Numbers 34:8
From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:
Original Language Analysis
הָהָ֔ר
From mount
H2022
הָהָ֔ר
From mount
Strong's:
H2022
Word #:
2 of 9
a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
תְּתָא֖וּ
ye shall point out
H8376
תְּתָא֖וּ
ye shall point out
Strong's:
H8376
Word #:
3 of 9
to mark off, i.e., (intensively) designate
לְבֹ֣א
your border unto the entrance
H935
לְבֹ֣א
your border unto the entrance
Strong's:
H935
Word #:
4 of 9
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
וְהָי֛וּ
H1961
וְהָי֛וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
6 of 9
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
תּֽוֹצְאֹ֥ת
and the goings forth
H8444
תּֽוֹצְאֹ֥ת
and the goings forth
Strong's:
H8444
Word #:
7 of 9
(only in plural collective) exit, i.e., (geographical) boundary, or (figuratively) deliverance, (actively) source
Cross References
Numbers 13:21So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.2 Kings 14:25He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
Historical Context
Lebo-Hamath (modern Lebweh or the Beqaa Valley entrance) controlled access between Mesopotamia and Egypt/Palestine. It appears throughout OT as Israel's ideal northern limit (Numbers 13:21; Joshua 13:5; Judges 3:3; 1 Kings 8:65). During divided kingdom era, northern border rarely reached this far, showing incomplete conquest fulfillment.
Questions for Reflection
- How do unfulfilled aspects of God's promises (like Israel's incomplete conquest) inform expectations of NT promises' fulfillment?
- What does the 'entrance of Hamath' as boundary marker teach about strategic thinking in spiritual warfare and territory claiming?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings out of the border shall be at Zedad—The northern boundary continues from Mount Hor inland to Lebo-Hamath (entrance/approach to Hamath), a strategic pass between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges, then to Zedad (possibly modern Sadad, northeast of Damascus).
Hamath was Aramean/Syrian kingdom; 'entrance of Hamath' marked where Israelite territory ended and foreign kingdoms began. David and Solomon both reached this boundary (2 Samuel 8:9; 1 Kings 8:65), representing Israel's fullest extent. The precision shows God's covenant specificity: not vague 'from sea to sea,' but exact landmarks. This teaches that God's promises, while certain, have defined scope. We must neither diminish them through unbelief nor inflate them through presumption.