Numbers 33:18 - The Forty-Two Journeys of the Israelites

Audio Bible

Context

The Forty-Two Journeys of the Israelites
…17They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.…

Cross References

Exodus 17:1
Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.Exodus 15:22
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water.Deuteronomy 1:2
It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.Deuteronomy 8:2
Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.Joshua 5:6
For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.Nehemiah 9:19-21
You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. / You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst. / For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.Psalm 78:52-53
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness. / He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.Psalm 105:39-41
He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to light up the night. / They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. / He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.Isaiah 63:11-14
Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them, / who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown, / who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble? ...Acts 7:36
He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.1 Corinthians 10:1-4
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. / They all ate the same spiritual food ...Hebrews 3:7-11
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. ...Hebrews 11:29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.Exodus 16:1
On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.Exodus 19:1-2
In the third month, on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. / After they had set out from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

Numbers 12:16
And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

Rithmah.

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Numbers 33

They set out from Hazeroth
Hazeroth is mentioned as one of the stations in the Israelites' wilderness journey. It is the location where Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of his Cushite wife, leading to Miriam's leprosy (Numbers 12). This incident highlights the challenges of leadership and the importance of humility and obedience to God. Hazeroth is believed to be located in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, though its exact location remains uncertain. The departure from Hazeroth signifies a continuation of the Israelites' journey towards the Promised Land, emphasizing the transient nature of their wilderness experience and God's guidance through each stage.

and camped at Rithmah.
Rithmah is one of the lesser-known stops in the Israelites' journey, and its exact location is not definitively identified today. The name "Rithmah" is derived from the Hebrew word for "broom plant," suggesting a landscape where such vegetation was prevalent. This stop is part of the larger narrative of the Israelites' 40-year journey through the wilderness, a period marked by testing, reliance on God, and preparation for entering Canaan. The journey from Hazeroth to Rithmah, like other stages, underscores the theme of trust in God's provision and timing. The movement from one camp to another reflects the nomadic lifestyle of the Israelites during this period and serves as a metaphor for the spiritual journey of faith, where believers are called to follow God's leading, often without knowing the final destination.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Hazeroth
A location in the wilderness where the Israelites camped during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It is notable for the events involving Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses (Numbers 12).

2. Rithmah
Another campsite for the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. The name "Rithmah" is derived from the Hebrew root (Rithmah), which is associated with the broom plant, indicating a desert area.

3. The Israelites
The people of God, led by Moses, who were journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land. Their journey is marked by a series of encampments, each with its own significance and lessons.

4. The Wilderness Journey
The broader context of this passage is the Israelites' 40-year journey through the wilderness, a time of testing, learning, and preparation for entering the Promised Land.

5. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. His leadership is central to the events described in Numbers.

Teaching Points

The Importance of Obedience
The Israelites' journey from Hazeroth to Rithmah reminds us of the importance of obedience to God's commands. Each step in their journey was directed by God, and their success depended on their willingness to follow His guidance.

Learning from the Past
The encampments in the wilderness serve as reminders of past lessons. As believers, we should reflect on our own spiritual journey and learn from past experiences to grow in faith and obedience.

Trusting God's Provision
The wilderness journey was a time of testing for the Israelites, teaching them to rely on God's provision. In our own lives, we are called to trust in God's faithfulness, even in challenging circumstances.

The Significance of Place
Each location in the Israelites' journey had its own significance and lessons. We should consider the places and seasons in our own lives as opportunities for growth and learning.

Verse 18. - Rithmah. Comparing this verso with Numbers 12:16 and Numbers 13:26, it would appear as if Rithmah were the station "in the wilderness of Paran" from which the spies went up, and to which they returned - a station subsequently known by the name of Kadesh. There are two difficulties in the way of this identification. In the first place we should then only have three names of stations between Sinai and the southern border of Palestine, on what is at least eleven days' journey. This is, however, confessedly the case in the historical narrative, and it admits of explanation. We know that the first journey was a three days' journey (Numbers 10:33), and the others may have been longer still, through a country which presented no facilities for encamping, and possessed no variety of natural features. In the second place, Rithmah is not Kadesh, and cannot be connected with Kadesh except through a doubtful identification with the Wady Retemat in the neighbourhood of Ain Kudes (see note at end of chapter 13). It is, however, evident from Numbers 12:16, as compared with Numbers 13:26, that Kadesh was not the name originally given to the encampment "in the wilderness of Paran." It seems to have got that name - perhaps owing to some popular feeling with respect to an ancient sanctuary, perhaps owing to some partial shifting of the camp - during the absence of the spies. Rithmah, therefore, may well have been the official name (so to speak) originally given to the encampment, but subsequently superseded by the more famous name of Kadesh; this would explain both its non-appearance in the narrative of Numbers, and its appearance in the Itinerary here. Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

They set out
וַיִּסְע֖וּ (way·yis·‘ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5265: To pull up, the tent-pins, start on a, journey

from Hazeroth
מֵחֲצֵרֹ֑ת (mê·ḥă·ṣê·rōṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 2698: Hazeroth -- a place in the wilderness

and camped
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ (way·ya·ḥă·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2583: To incline, to decline, to pitch a, tent, gen, to encamp

at Rithmah.
בְּרִתְמָֽה׃ (bə·riṯ·māh)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7575: Rithmah -- a place in the desert

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Numbers 33:18 Catholic BibleOT Law: Numbers 33:18 They traveled from Hazeroth and encamped (Nu Num.)