Numbers 33:53

Summary

The verse instructs the addressees to take possession of the land and settle in it, then gives the reason introduced by ki ("for", H3588A): the land has been given to them for that very purpose. The passage uses two sequential perfect verbs followed by a causal clause with a completed perfect verb.

Key words

• horashtem ("you will take possession of", H3423H) — hiphil (causative) form, sequential perfect continuing the narrative chain; the hiphil stem of this root often carries a dispossessing/causative nuance (causing to inherit or driving out others).
• veyashavtem ("you will dwell", H3427) — qal sequential perfect, paired with horashtem to form a two-step action: possess, then dwell.
• ki ("for/that", H3588A) — subordinating particle introducing the causal clause that grounds the preceding instructions in a prior divine act.
• natati ("I have given", H5414G) — qal perfect, first person; marks a completed act, distinct in aspect from the sequential perfects used earlier.
• lareshet ("to take possession of", H3423H) — qal infinitive construct, from the same root as horashtem, forming an inclusio that frames the verse around the concept of possession.

What the text says

The verse opens with a narrative vav (H9001) attached to horashtem, linking it to preceding material as a continuation of a sequence of instructions. The pairing of horashtem (hiphil) and veyashavtem (qal) — "take possession" then "dwell" — presents two distinct but sequential actions using the same grammatical pattern (vav + perfect), a common construction for chained future/imperative-like instructions in Hebrew narrative and legal material.

The ki clause that follows shifts to explanation: lakhem natati et-ha'aretz ("to you I have given the land") uses a simple perfect (natati) rather than the sequential form, marking this as a completed prior act underlying the instructions rather than part of the same action-chain. The final phrase, lareshet otah ("to possess it"), repeats the root of horashtem as an infinitive, tying the reasoning back to the opening command and forming a frame around the verse.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders horashtem ("take possession of the land") as ἀπολεῖτε πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν ("you will destroy all those dwelling in the land"), introducing an object (the inhabitants) not present in the Hebrew clause, which speaks of the land itself. The LXX also adds αὐτῶν ("their [land]") and ἐν κλήρῳ ("by lot/inheritance"), concepts not explicit in the Hebrew. The Vulgate renders the same verb as mundantes terram ("cleansing the land"), a third distinct rendering diverging from both the Hebrew's possession-language and the LXX's destruction-language.