TK TORAH KEEPERS Presents a “Leaven Free” Messianic Torah Commentary

by Glenn McWilliams

  

THE OVERVIEW

The tribes of Reuben and Gad, as well as the half-tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance in the already conquered land of the Transjordan.  In this week’s portion the remaining nine-and-a-half tribes of the children of Israel are shown the boundaries of the land they are to conquer and divide by lot for an inheritance.  As with the taking of the census and the sending of the spies, the leaders of the tribes are to assist Joshua and Aaron in the process of dividing the land.  The Levites, who are not to have a tribal inheritance in the land of Israel, are given an inheritance of forty-eight cities from among their brethren.

 THE OUTLINE

 Numbers 34:1-12      The boundaries of the land

• • Numbers 34:1-5          The southern borders
  • Numbers 34:6             The western borders
  • Numbers 34:7-9          The northern borders
  • Numbers 34:10-12      The eastern borders

 

• Numbers 34:13-15    The affirmation of the inheritance of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan

 Numbers 34:16-29    The appointment of those who are to divide the land

 Numbers 35:1-8         The cities of the Levites

• • Numbers 35:1-2          The command to give cities
  • Numbers 35:3-5          The boundaries of the cities and their land
  • Numbers 35:6-7          The number of cities, including the cities of refuge
  • Numbers 35:8             Who is to give the cities

 

SUGGESTED STUDY QUESTIONS

1.  What is the covenant of Abraham?
2.  What are the boundaries of the land promised to Abraham?
3.  Are these the same boundaries as those described in our portion?
4.  Are these the boundaries of the modern State of Israel?
5.  Why is there a difference?
6.  Is the Transjordan a part of the promised land?
7.  Who is to occupy the land listed in our portion?
8.  Have the people of Israel ever occupied the full land of Israel?
9.  How are the tribes listed?

10.   How is the land to be divided?

11.   Who is to divide the land?

12.   What is the purpose of the princes?

13.   Why is the title “prince” not used with the names of Caleb, Shemuel, and Elidad?

14.   Who truly owns the land?

15.   What is Israel’s relationship to the land?

16.   What pattern do we see repeated concerning the Levites?

17.   What do Levi and Simeon have in common?

18.   What prophecy is fulfilled by this reality?

19.   Why is Levi scattered among the tribes of Israel?

20.   What relationship do the Levites have with the Israelites?

21.   If the Levites have no inheritance in the land, why are they given cities and land?

22.   What is the function of the Levites?

23.   What shadow picture of Messiah can be seen in the Levites?

THE TEXT

Bemidbar 34:1-35:8 And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) ³then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: ⁴and your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: ⁵and the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.  ⁶And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.  ⁷And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: ⁸from mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: ⁹and the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.  ¹⁰And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham: ¹¹and the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: ¹²and the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.  ¹³And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which YHWH commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: ¹⁴for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: ¹⁵the two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.  ¹⁶And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.  ¹⁸And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.  ¹⁹And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  ²⁰And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.  ²¹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.  ²²And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.  ²³The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.  ²⁴And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.  ²⁵And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.  ²⁶And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.  ²⁷And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.  ²⁸And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.  ²⁹These are they whom YHWH commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

 

^35:1And YHWH spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.  ³And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.  ⁴And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.  ⁵And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.  ⁶And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.  ⁷So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.  ⁸And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth. (Numbers 34:1-35:8 KJV)

 

 

THE STUDY 

To genuinely understand the significance of the events recorded in this week’s portion, we need to establish the relationships between the various callings and covenants recorded in the Torah.  The first of these callings and covenants was given in the Garden of Eden.

And Elohim said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  ²⁷So Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim created He him; male and female created He them.  ²⁸And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28 KJV) 

 

And YHWH Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  ⁸And YHWH Elohim planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.  ⁹And out of the ground made YHWH Elohim to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:7-9 KJV)

 

And YHWH Elohim commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17 KJV)

In the original calling and covenant, Adam was created and called to be the very image of the Creator in the world.  Adam was to manifest the image of the Creator by bringing forth life and exercising dominion over the tangible animal realm, including his own animal nature.  This exercising of dominion over his animal or sensual nature also meant that Adam was prohibited from eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  In return for his obedience, Adam was permitted to eat freely of the other trees of the garden, including the Tree of Life.  Disobedience to the covenant resulted in the distortion of the image of the Creator, corruption, the pollution of creation, and, ultimately, death.  In response to Adam’s failure to fulfill this calling and covenant, YHWH promised that eventually, the damage done by the fall would be restored through the seed of the woman.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15 KJV)

The rest of the story of the Torah is, in many ways, the unfolding of the fulfillment of this promise.  With the making of this promise on the part of YHWH, the focus of the Torah narrows from the whole human race to a specific line from which the promised seed would descend: Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, etc.

The next calling and covenant made by YHWH was with Noah and his descendants.  While the narrative of this story is narrowly focused upon this one line, it is clearly for the sake of the whole human race.

And Elohim blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. (Genesis 9:1 KJV)

 

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.  ⁵And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.  ⁶Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of Elohim made He man.  ⁷And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. (Genesis 9:4-7 KJV)

 

And Elohim spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.  ¹¹And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth.  ¹²And Elohim said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.  ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁵and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between Elohim and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.  ¹⁷And Elohim said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth. (Genesis 9:8-17 KJV)

Once more, man was called to restore and protect the very image of the Creator in the world.  We should note that man was again given a dietary restriction in connection with this covenant.  We noted in previous portions that the purpose of this dietary restriction (not killing human life or eating human flesh or blood) was to sanctify human life, because man was created to be the image of the Creator in the world.  Let us also note that this covenant reveals the Creator’s heart to restore all of creation.  It is of greatest importance to recognize that it was the mixing of seed that threatened humanity’s existence, not the flood.  By the flood, YHWH preserved the pure line through the rescue of Noah and his sons.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, ²that the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.  ³And YHWH said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:1-3 KJV)

 

But Noah found grace in the eyes of YHWH.  ⁹These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with Elohim. (Genesis 6:8-9 KJV)

The next covenant we encounter is that which was made with Abraham.  Like the covenants before it, the Abrahamic covenant was for the sake of the whole of creation, yet it was specifically with one man and his descendants.  The covenant itself is based upon two promises given to Abraham and his offspring: 1) the promise of multiple seed or numerous descendants; and 2) the promise of a specific piece of land as a heritage.

Now YHWH had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: ²and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ³and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3 KJV)

 

And YHWH appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto YHWH, who appeared unto him. (Genesis 12:7 KJV)

 

And YHWH said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: ¹⁵for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.  ¹⁶And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.  ¹⁷Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. (Genesis 13:14-17 KJV)

 

And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be.  And he believed in YHWH; and He counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6 KJV)

 

And he said, Adonai YHWH, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  ⁹And He said unto him, Take Me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.  ¹⁰And he took unto Him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. (Genesis 15:8-10 KJV)

 

And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; ¹⁴and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.  ¹⁵And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.  ¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.  ¹⁷And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.  ¹⁸In the same day YHWH made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, ²⁰and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, ²¹and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. (Genesis 15:13-21 KJV)

The night that YHWH made the covenant with Abraham, the Creator passed through the cutting of the sacrifice.  Later, Abraham was instructed by the Creator to circumcise himself and all the males of his household.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, YHWH appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am El Shaddai; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.  ²And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.  ³And Abram fell on his face: and Elohim talked with him, saying, ⁴As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  ⁷And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be an Elohim unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.  ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their Elohim.  ⁹And Elohim said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.  ¹⁰This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; every man child among you shall be circumcised.  ¹¹And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you.  ¹²And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.  ¹³He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.  ¹⁴And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.  ¹⁵And Elohim said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. (Genesis 17:1-15 KJV)

Isaac was the first of Abraham’s seed to pass through the cutting of this covenant and, therefore, became the heir and firstborn of the Abrahamic covenant.

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; ⁴and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 26:3-4 KJV)

This covenant was then passed down through Isaac to Jacob and, eventually, to the twelve tribes and their descendants.  In fulfillment of YHWH’S promise to Abraham, his seed was made a great nation in the land of Egypt.  In the fourth generation, YHWH faithfully brought the seed of Abraham out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, where yet another covenant was made with the children of Israel.

Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: ⁶and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.  These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:5-6 KJV)

 

And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, ⁴and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, ⁵and rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, ⁶oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, ⁷onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.  ⁸And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:3-8 KJV)

It is important to understand that each of these callings and covenants builds upon the previous one but does not in any way replace it or abrogate it.  The Abrahamic covenant contains the promise of multiple seed and land.  The Sinai covenant contains the calling and instructions concerning what the seed of Abraham are to do in the land.  The Sinai covenant reveals what the descendants of Abraham are to do in order to fulfill their calling and remain in the land.  By keeping the covenant, Israel remains in the land promised to Abraham and his seed forever, while at the same time manifesting the restored image of YHWH in the world.  If, however, Israel acts like the seed of the pagans, they are exiled from the chosen land and scattered among the pagans.

Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: ²⁵and the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.  ²⁶Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: ²⁷(for all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) ²⁸that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.  ²⁹For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.  ³⁰Therefore shall ye keep Mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am YHWH your Elohim. (Leviticus 18:24-30 KJV)

 

If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; ⁴then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  ⁵And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.  ⁶And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.  ⁷And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  ⁸And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  ⁹For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish My covenant with you.  ¹⁰And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.  ¹¹And I will set My tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you.  ¹²And I will walk among you, and will be your Elohim, and ye shall be My people. (Leviticus 26:3-12 KJV)

 

But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; ¹⁵and if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My covenant: ¹⁶I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. (Leviticus 26:14-16 KJV)

 

And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. (Leviticus 26:33 KJV)

Let us be clear to understand that YHWH gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for a purpose – not simply for their pleasure.  Being a descendant of Abraham is more than just being a biological descendant.  Abraham was chosen by YHWH because YHWH understood that Abraham would do what he was asked.  Abraham had genuine faith that manifested itself in radical obedience.  Let us recall that Abraham was willing to depart from his country, his kindred, and his father’s house to follow the Creator’s calling.

Now YHWH had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. (Genesis 12:1 KJV)

 

So Abram departed, as YHWH had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. (Genesis 12:4 KJV)

We should also recall that Abraham was willing to offer up his son Isaac on the altar at YHWH’S command.

And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:2 KJV)

 

And they came to the place which Elohim had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (Genesis 22:9 KJV)

 

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.  ¹¹And the Messenger of YHWH called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.  ¹²And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest Elohim, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me. (Genesis 22:10-12 KJV)

It was this obedience and faith that caused YHWH to enter into covenant with Abraham.  We should note that the promise of seed and land was given to the descendants of Abraham because of his faith.  We should recall YHWH’S complimentary words concerning Abraham’s character and faith.

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of YHWH, to do justice and judgment; that YHWH may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him. (Genesis 18:19 KJV)

YHWH spoke to Isaac and said:

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; ⁴and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; ⁵because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. (Genesis 26:3-5 KJV)

We should understand that there is more to being a “descendant” of Abraham than simply DNA.  The apostle Shaul clearly understood this truth.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7 KJV)

 

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. (Galatians 3:9 KJV)

 

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13 KJV)

Because of Abraham’s faith and obedience, his descendants inherited the land.  But to remain in the land, the descendants of Abraham were to faithfully live out what they and the land were chosen to do, which was to manifest the image of the Creator in the world by living the Torah.  To be the children of Abraham in the land, they were to exercise and demonstrate the very character, faith, and obedience of Abraham.

In our portion, roughly 660 years after Abraham entered into covenant with YHWH, and after a journey of forty-two years in the wilderness, the descendants of Abraham are finally ready to inherit the land promised to Abraham.  Let us note, however, a slight conflict concerning the boundaries of the land.  In the covenant made with Abraham we were given two very significant landmarks.

In the same day YHWH made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. (Genesis 15:18 KJV)

The first landmark is “the river of Egypt.”  The second is “the great river, the river Euphrates.”  The phrase “the river of Egypt” has raised numerous questions as to whether it is a reference to the Nile River or whether it is referring to the Wadi El-Arish, located at the border between the Negev and the Sinai Peninsula.  Jacob Milgrom clearly defines the phrase as being synonymous with the wadi described in our current portion.

Hebrew nachlah mitzrayim, modern Wadi El-‘Arish, is a long and deep watercourse that is full only after a substantial rain.  It constitutes a natural barrier between the Negev and the Sinai Peninsula.[1]

We must note, however, that two different Hebrew words are used to describe the boundaries of the land.  In the covenant made with Abraham, the Hebrew phrase being translated as “the river of Egypt” is nehar Mitzrayim.  The Hebrew word nahar (nun, hey, resh) or nehar (when used before the name of the river) means “river” or “stream.”  It is the same word used to describe “the great river, the river Euphrates” – hanahar hagadol nehar Prat.

In our current portion the southern border is marked by the landmark nachlah Mitzrayim.  The Hebrew word nachlah comes from the root nachal (nun, chet, lammed), which means “wadi,” “ravine,” “valley,” or “torrent.”  There is a big difference between a nahar or “river” and a nachal or “wadi.”  A wadi is a valley or ravine, generally caused by erosion from seasonal rains.  In the desert where the mountains are rocky, seasonal rains pour down the mountains with great force.  A wadi is generally carved into the topography of the land with very steep banks.  For much of the year the wadi is empty, like a dry river bed.  Because wadis are a path for water, they are often filled with fertile silt and vegetation.  Since the sides of a wadi are steep, they are used for grazing animals.  A river or nahar, like the Euphrates or the Nile, is filled with water year round and is often the source of irrigation for fields and orchards.  These two different Hebrew words clearly describe two different types of landmarks.

I will suggest, therefore, that the boundaries of the Abrahamic covenant stretch from the Nile River (nahar) all the way to the Euphrates River (nahar).  This territory is most often referred to by modern geologists and anthropologists as the “Fertile Crescent.”  In our current portion, however, the boundaries being described are clearly much smaller.  In our portion “the river of Egypt” is referring to the Wadi El Arish on the southeastern border between the Sinai Peninsula and the Negev.  The western border of the land is the Mediterranean Sea, and the eastern border is, for the most part, the western bank of the Jordan River.  The southern border of the land borders on the land of Edom in the wilderness of Zin, even to the southern tip of the Dead Sea.  In the north, the border extends well into what is today Lebanon and Syria.  When reading the landmarks of the northern border, we need be careful not to confuse the Mount Hor mentioned in our portion with the Mount Hor where Aaron died.

And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.  ²³And YHWH spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, ²⁴Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah.  ²⁵Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: ²⁶and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.  ²⁷And Moses did as YHWH commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.  ²⁸And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.  ²⁹And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel. (Numbers 20:22-29 KJV)

 

And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: ⁸from mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad. (Numbers 34:7-8 KJV)

In reference to the Mount Hor of Aaron’s death, we need to take note of several important details.  First, let us understand the name of the place of Aaron’s death.  The Hebrew word for “mountain” is har (hey, resh).  In every other place a mountain is mentioned in the Bible, the name of the mountain follows the word har: har Sinai, har Horeb, har Seir, etc.  In the reference to this mountain, however, the order is reversed, hor ha-har.  It is possible that this expression is not a proper name but that hor is simply an archaic form of har; thus, the expression hor ha-har may mean, as the Septuagint translates it, oros to oros) “the mountain of the mountain,” or “the summit of the mountain.”[2]  If this is, in fact, the case, then we may understand that the whole ceremony performed by Moses at Aaron’s death may well have been on the summit of a mountain in the sight of all the children of Israel.  This same expression is used in our current portion describing the northern border.  I would suggest, therefore, that hor ha-har is not to be used as a proper name but as a description of the summit of a mountain range in the north.  Jacob Milgrom writes:

Mount Hor—Not the Mount Hor that lies near the border of Edom where Aaron died (20:22-29; 33:38).  It is probably one of the northwestern summits of the Lebanese range north of Byblos (perhaps Ras Shaqqah or Jebel Akkar.[3]

With the exception of the northern border, the land described in our portion is roughly equivalent to the boundaries of the current modern State of Israel.

This clear difference in boundaries has caused those who believe in the “documentary theory” of the Torah to speculate that the difference between these two descriptions of the boundaries is evidence of several different sources and traditions.  Some scholars contend that the boundaries described in our current portion are closer to the boundaries of the time of the monarchy and, therefore, were written later and added to the story.  Timothy R. Ashley writes:

Other lists of Israel’s borders are found in various places in the OT.  The most common designation for the whole land is “from Dan to Beer-sheba” (e.g., 1 Sam. 3:20), which comprises a smaller territory north to south than the present passage.  Gen. 15:18 expands the land from the river of Egypt (as here, v. 5) to the Euphrates.  Closer parallels to the present passage are found in Josh. 1:1-4 for the southern border and in Ezek. 47:13-20 for the whole territory.  Some scholars have concluded that the Numbers passage is based on one or both of these passages.[4]

Scripture gives us another simple answer to this question of the smaller borders.  As we have seen in previous portions, living as an individual, a single family, or clan among a larger people was very dangerous.  Let us recall Sarah’s abductions, Lot’s capture, and Jacob’s fear of retaliation after the incident at Shechem.

And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. (Genesis 34:30 KJV)

While Abraham was promised the land of Canaan 660 years prior to his descendants entering and taking possession of the land, he could not occupy the promised land because he was not numerous or strong enough to possess, inhabit, and protect the land.  Had Abraham on his own or with his small army of men tried to drive out all the occupants of Canaan at the time of the covenant, he surely would have been destroyed.  It was essential, therefore, that his descendants wait in Egypt until they were numerous enough to take the land and occupy it.  Even with 2.5 to 3 million people and 600,000 men of war, Israel was simply not large enough to conquer and occupy all the land promised to Abraham.  Therefore, YHWH declared that He would give the children of Israel the land little by little as they were capable of occupying it.

I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.  ³⁰By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. (Exodus 23:29-30 KJV)

This first generation to reenter the land of promise will conquer and occupy only a small portion of the land where Abraham sojourned as a stranger.  As they grow in number, they are to conquer yet more land.  Just as Adam and Chava were placed in the Garden of Eden and commanded to populate the whole earth, so the children of Israel will begin fulfilling their calling in the small area of the promised land and then spread out to the rest of the land as they grow in strength, faith, and number.  We must also recall that only nine-and-a-half tribes will occupy this land.  The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh were already granted their inheritance east of the Jordan River.

Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; ²the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, ³Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, ⁴even the country which YHWH smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: ⁵wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. (Numbers 32:1-5 KJV)

 

And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. (Numbers 32:33 KJV)

The smaller boundaries of our portion are not meant to negate the promise made to Abraham; rather, they are to accommodate the small number of the children of Israel who will be taking possession of the land.  We should understand that YHWH does not demand the impossible from His people.  Rather, the Sovereign One accommodates our realistic abilities.  This being said, however, we should note that even with the smaller borders, Israel never fully occupies the land.  Ashley again points out that it is not until much later in history that Israel finally conquers parts of the land given in Numbers 34.

Many scholars point to the ideal nature of this boundary list.  It is true that Israel did not inhabit the territory outlined here; e.g., Israel’s western border was not the Mediterranean Sea until c.a. 144 B.C. under Simon Maccabeus (1 Macc.14:5).  But this passage represents a fairly accurate picture of the land of Canaan as found in Near Eastern texts from the middle of the 15^th cent. B.C. on, and matches particularly well with the territory in the Egyptian district of Canaan in the second half of the 13^th cent. B.C.[5]

Dennis T. Olson likewise confirms the idyllic nature of the borders as described in our portion.

The outline of Canaan’s boundaries in chapter 34 is similar to other biblical descriptions of Canaan’s borders in Josh. 15:1-14 and Ezek. 47:15-18 and 48:1-2.  It also corresponds to the delineation of the land as stretching Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt in 1 Kings 8:65.  In contrast, another traditional designation of the northernmost and southernmost points of the land is the lesser area designated by the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” (e.g., Judg. 20:1; 1 Sam. 3:20; 1 Kings 4:25; cf. Budd, p. 365).  This would include an area significantly smaller than that promised in Numbers 34, an indication that the promise of chapter 34 far exceeded the historical fulfillment in most periods of Israel’s history.  Israel’s territory was the largest during the united monarchy of David and Solomon, but even then it did not include some of the Philistine territory on the western border along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  Thus, the portrait of the land is an idealized one that always outdistanced its historical realization.  Yet the land was a very real and material promise from God; it was not simply a vague or otherworldly hope.[6]

Even with the smaller borders, we see that Israel never fully occupies the land as given to Abraham or to the generation of our portion.  Moses repeatedly warned the people of the dangers of failing to conquer, dispossess, and purge the land.

And YHWH spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, ⁵¹Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; ⁵²then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: ⁵³and ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.  ⁵⁴And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.  ⁵⁵But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.  ⁵⁶Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them. (Numbers 33:50-56 KJV)

Israel’s failure to purge the land of the inhabitants and their elohim is a constant source for rebuke and chastisement from YHWH.

And the anger of YHWH was hot against Israel; and He said, Because that this people hath transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto My voice; ²¹I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: ²²that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of YHWH to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.  ²³Therefore YHWH left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered He them into the hand of Joshua. (Judges 2:20-23 KJV)

 

Now these are the nations which YHWH left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; ²only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; ³namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.  ⁴And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of YHWH, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.  ⁵And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: ⁶and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their elohim. (Judges 3:1-6 KJV)

Because of this failure to dispossess the pagan inhabitants and purge the land of their idols, Israel’s message of radical monotheism is constantly tested and corrupted.  As long as idolatry is practiced in the chosen land, the children of Israel do not fulfill their calling to be the image of YHWH in the world.  It is questionable as to whether there is ever a time when Israel is truly monotheistic in practice.  Even in Israel’s glory days under King Solomon, idolatry is still embraced in the land of Israel.

For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other elohim: and his heart was not perfect with YHWH his Elohim, as was the heart of David his father.  ⁵For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the elohim of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  ⁶And Solomon did evil in the sight of YHWH, and went not fully after YHWH, as did David his father.  ⁷Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.  ⁸And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their elohim. (1 Kings 11:4-8 KJV)

Another question that arises from this description of the borders of the land is whether the territory of the Transjordan occupied by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh is considered to be part of the promised land.  Dennis T. Olson addresses this matter quite rationally.

The land inside the boundaries outlined in Numbers 34 is to be divided among the nine-and-a-half tribes of Israel.  This excludes Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, since they have already received their land in the Transjordan region east of the Jordan River (34:13-15).  This raises the question about the status of the Transjordan and the two-and-a-half tribes who will live there.  Is that region part of the promised land?  Or are the tribes living there in a kind of “exile” outside the land?  Jacob Milgrom points out that there was no divine command to capture the Transjordan, no use of lots to decide its distribution, and no mention of the Transjordan in the boundary description of the land in Numbers 34:1-14.  Thus, Milgrom contends that the Transjordan was not considered by the writers of Numbers to be part of the promised land.  This is in contrast to the tradition of Deuteronomy 2:24.  In Deuteronomy, Milgrom argues, God does command the conquest of the Transjordan and so it is considered part of the promised land (Milgrom pp.501-02).

In my judgment, the status of the Transjordan area in Numbers is not so clearly outside the promised land.  It is true that it is not included in the boundaries of chapter 34, and that it is not apportioned by lot.  But in the conquest of the Transjordan area ruled by the kings Sihon and Og, there is this note about the conquest of King Og in typical holy war language:

YHWH said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him; for I have given him into your hand, with all his people, and all his land.  You shall do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon.” (Num. 21:34)

God does indeed seem to command the conquest of this territory, and the request by Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to settle the land in Numbers 32 is negotiated with Moses as acceptable.  The Transjordan is a place of fuzzy borders, an in-between land not fully part of the promised land, yet settled by Israelite tribes.  It represents a place of negotiation, compromise, fluid boundaries, a place between exile and home.  Such a place is characteristic of this entire section concerning the new generation in Numbers 26-36; they are a generation for whom some boundaries are less than absolute, some laws are in need of negotiation, and some traditions require creative interpretation and compromise.[7]

In my estimation, the area occupied by the children of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh is clearly a part of the promised land as promised to Abraham and delivered into the hands of the Israelites by YHWH.  We should also recognize that where the Torah is followed, there the Kingdom of YHWH is present.

We should note that YHWH clearly indicates that Moses will not be taking part in the division of the land.  Instead, the task will fall to Eleazar the Cohen Gadol and Joshua the son of Nun, the anointed leaders of the wilderness generation.

These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. (Numbers 34:17 KJV)

Eleazar and Joshua are not to do the work alone.  As at other important moments in the wilderness journey, leaders from the tribes are appointed to help in the task.

The first census:

 

And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.  ⁶Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.  ⁷Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.  ⁸Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.  ⁹Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.  ¹⁰Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.  ¹¹Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.  ¹²Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.  ¹³Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.  ¹⁴Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.  ¹⁵Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.  ¹⁶These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel. (Numbers 1:5-16 KJV)

 

The appointing of the spies:

 

And Moses by the commandment of YHWH sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.  ⁴And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.  ⁵Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.  ⁶Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  ⁷Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.  ⁸Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.  ⁹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.  ¹⁰Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.  ¹¹Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.  ¹²Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.  ¹³Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.  ¹⁴Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.  ¹⁵Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.  ¹⁶These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land.  And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. (Numbers 13:3-16 KJV)

 

The division of the land:

 

And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.  ¹⁹And the names of the men are these: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  ²⁰And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.  ²¹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.  ²²And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.  ²³The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.  ²⁴And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.  ²⁵And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.  ²⁶And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.  ²⁷And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.  ²⁸And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.  ²⁹These are they whom YHWH commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. (Numbers 34:18-29 KJV)

With few exceptions, the names of those elected to help are different in each list, but the most significant difference with the list in our portion from the previous lists is the fact that only nine-and-a-half tribes are listed instead of the usual twelve.  We have already stated that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh were already given their inheritance.  There was, therefore, no reason for Reuben and Gad to be represented in the division process.

The incorporation of the “princes” of the various tribes in the process of dividing the land was to assure that all was done fairly.  Just as each tribe, with the exception of the Levites, sent a spy into the land to assure that no tribe was given an unfair advantage by having previously scouted out the choicest land for itself, so too in the process of dividing the land will equity and peace be maintained by each tribe having a representative involved in the process.  The fact that the land is to be divided by lot (possibly the urim and thummim of the Cohen Gadol, which explains why Eleazar is a part of the process) is also to convey the idea that each tribe’s inheritance or portion is directed by YHWH.  Let us recall that there are two means by which the tribes are to be divided, by lot and by size.

Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.  ⁵⁴To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him.  ⁵⁵Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.  ⁵⁶According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few. (Numbers 26:53-56 KJV)

The inclusion of the princes with Joshua and Eleazar helps to identify which clans and families require more land than others.  The princes, therefore, serve to inform Eleazar and Joshua of the needs of each tribe.  By including representatives from each of the nine-and-a-half tribes, peace and justice are assured among the tribes of Israel.  The provision of the lot and participation of the princes allow each tribe to accept its “lot” and live at complete peace with the neighboring tribes.

There is a peculiar broken pattern within the list of princes.  We should note that the phrase “the prince of the tribe of the children of…” is used of every tribe with the exception of Caleb, the representative of the tribe of Judah; Shemuel, the representative of the tribe of Simeon; and Elidad the son of Chislon, the representative of the tribe of Benjamin.  There is nothing in the text that explains why these three representatives are not referred to as princes.  Let us note that in the appointment of the spies, Caleb was referred to as a prince or ruler, as well as one of the head men.

Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.  ³And Moses by the commandment of YHWH sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. (Numbers 13:2-3 KJV)

 

Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. (Numbers 13:6 KJV)

Since Caleb has already been identified as a prince or ruler in Israel, there is no reason to include the title here.  As for Shemuel of the tribe of Simeon, we should recall that at the first census, the tribe of Simeon had 59,300 men of war.  At the time of the second census, however, the tribe of Simeon had lost 37,100 men from their ranks, leaving them with only 22,200 men of war.  One may speculate that the tribe of Simeon was so decimated during the wilderness wandering that there was no one holding the position of ruler or prince of the tribe.  Let us also note that the tribe of Simeon does not inherit a territorial tribal land; instead, this tribe inherits cities within the tribe of Judah.

And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.  ²And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah, ³and Hazarshual, and Balah, and Azem, ⁴and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, ⁵and Ziklag, and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusah, ⁶and Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages: ⁷Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages: ⁸and all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalathbeer, Ramath of the south.  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.  ⁹Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them. (Joshua 19:1-9 KJV)

While the small size of the tribe of Simeon may explain the lack of title for the representative of the tribe of Simeon, this is clearly not the case for the tribe of Benjamin, which had 35,400 men of war at the first census and increased by 10,200 to 45,600 men of war by the second census.  The tribe of Benjamin is later decimated in battle with its brethren.

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?  ¹³Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel.  But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel: ¹⁴but the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.  ¹⁵And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men. (Judges 20:12-15 KJV)

 

And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. (Judges 20:30 KJV)

 

So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. (Judges 20:46 KJV)

Eventually, the tribe of Benjamin is assumed by the neighboring tribe and becomes part of the House of Judah.  Ultimately, both the tribe of Simeon and the tribe of Benjamin are absorbed by the tribe of Judah.  Possibly, the lack of the title for these three tribes is a means of foretelling their future connection as one tribe – the House of Judah.

Another pattern that continues in this portion is the pattern of the instructions concerning the Levites following the instructions concerning the Israelites.

• Numbers 1:1-46         Instructions concerning the census of the Israelites
• Numbers 1:47-54       Instructions concerning the Levites
• Numbers 2:1-34         Instructions concerning the camps of the Israelites
• Numbers 3:1-4:49      Instructions concerning the duties and camps of the Levites
• Numbers 26:1-56       Instructions concerning the census of the Israelites
• Numbers 26:57-63     Instructions concerning the census of the Levites
• Numbers 34:1-29       Instructions concerning the inheritance of the Israelites
• Numbers 35:1-8         Instructions concerning the inheritance of the Levites

 

We have repeatedly read throughout the Torah that the Levites are not to have an inheritance in the land.

And YHWH spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. (Numbers 18:20 KJV)

 

But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.  ²⁴But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto YHWH, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. (Numbers 18:23-24 KJV)

 

And those that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel. (Numbers 26:62 KJV)

 

Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; YHWH is his inheritance, according as YHWH thy Elohim promised him. (Deuteronomy 10:9 KJV)

 

And ye shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. (Deuteronomy 12:12 KJV)

 

And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. (Deuteronomy 14:27 KJV)

The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of YHWH made by fire, and His inheritance.  ²Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: YHWH is their inheritance, as He hath said unto them. (Deuteronomy 18:1-2 KJV)

 

Then he shall minister in the name of YHWH his Elohim, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before YHWH. (Deuteronomy 18:7 KJV)

In our portion, however, we read of the Levites being given land among their brethren.

And YHWH spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.  ³And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. (Numbers 35:1-3 KJV)

Is this a possible contradiction?  The answer to this question is simple.  As a tribe, the Levites do not have a tribal parcel of land as their brethren do.  There is no single tract of land where all the Levites are to live.  Instead, the Levites are given specific cities spread among their brethren.  We should understand that the purpose of this “scattering” of the Levites among the children of Israel serves two purposes.

First, let us recall that the Levites and cohanim are dedicated to the service of the Tabernacle and later, the Temple.  Since they do not have an agricultural inheritance, the Levites and cohanim live off the tithes and offerings of the children of Israel.

But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto YHWH, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. (Numbers 18:24 KJV)

By spreading the Levites among all the tribes of the children of Israel, the responsibility for the Levites and cohanim is also spread among all the brethren.

The second reason for spreading the Levites among all the children of Israel is so that all Israel can be influenced by their teaching.  The Levites and cohanim are both the teachers of Israel and the security force that protects the sanctity of the whole camp.  By spreading this security force throughout Israel, all Israel will be protected from the dangers of defilement.

We should also see in the scattering of the Levites the fulfillment of an earlier prophecy made by Jacob.

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.  ⁶O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.  ⁷Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. (Genesis 49:5-7 KJV)

We should note that both Simeon and Levi inherit cities among their brethren instead of their own tribal lands.  Let us also note the fact that both the “earthly” name Jacob and the “spiritual” name Israel are used.  Both Simeon and Levi were guilty of impulsive violence, as demonstrated with the men of Shechem.

And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. (Genesis 34:25 KJV)

The children of Levi learned how to sanctify this propensity for violence and use it for YHWH.

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on YHWH’S side?  Let him come unto me.  And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.  ²⁷And he said unto them, Thus saith YHWH Elohim of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. (Exodus 32:26-27 KJV)

It is precisely this quickness with the sword that makes the Levites the perfect tribe to guard the sanctity of the camp of YHWH.

But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. (Numbers 3:38 KJV)

We should understand that because of the sanctification of their violent nature to YHWH, the Levites are scattered throughout spiritual Israel.

On the other hand, the descendants of Simeon never get their impulsiveness under control, nor do they sanctify this trait to YHWH.  Let us recall that it was an impulsive Simeonite acting in his flesh who brought judgment upon the children of Israel.

And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand. (Numbers 25:6-7 KJV)

 

Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.  ¹⁵And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian. (Numbers 25:14-15 KJV)

The Levites are given cities among their brethren because of their calling and spiritual influence.  The Simeonites, because of the decimation of their tribe due to sin, are given cities within the territory inherited by their brother Judah.

While the Levites are not given a specific tract of land, they are allowed to own personal homes with enough property to provide grazing land for their personal animals.  Levites are clearly allowed to own permanent homes, as is made clear in the Jubilee laws.

And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of Jubilee: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. (Leviticus 25:33 KJV)

The cities of the Levites are also to contain a certain amount of land.

And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.  ⁴And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.  ⁵And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. (Numbers 35:3-5 KJV)

The “suburbs,” as the King James Version translates the Hebrew word migrash (mem, gimmel, resh, shin), do not refer to manicured lawns and backyard swimming pools but to “common land” or “open land.”  This land around the city is considered as public land for the purpose of grazing livestock.  It is not the inheritance of any particular Levite family or clan; it is public land to serve the livestock of all the Levites living in the city.

Let us note that there is some controversy concerning this common land surrounding the cities of the Levites.  In the verses listed above we are given two somewhat conflicting measurements.  First, we are told that the land is to extend 1,000 cubits from the city walls.  Next, we are told that the borders should measure 2,000 cubits from east to west and from north to south.  Clearly, one cannot measure 1,000 cubits from the outside of the wall of a city and still measure 2,000 cubits on the border, unless, of course, the city is a mere dot in the center.  The solution to this problem is explained at length by Jacob Milgrom and others.

Although it extends 1,000 cubits from the town wall (v. 4), it also extends 2,000 cubits in each direction (v. 5).  How can these two ostensibly conflicting data be reconciled?  The breakthrough was provided by Rambam, who realized that the 2,000-cubit measurement refers to the perimeter of the pastureland.  His contention is supported by the meaning of pe’ah in verse 5, which can only be “side, border,” as in all other blueprints, architectural (e.g., Exod. 26:18, 20; 27:12, 13) and geographical (Josh. 18:12, 14, 20; Ezek. 48:8, 16).  Two further terminological refinements clear the way to the solution: (1) Mi-kir ha’ir va-chutsah is to be rendered “from the town wall outward” (see the comment to v. 4), and (2) mi-chuts la-’ir translates “outside the town” (see the comment to v. 5).  Thus, the measurements for the pastureland form a square of 2,000 cubits per side, whose perimeter is 1,000 cubits in every direction from the town wall.  The only configuration that can contain these two measurements requires that the town be considered as a point…

 

This postulate, to the best of my knowledge, was first proposed by J.D. Michaelis and J. Clericus and echoed by E.F.K. Rosenmuller.  However, their insight remained in the realm of conjecture until recently, when M. Greenberg demonstrated that this postulate was the very one used by the tannaim to calculate the limit of 2,000 cubits that one may walk from his residence on the Sabbath.  Regardless of the size or contours of the town, the rabbis measured the 2,000 cubits from the extreme limits of the town in each direction (Eruv. 55a [bar.]; Tosef. Eruv. 4:1-6)…

 

It can be demonstrated that the tannanim-Greenberg solution not only accounts for all the given data but posits a practical, utilitarian formula for creating a Levitical townsite regardless of its initial size and subsequent growth.

 

A rectangle is circumscribed around the town whose length and width are x and y, respectively.  Extend the sides of this rectangle 1,000 cubits in each direction.  By enclosing these lines we obtain a new rectangle whose length and width are 2,000 + x and 2,000 + y, respectively.  The town, which was a point…now provides additional pasturage…The total increase for the pasturage is 1000x + 1000y + 1000x + 1000y or 2000(x + y).

 

It thus becomes evident that the pastureland increases with the growth of the town.  For heuristic purposes, let us assume that 2,000 cubits equal a mile (in fact, closer to a half mile).  If the town’s dimensions are 1 x 2 miles, its area would be 2 square miles, and the increased pasturage would be 1(2 + 1) or 3 square miles.  If, however, the town extended a mile in length and width so that its dimensions were 2 x 3 miles, its area would be 6 square miles, and the additional pasturage would be 1(2 + 3) or five square miles.  At the same rate of growth, a town 3 x 4 miles would have an area of 12 square miles and an increased pasturage of 1(3 + 4) or 7 square miles.  Thus, the pastureland would grow in strict arithmetic progression (3, 5, 7, 9…) and the town at a faster rate (2, 6, 12, 20…).  This is not inappropriate, since every town begins with a fixed pasturage of 2,000 x 2,000 cubits—even before it has a single inhabitant—and a goodly number of its citizens will not be herdsmen but will provide the industrial and commercial services essential to town life.

 

Thus, the town plan proposed by the legislation of 35:1-8 is based on ancient Near Eastern precedent.  But it goes even further.  It projects into the future, providing a simple formula guaranteeing that Levitical pastureland will continue to grow in commensurate fashion, along with the town.[8]

Once again, we see affirmed the fact that the land of Israel given in Numbers 34 and 35 is, like the Garden of Eden, just a starting point for later expansion.  By giving the Levites cities among the Israelites, it becomes clear that the Levites have been chosen to serve the children of Israel.  In this regard the Levites serve as a shadow picture of the Messiah that has no place to lay his head and yet, came to serve.

And Yeshua saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Matthew 8:20 KJV)

 

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28 KJV)

With all of this talk about inheritance, we should always keep in mind that the land of Israel was chosen by YHWH for a purpose, just as the children of Israel were chosen for a purpose.  The children of Israel may dwell in the land of YHWH’S divine purpose as long as they willingly fulfill their calling and purpose as spelled out in the various covenants.  If the children of Israel fail to keep the covenant, YHWH will evict them from the land.  In spite of the various portions of the land being given as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, we must never forget that the land of Israel always remains in the domain of YHWH.

The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with Me. (Leviticus 25:23 KJV)

We should recognize that this is true not only for the chosen land of Israel but also for the whole world.

Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine. (Exodus 19:5 KJV)

 

The earth is YHWH’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1 KJV)

 

If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof. (Psalm 50:12 KJV)

 

The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them. (Psalm 89:11 KJV)

 

For the earth is YHWH’S, and the fulness thereof. (1 Corinthians 10:26 KJV)

Clearly, YHWH is sovereign over all the earth, and all we enjoy and possess is by His grace.  Learning to be grateful for our “lot” in life is not always easy.  Recognizing the loving character of the one who gives it, however, should assure us that what we have has been given to us out of love and what we lack has been withheld from us out of love.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  ¹²I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  ¹³I can do all things through Messiah which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:11-13 KJV)

 

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  ⁷For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  ⁸And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8 KJV)

 

Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: ⁹lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is YHWH?  Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my Elohim in vain. (Proverbs 30:8-9 KJV)

 

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[1] The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, Jacob Milgrom, Jewish Publication Society, Pg. 286

[2] The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Numbers, Timothy R. Ashley, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Note 7, Pg. 395

[3] The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, Jacob Milgrom, Jewish Publication Society, Pg. 186

[4] The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Numbers, Timothy R. Ashley, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Pg. 639

[5] The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Numbers, Timothy R. Ashley, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Pg. 639

[6] Numbers (Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching), Dennis T. Olson, John Knox Press, Pg. 187

[7] Numbers (Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching), Dennis T. Olson, John Knox Press, Pg. 188

[8] The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, Jacob Milgrom, Jewish Publication Society, Pp. 502-504