Numbers 33:11
And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.
Original Language Analysis
וַיִּסְע֖וּ
And they removed
H5265
וַיִּסְע֖וּ
And they removed
Strong's:
H5265
Word #:
1 of 6
properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e., start on a journey
מִיַּם
sea
H3220
מִיַּם
sea
Strong's:
H3220
Word #:
2 of 6
a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the mediterranean sea; sometimes a large river, or an artif
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ
and encamped
H2583
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ
and encamped
Strong's:
H2583
Word #:
4 of 6
properly, to incline; by implication, to decline (of the slanting rays of evening); specifically, to pitch a tent; generally to encamp (for abode or s
Historical Context
The Wilderness of Sin lay between Elim and Mount Sinai, approximately one month after the Exodus (Exodus 16:1). The manna provided here sustained Israel for 40 years until they entered Canaan (Joshua 5:12). Moses preserved a jar of manna in the Ark (Exodus 16:32-34) as perpetual testimony to God's wilderness faithfulness.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you romanticized past bondage because present freedom required uncomfortable trust in God's provision?
- How does daily manna (no hoarding, no accumulation) challenge modern assumptions about security through abundance?
- What does Jesus's identification as "bread from heaven" (John 6) reveal about manna as prophetic type?
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Analysis & Commentary
Removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin—The Wilderness of Sin (מִדְבַּר־סִין, Midbar-Sin, probably from Akkadian Sinu, the moon god) was a coastal plain along the western Sinai. This location became the site of Israel's first major complaint about food: "Would to God we had died in Egypt... where we did eat bread to the full" (Exodus 16:3). Their selective memory forgot Egyptian slavery, romanticizing bondage over wilderness freedom.
God's response was patience, not punishment: He provided manna (Exodus 16:4-36), teaching daily dependence on divine provision. The bread from heaven anticipated Christ: "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35, 48-51). Each morning's manna demonstrated that God's people live not by accumulated resources but by daily trust in His faithfulness. Sin's wilderness became a school of sustained reliance.