Numbers 33:44
And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab.
Original Language Analysis
וַיִּסְע֖וּ
And they departed
H5265
וַיִּסְע֖וּ
And they departed
Strong's:
H5265
Word #:
1 of 7
properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e., start on a journey
וַֽיַּחֲנ֛וּ
and pitched
H2583
וַֽיַּחֲנ֛וּ
and pitched
Strong's:
H2583
Word #:
3 of 7
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
Ije-abarim (also called Iyim, v. 45) was located in the mountains east of Moab, likely modern-day Mahay in Jordan. The "border of Moab" indicates Israel respected Moab's territorial integrity per God's command (Deuteronomy 2:9), though they would camp in Moab's plains by Jordan. This was probably late 1406 BC, months before Canaan's conquest.
Questions for Reflection
- When you stand at the "border" of God's promises for your life, what keeps you from stepping forward in faith?
- How does the wilderness generation's failure at Kadesh-barnea warn you about the consequences of hesitating at the threshold of obedience?
- What "ruins of the regions beyond" might God be calling you to leave behind as you approach new territory in your walk with Him?
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Analysis & Commentary
They departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab (וַיִּסְעוּ מֵאֹבֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעִיֵּי הָעֲבָרִים בִּגְבוּל מוֹאָב)—Iye ha-Abarim means "ruins of the regions beyond" or "heaps of the passages," marking Israel's arrival at Moab's eastern frontier. The term gevul (גְּבוּל, "border," "boundary") is theologically loaded: Israel has reached the edge of the wilderness and stands at the threshold of inheritance.
This is more than geography—it's covenant theology. For forty years Israel wandered outside the Promised Land due to unbelief (Numbers 14). Now a new generation stands at the border, poised to enter by faith what their fathers forfeited by fear. The Abarim mountain range (including Nebo where Moses will die, Deuteronomy 34:1) dominates the horizon, visible evidence that promise is near but not yet possessed.