Numbers 33:15

Summary

The verse records one stage in the itinerary of the Israelites: departure from Rephidim and encampment in the wilderness of Sinai. It is a two-clause narrative report consisting of two consecutive verbs of travel.

Key words

• va-yis'u ("and they set out", H5265) — qal narrative form (vav-consecutive), marking sequential action: "and then they set out."
• me-Rephidim ("from Rephidim", H7508) — proper name with the preposition me ("from", H9006), indicating the point of departure.
• va-yachanu ("and they encamped", H2583) — qal narrative form (vav-consecutive), parallel in structure to va-yis'u, marking the next sequential action.
• midbar ("wilderness of", H4057B) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its meaning ("wilderness of X").
• Sinai ("Sinai", H5514H) — proper name, the noun that completes the construct chain midbar Sinai, "wilderness of Sinai."

What the text says

The verse is built on two parallel narrative clauses, each introduced by the narrative vav (va, H9001) attached to a qal verb in the same grammatical pattern: va-yis'u ("and they set out") and va-yachanu ("and they encamped"). This vav-consecutive construction is typical of Hebrew narrative sequence, presenting the two actions as a chain of consecutive events rather than as separate, unconnected statements. Both verbs are third-person masculine plural, referring back to the collective subject (the Israelites) established earlier in the itinerary list of Numbers 33.

The first clause locates the starting point using the preposition me ("from", H9006) prefixed to the place name Rephidim (H7508). The second clause states the destination using the preposition be ("in", H9003) prefixed to the phrase midbar Sinai ("wilderness of Sinai"). This phrase is a construct chain: midbar (H4057B, "wilderness of") is grammatically bound to Sinai (H5514H), so the two words function as a single unit meaning "the wilderness of Sinai," rather than two independent nouns. The verse thus functions as a minimal geographical notice, typical of the itinerary format used throughout Numbers 33, moving the narrative from one named location to the next without further comment or elaboration.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew Rephidim (H7508) appears in the LXX as Ῥαφιδεὶν (Raphideín) and in the Vulgate as Raphidim — transliterations reflecting the same place name with minor phonetic adaptation. Similarly, Sinai (H5514H) appears as Σεινά (Seiná) in the LXX and Sinai in the Vulgate, again a transliteration rather than a translation. The construct phrase midbar Sinai is rendered as ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Σεινά ("in the wilderness of Sinai") in the LXX and in deserto Sinai in the Vulgate, both preserving the same construct-like relationship found in the Hebrew.