Numbers 33:20

Summary

Numbers 33:20 records one stage in the itinerary of the Israelites' wilderness journey: departure from Rimmon-perez and encampment at Libnah. The verse follows the fixed formulaic pattern used throughout this chapter to list successive stopping points.

Key words

• va-yis'u ("and they set out", H9001+H5265) — narrative vav prefixed to a qal verb, third person masculine plural, marking sequential action ("and then they set out").
• Rimmon Paretz ("Rimmon-perez", H7428) — a compound proper name functioning as the place of departure, marked by the preposition me ("from", H9006).
• va-yachanu ("and they encamped", H9001+H2583) — a second narrative vav construction with a qal verb, third person masculine plural, parallel in form to va-yis'u, continuing the chain of sequential events.
• Livnah ("Libnah", H3841G) — the destination place name, introduced by the preposition be ("at/in", H9003).

What the text says

The verse consists of two parallel clauses joined by the narrative vav pattern typical of Hebrew itinerary lists. Each clause has the same structure: a converted imperfect (vav + verb) followed by a prepositional phrase naming a location. The first clause, va-yis'u me-Rimmon Paretz ("and they set out from Rimmon-perez"), uses the preposition me to mark the point of departure. The second clause, va-yachanu be-Livnah ("and they encamped at Libnah"), uses the preposition be to mark the point of arrival. This repeated verb pair — nasa ("to set out", H5265) and chanah ("to encamp", H2583) — forms the structural backbone of the entire chapter, with each verse marking one leg of the wilderness route through this same two-verb, two-preposition template. The compact grammar gives no additional detail about duration, distance, or circumstances — only the bare sequence of departure and arrival, consistent with the register of a travel list rather than a narrated event.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew place name Rimmon Paretz (H7428) is rendered in the LXX as two separate words, Ῥαμμὼν Φάρες, without a preposition equivalent to Hebrew me ("from") explicitly marking departure — the Greek text lists the name directly after the verb ἀπῆραν ("they departed"). The Vulgate compresses both clauses into a shorter formula, "Unde egressi venerunt in Lebna" ("From there, having departed, they came to Lebna"), using unde ("from there") to summarize the departure point rather than repeating the specific name Rimmon-perez, and rendering Libnah as "Lebna." The Hebrew Livnah (H3841G) appears in the LXX as Λεμωνά, a form that differs from the Hebrew consonants more noticeably than the Vulgate's "Lebna."