Numbers 33:47
And they removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
Original Language Analysis
וַיִּסְע֖וּ
And they removed
H5265
וַיִּסְע֖וּ
And they removed
Strong's:
H5265
Word #:
1 of 8
properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e., start on a journey
דִּבְלָתָ֑יְמָה
from Almondiblathaim
H5963
דִּבְלָתָ֑יְמָה
from Almondiblathaim
Strong's:
H5963
Word #:
3 of 8
almon-diblathajemah, a place in moab
וַֽיַּחֲנ֛וּ
and pitched
H2583
וַֽיַּחֲנ֛וּ
and pitched
Strong's:
H2583
Word #:
4 of 8
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
בְּהָרֵ֥י
in the mountains
H2022
בְּהָרֵ֥י
in the mountains
Strong's:
H2022
Word #:
5 of 8
a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
Historical Context
Mount Nebo (modern Jebel en-Neba in Jordan) rises 2,740 feet above the Dead Sea, offering panoramic views of Canaan from Dan to the Negev. Moses ascended from these plains (Deuteronomy 34:1) shortly after delivering his final sermons (Deuteronomy). From Nebo's summit, Moses saw what faith envisions: the inheritance his eyes beheld but his feet never touched.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Moses's death at Nebo—seeing but not entering—challenge your assumptions about how God defines "successful" ministry?
- What promised lands might you be called to glimpse and prepare for others to possess, even if you don't personally enter them?
- How does the proximity of Nebo's judgment and grace illustrate that God's discipline of His leaders doesn't negate His love for them?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
They removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo (וַיִּסְעוּ מֵעַלְמֹן דִּבְלָתָיְמָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּהָרֵי הָעֲבָרִים לִפְנֵי נְבוֹ)—The Abarim range (הָעֲבָרִים, "regions beyond" or "passages") represents the final physical barrier before Jordan. Mount Nebo (נְבוֹ, possibly meaning "prophet" or from Babylonian god Nabu) is where Moses will view Canaan and die (Deuteronomy 34:1-5), making this camp laden with bittersweet significance.
The phrase lifnei Nevo (לִפְנֵי נְבוֹ, "before Nebo") can mean both "in front of" geographically and "in the presence of" theologically. Israel camps in the shadow of the mountain where their greatest leader will breathe his last, unable to enter the land he'd pursued for forty years. Nebo symbolizes the tension between God's discipline (Moses excluded for striking the rock, Numbers 20:12) and God's grace (Moses shown the land, given honorable death, Deuteronomy 34:5-6). Leadership transitions here from Moses to Joshua, from law-giver to land-taker.