Itinerary

The wilderness itinerary of Israel is preserved in two passages: a long, deliberately complete list in Numbers 33, and a brief Deuteronomic recap that fills in two stages around the death of Aaron.

The Numbers 33 Stage-List

Numbers 33 is introduced as an authorized record. "These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, when they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron. And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the mouth of Yahweh: and these are their journeys according to their goings out" (Nu 33:1-2). The list is then a series of forty-some "they journeyed from X, and encamped in Y" couplets — Rameses to Succoth, Succoth to Etham, Etham to Pihahiroth, on through the Sea, Marah, Elim, the Red Sea, the wilderness of Sin, Dophkah, Alush, Rephidim, the wilderness of Sinai, Kibroth-hattaavah, Hazeroth, and a long string of inland encampments — Rithmah, Rimmon-perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-jaakan, Hor-haggidgad, Jotbathah, Abronah, Ezion-geber — terminating in "the wilderness of Zin (the same is Kadesh)" (Nu 33:36).

Two narrative inserts break the formula. The first marks Aaron's death: "And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor according to the mouth of Yahweh, and died there, in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. And Aaron was a hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor" (Nu 33:38-39). The second is the king of Arad's notice of Israel's approach (Nu 33:40).

The list resumes through Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Iye-abarim, Iyim, Dibon-gad, Almon-diblathaim, "the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo," and ends in the plains of Moab at the Jordan: "And they encamped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab" (Nu 33:49). The chapter closes with Yahweh's instructions for entry into Canaan — driving out the inhabitants, demolishing the high places, inheriting by lot — with a warning that those left will be "as pricks in your⁺ eyes, and as thorns in your⁺ sides" (Nu 33:55).

The Deuteronomic Recap

Deuteronomy supplies a parallel two-line stretch around Aaron's death and burial: "(And the sons of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son served in the priest's office in his stead. From there they journeyed to Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water" (De 10:6-7). The same encampment names recur (Bene-jaakan, Moseroth/Moserah, Hor-haggidgad/Gudgodah, Jotbathah) — the Numbers list and the Deuteronomic recap each preserve the wilderness route, with Aaron's burial supplying the pivot in the second.