Numbers 33:49

Summary

This verse records the final encampment station of the Israelites' wilderness journey, describing a line of camps stretching along the Jordan River, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim, located in the plains of Moab.

Key words

• va-yachanu ("and they encamped", H2583) — qal verb with narrative vav, continuing the sequential list of stations from the itinerary in Numbers 33.
• ha-Yarden ("the Jordan", H3383) — definite proper name marking the geographic boundary along which the camp stretched.
• Beit ha-Yeshimot ("Beth-jeshimoth", H1020) — construct proper name, the northern limit of the encampment, introduced by mi ("from", H9006).
• Avel ha-Shittim ("Abel-shittim", H0063) — proper name marking the southern limit, introduced by ad ("to", H5704).
• Arvot Mo'av ("plains of Moab", H6160I/H4124I) — construct phrase locating the entire encampment region, introduced by be ("in", H9003).

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative verb va-yachanu ("and they encamped", H2583), continuing the chain of itinerary notices that structure Numbers 33. The subject "they" is embedded in the verb form itself, referring back to the Israelites tracked throughout the chapter's list of stations.

The spatial description uses two paired prepositions to define a range: mi ("from", H9006) with Beit ha-Yeshimot and ad ("to", H5704) with Avel ha-Shittim. This min...ad construction is a standard Hebrew way of marking a span between two points, indicating that the encampment was not a single point but extended along a stretch of territory parallel to ha-Yarden ("the Jordan", H3383), introduced by the preposition 'al ("at/by", H5921A).

The final phrase, be-'Arvot Mo'av ("in the plains of Moab", H6160I/H4124I), situates this entire stretch within a broader regional designation. The construct chain 'Arvot Mo'av ties the plains specifically to Moab, giving both the linear extent (Jordan-side, Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim) and the regional context (Moab's plains) for this last recorded camp before the subsequent instructions in the following verses.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders Avel ha-Shittim (H0063) as "Βελσά" (Belsa), differing from the Hebrew form preserved in the Masoretic Text and reflected in the Vulgate's "Abelsatim." The LXX also renders "Beth-jeshimoth" as "Αἱσιμῶθ" (Aisimoth), omitting the "Beth-" element present in the Hebrew Beit ha-Yeshimot. The Vulgate's "de Bethsimoth usque ad Abelsatim" closely mirrors the Hebrew min...ad structure, while the LXX's "ἀνὰ μέσον...ἕως" ("between...until") expresses the same range with different prepositional phrasing.