Numbers 21:12

Summary

The verse records a stage in the itinerary of the Israelites: departing from an unnamed previous location, they journey and set up camp at the wadi (or valley) of Zered. It is a short notice of movement and encampment typical of the travel narratives in Numbers.

Key words

mi.Sham ("from there", H9006 + H8033G) — the preposition min ("from") combined with the adverb sham ("there") anchors the new movement to the previously mentioned location, without naming it again.

na.Sa.'u ("they set out", H5265) — qal perfect, third person plural. The perfect (completed) aspect marks this as a finished action: the departure is presented as accomplished before the next action begins.

va.i.ya.cha.Nu ("and they encamped", H2583) — qal narrative form with the narrative vav (H9001) prefixed. This form links the encamping directly to the previous verb as the next event in a sequential chain ("and then they encamped"), typical of Hebrew narrative style.

Na.chal ("wadi of", H5158N) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its meaning ("wadi of X"). It denotes a seasonal stream-bed or valley, not necessarily a river with constant water.

Za.red ("Zered", H2218) — proper name identifying the specific wadi, completing the construct phrase.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a tight two-verb narrative sequence: na.Sa.'u ("they set out") in the qal perfect, followed by va.i.ya.cha.Nu ("and they encamped") using the narrative vav construction. This vav-prefixed form is the standard way Biblical Hebrew narrates sequential events — it signals "and then," binding the encampment as the direct continuation of the departure. The opening phrase mi.Sham ("from there") deliberately omits the name of the starting point, referring back to whatever location was mentioned in the preceding verse, and the sentence's focus is entirely on the destination named in the second half.

The destination is expressed through a construct chain: Na.chal Za.red, literally "wadi-of Zered." The construct noun Na.chal specifies the type of terrain — a wadi, a valley or ravine that may carry water seasonally — while Za.red supplies the proper name. This construction is common for place-names built from a geographical term plus a specific identifier.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders Na.chal ("wadi", H5158N) as pharanga ("valley/ravine," from φάραγξ), and transliterates the place-name as Zaret rather than Zered, reflecting a minor difference in vowel rendering. The Vulgate uses torrentem ("torrent" or "stream"), a term that emphasizes flowing water more strongly than the Hebrew nachal, which can denote a dry or seasonal wadi. Modern translations (BSB, SBLIBRE) render nachal as "valley," aligning with the LXX's pharanga rather than the Vulgate's "torrent."