Numbers 33:47

Summary

This verse records two stages of the itinerary of the Israelites: their departure from Almon-diblathaim and their encampment in the mountains of Abarim, facing Nebo. It belongs to the list of stations in the wilderness journey recorded in Numbers 33.

Key words

• va-yis'u ("and they set out", H5265) — qal narrative verb, third person masculine plural, continuing the chain of consecutive actions typical of itinerary lists.
• me-'Almon-Divlatayemah ("from Almon-diblathaim", H5963) — proper name of a place preceded by the preposition me ("from"), marking the point of departure.
• va-yachanu ("and they encamped", H2583) — qal narrative verb, third person masculine plural, marking the resulting action after the departure.
• harei ha-'Avarim ("mountains of Abarim", H2022G / H5682) — construct noun harei ("mountains of") followed by the definite proper name ha-'Avarim, indicating the specific mountain range.
• li-fnei Nevo ("before Nebo", H6440G / H5015A) — construct noun fnei ("face of") governing the proper name Nevo, forming the idiomatic expression "in front of" or "facing."

What the text says

The verse is built on two narrative verbs joined by the vav consecutive: va-yis'u ("and they set out") and va-yachanu ("and they encamped"). This construction is the standard pattern of the itinerary notices in Numbers 33, where each verse links a departure point to an arrival point through the sequential narrative form. The verb yis'u is followed by the preposition me ("from") attached to the place name 'Almon-Divlatayemah, marking the point of origin, while yachanu is followed by the preposition be ("in") attached to the construct phrase harei ha-'Avarim ("mountains of the Abarim"), marking the destination.

The phrase li-fnei Nevo uses the construct noun fnei ("face of"), which in combination with the preposition li ("to") forms the idiomatic spatial expression "facing" or "in front of." This grammatical construction, common in Biblical Hebrew geographic descriptions, indicates orientation relative to a landmark — here, the location Nebo — rather than a numerical distance.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'Almon-Divlatayemah as a single continuous form "Γελμὼν Δεβλαθάιμ," splitting it into two components (Gelmon and Deblathaim) rather than treating it as one compound toponym as the Hebrew text presents it. The Vulgate similarly fuses the name differently, writing "Helmondeblathaim" as one word, diverging from both the Hebrew's two-part construct and the LXX's two-word rendering. The mountain name ha-'Avarim appears in the LXX as "τὰ Ἀβαρεὶμ" with the article repeated to match Greek syntax, while the Vulgate gives "Abarim" without an article, consistent with Latin's lack of a definite article system.