Numbers 33:24 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵֽהַר־ שָׁ֑פֶר וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּחֲרָדָֽה׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [journeyed, departed] from Mounthar [a high elevation] ShepherShepher [a place in the desert] and campedchânâh▸ [encamped, pitched their tents] at HaradahChărâdâh [a place of fear, a location in the wilderness]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מֵֽהַר־ | from [the] mountain of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| שָׁ֑פֶר | Shapher | Noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בַּחֲרָדָֽה׃ | at Haradah | Preposition, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. |
| KJV | And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah. |
| YLT | and they journey from mount Shapher, and encamp in Haradah. |
| WEB | They traveled from Mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah. |
| BBE | And they went on from Mount Shepher, and put up their tents in Haradah. |
The translations agree on the actions of setting out and camping, with no significant differences noted.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by two prepositional phrases indicating the locations of departure and encampment.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, AdamClarke, Whedon & more — read them ›
clause
verbנָסַע
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Numbers 33:24
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Journey of the Israelitesgenerated
Numbers 33:24 describes the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, detailing their departure from one location and their encampment at another. This verse is part of a larger narrative that chronicles the movements of the Israelites as they traveled towards the Promised Land, reflecting their experiences and encounters along the way.
Cross References
The Key Word — וַיִּסְע֖וּ, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
The verb נָסַע (naca`) means to set out or start a journey. It conveys the action of departing, particularly in the context of the Israelites moving from one place to another during their wilderness wanderings.
This verb is in the Qal form, indicating a simple action, and is parsed as a sequential imperfect third person masculine plural, showing that the action is ongoing and involves a group. The word captures the essence of movement and transition in the narrative.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered similarly across translations, with the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE all agreeing on the key actions of setting out and camping.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb וַיִּסְע֖וּ governs the sentence, indicating the action of setting out, while the second verb וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ indicates the action of encamping. The structure follows a straightforward sequence of actions.
The sentence is composed of two main clauses connected by the conjunction, reflecting the progression of the journey from one location to another.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיִּסְע֖וּ as ἀπῆραν (apēran), which also means to set out or depart. This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, emphasizing the act of leaving a place.
The translation captures the essence of movement and transition, consistent with the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:24 tells us that the Israelites set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. This verse is part of their journey through the wilderness, highlighting the places where they stopped along the way.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies the beginning of a new leg of their journey, as the Israelites continued to move through the wilderness towards their destination.
Haradah is a place where the Israelites camped, and its name means 'fear,' which may reflect the challenges they faced during their journey.
The journey represents their transition from slavery in Egypt to freedom and the eventual arrival in the Promised Land, highlighting their dependence on God.
This verse is part of a sequence that documents the various stops the Israelites made, illustrating their travels and experiences in the wilderness.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the journey of the Israelites teach us about perseverance in difficult times?
- How can we apply the lessons of moving forward despite challenges in our own lives?
- What significance do the places mentioned in the journey hold for understanding the Israelites' experiences?
- In what ways can we see God's guidance in our own journeys?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on this verse highlights its significance in the context of the Israelites' journey, emphasizing their experiences and challenges as they traveled.
Next they arrive at Charadath [Haradah], which in our language signifies “made competent.” Indeed, this is just what Paul says, “He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant.”Early Church Fathers on Numbers 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:24 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hatta'avah. Kibroth-hattaavah - the graves of lust .
Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 33 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleSTAT. XX. Verse 24. HARADAH.] Unknown, Calmet supposes that it may be the place called Bered, Genesis 16:14, which was in the vicinity of Kadesh.
Read AdamClarke on Numbers 33 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleTHE OF THE , Numbers 33:1-49.Having reached the Land of Promise, and taken possession of its eastern portion, it is proper that the history of the desert wandering should close with a list of
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Numbers 33 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
They traveled from Mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah.
They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
They traveled from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah.
Tyndale line
And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.
And they journeyed from mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah.
And they journeyed from mount Shepher, and pitched in Haradah.
And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.
And they remoued from mount Shapher, and lay in Haradah.
Strictly literal
And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.
and they journey from mount Shapher, and encamp in Haradah.
And they journey from Mount Shapher and encamp in Haradah.
And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Charadah.
They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
From the Latin
Departing from the mountain Sepher, they came to Arada.
Simplified
They moved on from Mount Shepher and set up camp at Haradah.
And they went on from Mount Shepher, and put up their tents in Haradah.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Dead Sea Scrolls all agree on the wording of this verse, with no significant variations among them. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some words supplied by an editor due to damage, but the core content remains consistent.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵֽהַר־ שָׁ֑פֶר וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּחֲרָדָֽה׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויסעו מהר שׁפר ויחנו בחרדה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
[ויסעו] [מהר] [שפר] [ויחנו] [בחרדה]
nothing on the leather here — 5 supplied entire by an editor.
[ויסעו] [מהר] [שפר] [ויחנו] [בחרדה]
nothing on the leather here — 5 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Numbers 33:24
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
נָסַע (naca`) means to pull out or up, particularly in the context of setting out on a journey. It encompasses actions like departing, marching, and removing, with nuances related to both physical movement and the wind. The word can also imply causing someone or something to set out or be led away.
נָסַע 147 vb. pull out or up, set out, journey
Qal 137
pull out or up
hence (from pulling up tent-pegs),
set out
depart
journey, march (by stages)
of wind
Niph. be pulled up, removed
Hiph.
cause to set out, lead out
remove
base
H5265 נָסַע pull out or up, set out, journey .. pull out or up
. hence (from pulling up tent-pegs), . set out
. depart
. journey, march (by stages)
. of wind
. be pulled up, removed
. . cause to set out, lead out
. remove
5265 naca` naw-sah'
a primitive root; properly, to pull up, especially the
tent-pins, i.e. start on a journey:--cause to blow, bring,
get, (make to) go (away, forth, forward, onward, out), (take)
journey, march, remove, set aside (forward), X still, be on
his (go their) way.
נָסַע (na.sa) — to set out.
1) to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to pull out or up
1a2) to set out, depart
1a3) to journey, march
1a4) to set forth (of wind)
1b) (Niphal) to be pulled up, be removed, be plucked up
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to set out, lead out, cause to spring up
1c2) to remove, quarry
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
הַר (har) means 'mountain' or 'hill,' and can refer to a range of hills or hill-country. It is derived from a root that suggests elevation and can be used figuratively. The entries consistently highlight its geographical connotations without significant disagreement.
הַר 568 n.m. mountain, hill, hill-country
mountain, hill
hill-country, mountain-region
base
H2022 הַר mountain, hill, hill-country
2022 har har
a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills
(sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X
promotion.
see HEBREW for 02042
הַר (har) — mountain: mount.
: mount/hill
hill, mountain, hill country, mount
הַר (har) — mountain: hill country.
: hill_country
hill, mountain, hill country, mount
A sub-meaning of har (הַר ": mount" H2022)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
שֶׁ֫פֶר (Shepher) refers to a location, specifically a mountain or station in the wilderness. It is linked to the concept of beauty and is associated with a place mentioned in the context of Israel's journey through the desert.
[שֶׁ֫פֶר] n.pr.mont. as a station in wilderness
base
H8234 שֶׁ֫פֶר
8234 Shepher sheh'-fer
the same as 8233; Shepher, a place in the Desert:--Shapper.
see HEBREW for 08233
שֶׁ֫פֶר (she.pher) — (Mount) Shepher.
§ Shapher = "beauty"
a station of Israel in the wilderness
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
sha'-fer.
See SHEPHER.
Shapher
Brightness, one of the stations where Israel encamped in the wilderness (Num. 33:23, 24).
(brightness), Mount, (Numbers 33:23) the name of a desert station where the Israelites encamped during the wanderings in the wilderness.
→ A mountain, a camping place of the Israelites in the desert Nu 33:23,24
חָנָה (chanah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to decline, bend down, or encamp. It conveys the idea of inclining or settling, particularly in the context of pitching a tent or establishing a temporary dwelling. The word appears in various forms, including the act of encamping or laying siege. It is associated with the imagery of the evening's slanting rays and the conclusion of a day's journey.
חָנָה 143 vb. decline, bend down, encamp
Qal
decline, of day drawing to its close
encamp (prop. verge toward, incline to, settle at, of goal of day’s march)
base
H2583 חָנָה decline, bend down, encamp
2583 chanah khaw-naw'
a primitive root (compare 2603); properly, to incline; by
implication, to decline (of the slanting rays of evening);
specifically, to pitch a tent; gen. to encamp (for abode or
siege):--abide (in tents), camp, dwell, encamp, grow to an
end, lie, pitch (tent), rest in tent.
see HEBREW for 02603
חָנָה (cha.nah) — to camp.
1) to decline, incline, encamp, bend down, lay siege against
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to decline
1a2) to encamp
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
חֲרָדָה (Charadah) refers to a location in the wilderness, specifically a desert station of the Israelites. The entries indicate that it is associated with the concept of 'fear' and is linked to the place name Haradah. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding this term.
חֲרָדָה n.pr.loc. a station of Isr. in wilderness
base
H2732 חֲרָדָה
2732 Charadah khar-aw-daw'
the same as 2731; Charadah, a place in the Desert:--Haradah.
see HEBREW for 02731
חֲרָדָה (cha.ra.dah) — Haradah.
§ Haradah = "fear"
a desert station of Israel in the wilderness
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
ha-ra'-da, har'-a-da (charadhah, "fearful"): A desert station of the Israelites between Mt. Shepher and Makheloth (Nu 33:24:25).
See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
Haradah
Fright; fear, the twenty-fifth station of the Israelites in their wanderings (Num. 33:24).
(fear), a desert station of the Israelites, (Numbers 33:24,25) its position is uncertain.
well of great fear