Numbers 33:31 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מִמֹּסֵר֑וֹת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּבְנֵ֥י יַעֲקָֽן׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [journeyed, departed] from MoserothMôwçêrâh [a place in the desert] and campedchânâh▸ [pitched, encamped] at Bene-jaakanBᵉnêy Yaʻăqân [sons of Jaakan, a wilderness location]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מִמֹּסֵר֑וֹת | from Moseroth | Preposition, noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בִּבְנֵ֥י | at Bene- | Preposition, noun proper |
| יַעֲקָֽן׃ | jaakan | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. |
| KJV | And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-jaakan. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan. |
| YLT | And they journey from Moseroth, and encamp in Bene-Jaakan; |
| WEB | They traveled from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene Jaakan. |
| BBE | And they went on from Moseroth, and put up their tents in Bene-jaakan. |
All translations agree on the key actions of the Israelites as they journeyed and camped.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by additional phrases that provide context for the actions.
4 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Poole, 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 33:31
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 Itinerary of the Israelitesgenerated
Numbers 33:31 describes the movements of the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness. This verse specifically notes their departure from Moseroth and their encampment at Bene-jaakan, highlighting the ongoing journey and the significance of each location in their travels. The narrative serves as a record of their experiences and the places they encountered along the way.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 36:27 | These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. |
| 2 | Deuteronomy 10:6 | The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest. |
| 3 | 1 Chronicles 1:43 | These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor. His city was named Dinhabah. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נָסַע, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
The verb נָסַע (nāsaʽ) means to set out or start a journey. It is a Qal sequential imperfect verb, indicating ongoing action by a group, specifically the Israelites. This word conveys the idea of physically departing from one place to another, emphasizing the movement inherent in their journey.
The root of נָסַע carries the connotation of pulling out or up, which aligns with the context of the Israelites leaving a camp. It encompasses both the act of departing and the broader implications of movement and transition, reflecting the dynamic nature of their travels.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as well as the KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is וַיִּסְע֖וּ (vai.yis.'U), and they set out, which governs the sentence. It is followed by a prepositional phrase indicating the location they departed from, and another clause that describes where they camped.
The structure shows a clear sequence of actions: first, the Israelites set out, and then they camped, illustrating the flow of their journey.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָסַע as ἀπῆραν (apēran), which means 'they departed.' This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew verb, maintaining the sense of movement.
The translation captures the essence of the journey while using a term that emphasizes the act of leaving a place.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:31 tells us that the Israelites left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. This verse is part of their journey through the wilderness, marking important locations along the way.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Moseroth is a significant location where the Israelites camped, near Mount Hor, marking a point in their wilderness travels.
Bene-jaakan represents another stop in the Israelites' journey, indicating their movement through the wilderness and the challenges they faced.
The name Bene-jaakan translates to 'sons of twisting,' possibly referring to the difficult terrain the Israelites encountered.
This verse is part of a larger itinerary that details the movements of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness, emphasizing their reliance on God for direction.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the Israelites' journey about trusting God during times of transition?
- How does the significance of places like Moseroth and Bene-jaakan shape our understanding of the Israelites' experiences?
- In what ways can we reflect on our own journeys and the places that have shaped our lives?
- How can we apply the lessons from the Israelites' travels to our own spiritual journeys today?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Origen of Alexandria comments on this verse, interpreting the journey of the Israelites as a metaphor for spiritual growth and the pursuit of divine wisdom.
Next they come to Banaim [Bene-jaakan], which means “springs” or “filterings,” that is, where one draws water from the springs of divine words until one filters them by drinking.… Thus a person filters the word of God when he does not omit…Early Church Fathers on Numbers 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:31 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 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleCalled more fully Beeroth-bene-jaacan, .
Read Matthew Poole on Numbers 33 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleSTAT. XXVII. Verse 31. BENE-JAAKAN.] Unknown. The sons of Jaakan. See the preceding verse, Clarke "Numbers 33:30".
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 Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
They traveled from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene Jaakan.
They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
They traveled from Moseroth and camped in Bene-jaakan.
Tyndale line
And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-jaakan.
And they journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan.
And they journeyed from Moseroth, and pitch in Bene-jaakan.
And they departed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan.
And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-iaakan.
Strictly literal
And they removed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-Jaakan.
And they journey from Moseroth, and encamp in Bene-Jaakan;
And they journey from Moseroth and encamp in Bene-Jaakan.
And they removed from Mosseroth, and encamped in Bene-ya'akan.
They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.
From the Latin
And removing from Moseroth, they camped in Benejaacan.
Simplified
They moved on from Moseroth and set up camp at Bene-jaakan.
And they went on from Moseroth, and put up their tents in Bene-jaakan.
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 reads: וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִמֹּסֵר֑וֹת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּבְנֵ֥י יַעֲקָֽן׃. The Samaritan Pentateuch agrees word for word with the Masoretic Text. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain partial restorations, but the key phrases align with the Masoretic Text.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִמֹּסֵר֑וֹת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּבְנֵ֥י יַעֲקָֽן׃
4 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 ממסרות ויחנו בבני יעקן
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
ויסעו ממסרות ויחנו [בבני] [יעקן]
1 word on the leather — 2 partly restored, 2 supplied entire by an editor.
[ויסעו]
1 word of the verse is on this fragment — 1 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 33:31
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
מוֹסֵרָה (Mowcerah) refers to a location in the wilderness where Aaron died, with the name possibly meaning 'bonds.' It appears in Deuteronomy 10:6 and Numbers 33:30-31. The word has a plural form, מֹסֵרוֹת (Moseroth), which is also linked to the same site.
H4149a מוֹסֵרָה station of Isr. in wilderness, where Aaron died H4149b מֹסֵרוֹת id. [4149a]
4149 Mowcerah mo-say-raw'
or (plural) Mocrowth {mo-ser-othe'} feminine of 4147;
correction or corrections; Moserah or Moseroth, a place in the
Desert:--Mosera, Moseroth.
see HEBREW for 04147
מוֹסֵרָה (mo.se.rah) — Moserah.
§ Mosera or Moseroth = "bonds"
a place near Mount Hor where Aaron died
מֹסֵרוֹת (mo.se.rot) — Moseroth.
§ Mosera or Moseroth = "bonds"
a place near Mount Hor where Aaron died
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
Moseroth
Bonds, one of the stations in the wilderness (Num. 33:30, 31), probably the same as Mosera.
→ An encampment of the Israelites Nu 33:30,31
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
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן (Bney Ya`aqan) refers to a location called Bene-jaakan, which is described as a station of Israel during their wilderness journey. The name translates to "sons of twisting" and is linked to another site, Beeroth-bene-jaakan. The term is derived from the plural forms of two Hebrew words, indicating its geographical significance.
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן n.pr.loc. a station of Israel in wilderness
base
H1142 בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן
1142 Bney Ya`aqan ben-ay' yah-ak-awn'
from the plural of 1121 and 3292; sons of Yaakan;
Bene-Jaakan, a place in the Desert:--Bene-jaakan.
see HEBREW for 01121
see HEBREW for 03292
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן (be.ne ya.a.qan) — Bene-jaakan.
§ Bene-jaakan = "sons of twisting"
an Israelite place of encampment in the wilderness (same as be.e.rot be.ne-ya.a.qan (בְּאֵרֹת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקָן "Beeroth-bene-jaakan" H0885))
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן (be.ne ya.a.qan) — (Beeroth) Bene-jaakan.
Bene-jaakan = "sons of twisting"
an Israelite place of encampment in the wilderness (same as be.e.rot be.ne-ya.a.qan (בְּאֵרֹת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקָן "Beeroth-bene-jaakan" H0885)
Combined with be.e.rot (בְּאֵרֹת "Beeroth" H1307)
N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן (Bney Ya`aqan) refers to a location called Bene-jaakan, which is described as a station of Israel during their wilderness journey. The name translates to "sons of twisting" and is linked to another site, Beeroth-bene-jaakan. The term is derived from the plural forms of two Hebrew words, indicating its geographical significance.
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן n.pr.loc. a station of Israel in wilderness
base
H1142 בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן
1142 Bney Ya`aqan ben-ay' yah-ak-awn'
from the plural of 1121 and 3292; sons of Yaakan;
Bene-Jaakan, a place in the Desert:--Bene-jaakan.
see HEBREW for 01121
see HEBREW for 03292
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן (be.ne ya.a.qan) — Bene-jaakan.
§ Bene-jaakan = "sons of twisting"
an Israelite place of encampment in the wilderness (same as be.e.rot be.ne-ya.a.qan (בְּאֵרֹת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקָן "Beeroth-bene-jaakan" H0885))
בְּנֵי יַעֲקָ֑ן (be.ne ya.a.qan) — (Beeroth) Bene-jaakan.
Bene-jaakan = "sons of twisting"
an Israelite place of encampment in the wilderness (same as be.e.rot be.ne-ya.a.qan (בְּאֵרֹת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקָן "Beeroth-bene-jaakan" H0885)
Combined with be.e.rot (בְּאֵרֹת "Beeroth" H1307)
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
ja'-a-kan.
See BEEROTH BENE-JAAKAN.
Jaakan
He twists, one of the sons of Ezer, the son of Seir the Horite (1 Chr. 1:42).
(he shall surround), the same as Jakan, the forefather of Bene-Jaakan. (10:6)
tribulation; labor