Numbers 33:45

Summary

This verse continues the itinerary list of Israelite encampments in the wilderness. It records two consecutive movements: departure from a place called Iim and arrival at a place called Dibon-gad, using the standard formulaic pattern of this travel narrative.

Key words

• va-yis'u ("and they set out", H5265) — qal narrative verb, third person masculine plural, marking sequential action ("and then they set out").
• me-'Iyim ("from Iim", H5864G) — preposition me ("from") attached to the proper place name, indicating point of departure.
• va-yachanu ("and they encamped", H2583) — qal narrative verb, parallel in form to the first verb, continuing the sequence ("and then they encamped").
• be-Divon ("at Dibon-", H1769I) — preposition be ("at/in") attached to the place name, indicating point of arrival.
• Gad ("Gad", H1410I) — proper name attached to Dibon, forming the compound toponym "Dibon-gad."

What the text says

The verse follows the recurring two-verb pattern found throughout Numbers 33: a verb of departure (va-yis'u) paired with a source location marked by me-, followed by a verb of arrival (va-yachanu) paired with a destination marked by be-. Both verbs are qal narrative forms, third person masculine plural, which simply advance the itinerary without additional grammatical nuance — the Hebrew text offers no elaboration beyond the bare sequence of movement and encampment.

The place name at the end, Divon Gad, is a compound toponym: Divon ("Dibon") is qualified by the added name Gad (H1410I), distinguishing this Dibon from other locations bearing the same base name elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew text of this verse names the point of departure simply as 'Iyim (H5864G), without any additional qualifying element.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew me-'Iyim ("from Iim") is rendered by the LXX as ἐκ Γαῖ ("from Gaï"), a transliteration variant of the same place name. The Vulgate, however, reads "de Ijeabarim" ("from Ije-abarim"), a longer form of the name that appears in the Hebrew text of the preceding verse (Numbers 33:44) rather than in this verse. This longer form is also reflected in the Spanish translations RV1909 ("Ije-abarim") and SBLIBRE ("Ije-abarim"), while the BSB follows the shorter Hebrew form ("Iyim") found in the Masoretic text of this specific verse.