.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Naming Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Numbers 34:1-8
King James Version1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)
3Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:
4And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadesh-barnea, and shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass on to Azmon:
5And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.
6And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.
7And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:
8From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:
Numbers 34:9-16
9–16: The border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at…
Numbers 34:9–16 opens with “And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan: this…” and reaches “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 34 develops its own movement around tribe, border, children, land, prince, with particular weight carried by border, tribe, children.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Numbers 34:9-16
King James Version9And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border.
10And ye shall point out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham:
11And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:
12And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.
13And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:
14For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:
15The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.
16And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Numbers 34:17-24
17–24: These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you…
Numbers 34:17–24 opens with “These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and…” and reaches “And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 34 develops its own movement around tribe, border, children, land, prince, with particular weight carried by tribe, children, prince.
Context that brings the passage to life
“These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Numbers 34:17-24
King James Version17These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
18And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.
19And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
20And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.
22And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.
24And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.
Numbers 34:25-29
25–29: The prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of…
Numbers 34:25–29 opens with “And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.” and reaches “These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Numbers 34 develops its own movement around tribe, border, children, land, prince, with particular weight carried by children, prince, tribe.
Numbers 34:25-29
King James Version25And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.
26And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.
29These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Numbers 34:1 begins with “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Numbers 34:3 forms a natural hinge: “Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea…”
The final note
Numbers 34:29 leaves the reader with “These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words tribe, border, children, land, prince, inheritance help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How is religion misused in this chapter?
Circumcision is proposed deceptively to make the city vulnerable.
What later passage evaluates Simeon and Levi's violence?
Genesis 49:5-7 condemns their fierce anger and cruel wrath.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- spake
- spoke
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.