Numbers 33:13

Summary

This verse records two consecutive stages in the wilderness itinerary of Numbers 33: the Israelites depart from Dophkah and set up camp at Alush. It follows the same formulaic pattern used throughout this chapter's travel list, pairing a verb of departure with a verb of encampment.

Key words

• va-yyis'u ("and they set out", H5265) — qal narrative form (vav-consecutive), continuing the chain of sequential actions typical of this itinerary list; the plural subject refers to the people collectively.
• mi-Dofqah ("from Dophkah", H1850 with H9006) — the preposition min ("from") attached to the place name marks the point of departure.
• va-yyachanu ("and they encamped", H2583) — second qal narrative verb, paralleling yis'u and forming the standard "set out / encamped" couplet that structures the entire chapter.
• be-'Alush ("at Alush", H0442 with H9003) — the preposition be ("in/at") marks the destination where the encampment occurs.

What the text says

The verse consists of two short clauses joined by the narrative vav (H9001), each built on the same syntactic pattern: verb + prepositional phrase with a place name. The first clause, va-yyis'u mi-Dofqah ("and they set out from Dophkah"), uses the preposition min to mark the geographical origin of movement. The second clause, va-yyachanu be-'Alush ("and they encamped at Alush"), uses the preposition be to mark the geographical endpoint. This alternation between min ("from") and be ("at/in") is consistent across the itinerary in Numbers 33, where each verse typically names a departure point and an arrival point using this same preposition pair.

No verbal aspect beyond the simple narrative form is present — both verbs are qal, third person plural, with the vav-consecutive construction that simply advances the narrative sequence without additional nuance of duration, repetition, or emphasis. The syntax is minimal and formulaic, matching the genre of a travel log rather than a descriptive narrative.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (Profectique de Daphca, castrametati sunt in Alus) closely mirrors the Hebrew place names, rendering Dofqah as "Daphca" and 'Alush as "Alus." The LXX, however, gives ἐκ Ῥαφακὰ ("from Rhaphaka") for mi-Dofqah, showing a consonantal rearrangement of the place name, and ἐν Αἰλείμ ("at Aileim") for be-'Alush, a name that differs from the Hebrew 'Alush and instead resembles "Elim," a separate station named earlier in the same chapter (Numbers 33:9-10).