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Numbers 34:1-6 open_in_new
3). Description of The Land To Be Inherited (Numbers 34:1-15).
Having commanded the purifying of the land by the driving out of its inhabitants and their gods, the land in mind is now delineated. This was not just some vague notion, it was a grand plan.
Analysis.
a Command concerning the inheritance of the land which will fall to them (Numbers 34:1-2).
b Description of the south quarter (Numbers 34:3-5).
b Description of the western border (Numbers 34:6).
b Description of the northern border (Numbers 34:7-9).
b Description of the eastern border (Numbers 34:10-12).
a This is the land which they are to inherit by lot as Yahweh has commanded (Numbers 34:13-15).
Chapter 34 Delineation of the Land To Be Possessed and the Names of Those Who Will Divide It Up Once It Is Possessed.
The land of Canaan was in general a recognised entity in the ancient world. For long periods it came under the control of Egypt to the south who considered that they had rights over it. When they were strong those rights were exercised. Thus in the Amarna letters Egypt expected to be kept in touch with affairs and were regularly called on to give assistance, and their idea of Canaan corresponds with the description here. Interestingly a later 12th century BC text of Pharaoh Merenptah actually mentions the presence of Israel in the land, boasting that he had got rid of them, ‘Israel lies desolate, its seed are no more'. But they had simply retired to the hills awaiting his departure.
While its exact borders were nowhere mentioned it is made quite clear that it occupies pretty much of what is described here.
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
Again we are assured that we have Moses' words given by Yahweh.
“ Command the children of Israel, and say to them, When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land which shall fall to you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders.”
When they came into the land of Canaan the land that they were to possess was clearly specified. The delineations are much larger than was actually achieved, but that was due to disobedience. Because they failed Yahweh the Canaanites survived as far as Byblos, well to the north, the area from which had previously come the Ugaritic texts.
Description Of The South Quarter (Numbers 34:3-5).
“ Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the border of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Salt Sea eastward, and your border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim (‘scorpions'), and pass along to Zin. And its goings out shall be southward of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall go forth to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon; and the border shall turn about from Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt, and its goings out shall be at the sea.”
Compare Joshua 15:2-4. They were not to possess any of the land of Edom (‘along by the border of Edom' - compare Deuteronomy 2:5). The boundary then goes from the bottom of the Salt Sea (the Dead Sea) across to the Great Sea, (the Mediterranean Sea), passing to the south of Kadesh Barnea (possibly Ain el Qudeirat) which was to be included in the land, and reaching ‘the Wadi of Egypt' (Wadi el-Arish). The Negeb provided good pasture land, and by judicious use of groundwater could be, and regularly was at times, irrigated.
“ And for the western border, you shall have the great sea and the border. This shall be your west border.”
The Western border was the Great Sea, the Mediterranean itself.
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Numbers 34:7-9 open_in_new
“ And this shall be your north border: from the great sea you shall mark out for you mount Hor; from mount Hor you shall mark out to Lebo-Hamath; and the goings out of the border shall be at Zedad; and the border shall go forth to Ziphron, and its goings out shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your north border.”
This Mount Hor was probably by the sea north of Byblos. The boundary then went across to Lebo-Hamath in the Beqa Valley (probably modern Lebweh, and mentioned in both Egyptian and Assyrian sources), and Zedad (modern Sedad)
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Numbers 34:10-12 open_in_new
“ And you shall mark out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham; and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall reach to the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward; and the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its goings out shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders round about.”
The first part of the eastern border cannot now be determined, but it soon became the Jordan valley, alongside the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee) and down the Arabah to the Dead Sea. Transjordan was thus outside the delineated land, as Moses now explains.
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Numbers 34:13-15 open_in_new
‘And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, “This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which Yahweh has commanded to give to the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe; for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their fathers' houses, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to their fathers' houses, have received, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received, their inheritance: the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.” '
What he has described was to be seen as the land which was to be divided among them by lot. It was the land which Yahweh had commanded should be given to the nine and a half tribes. The other two and a half tribes have received theirs in Transjordan, east of Jordan. But note the tacit assumption that this had been given to them by Yahweh as well. It is ‘their inheritance' (see Deuteronomy 2:30-31; Deuteronomy 3:2; Deuteronomy 3:18).
So the land that they were to possess was marked out before them. It remained for them to take possession in the name of Yahweh, and with His powerful assistance. He had brought them safely from Egypt (Numbers 33:1-49), now He would take them safely into the promised land (Numbers 33:51-53).
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Numbers 34:16-29 open_in_new
4). The Leaders Who Will Divide the Land For Them Are Appointed (Numbers 34:16-29).
The picture is further enhanced by naming the leaders who will see to the dividing up of the land, which are now given. This was a guarantee that within their lifetime the land would be possessed. This was to be no future dream, it was a present hope. They could look to their leader's tents and see where the one who would actually do this was dwelling. Here was certainty and encouragement sufficient for all. Those mainly responsible for the division would be Joshua and Eleazar, but they would be assisted by the chieftains of the nine and a half tribes.
Analysis.
a Yahweh declares the names of those who will divide the land (Numbers 34:16-18).
b The princes names listed (Numbers 34:19-28).
a These are those whom Yahweh has commanded to divide the land (Numbers 34:29).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
Once again it is insisted that this was what was commanded to Moses by Yahweh.
“ These are the names of the men who will divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.”
The two men mainly responsible for dividing the land would be Eleazar the Priest and Joshua. Eleazar was named first out of deference to his present position. Joshua was still simply the heir elect. But Eleazar is always mentioned first when the two are named together in direct contrast with Moses and Aaron suggesting that Joshua's status was never quite seen as on a par with that of Moses (Numbers 32:28; Joshua 14:1; Joshua 17:4; Joshua 19:51; Joshua 21:1).
“ And you shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance.”
And they were to act through the named chieftains of the tribe. The names of these chieftains is now given. The list is very pointed. The only chieftain remaining of the old chieftains was Caleb. All the others had passed way to be replaced by the new generation. Compare Numbers 1:4-16; Numbers 13:4-15. Joshua was the only other exception, but he was no longer available having been made commander-in-chief.
“ And these are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. And of the tribe of the children of Dan a prince, Bukki the son of Jogli. Of the children of Joseph: of the tribe of the children of Manasseh a prince, Hanniel the son of Ephod. And of the tribe of the children of Ephraim a prince, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. And of the tribe of the children of Zebulun a prince, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. And of the tribe of the children of Issachar a prince, Paltiel the son of Azzan. And of the tribe of the children of Asher a prince, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. And of the tribe of the children of Naphtali a prince, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.”
“ These are they whom Yahweh commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.”
These chieftains are the ones whom Yahweh has commanded should divide up the inheritance of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. This was Yahweh's inheritance, given to the children of Israel. It was to be theirs and would be divided up by their chieftains alive at this day.