Numbers 33:34 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מִיָּטְבָ֑תָה וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּעַבְרֹנָֽה׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [removed, journeyed, traveled] from JotbathahYoṭbâthâh [a stopping place in the wilderness, meaning 'pleasantness'] and campedchânâh▸ [encamped, pitched their tents, set up camp] at AbronahʻEbrônâh [Ebronah, a stopping point in the wilderness, before reaching their destination]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מִיָּטְבָ֑תָה | from Jotbathah | Preposition, noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְּעַבְרֹנָֽה׃ | at Abronah | 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 Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. |
| KJV | And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah. |
| YLT | and they journey from Jotbathah, and encamp in Ebronah. |
| WEB | They traveled from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah. |
| BBE | And they went on from Jotbathah, and put up their tents in Abronah. |
Where they part company is in the use of נָסַע — see How Translations Differ.
Two main actions, each with a prepositional phrase indicating the locations involved. The structure clearly delineates the sequence of events.
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 33:34
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 33:34 describes the movements of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness, detailing the locations where they camped. This verse is part of a broader narrative that lists the various stops made by the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt, highlighting their journey toward the Promised Land.
Cross References
The Key Word — נָסַע, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
The verb נָסַע (naṣa') means to set out or start a journey. It is used here to describe the Israelites' departure from Jotbathah, indicating the beginning of their travel to the next location.
This verb is in the sequential imperfect form, showing that the action is ongoing and part of a series of movements. It emphasizes the continual journey of the Israelites as they moved through the wilderness.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
Two finite verbs govern the verse: נָסַע (they set out) and חָנָה (they encamped). The first verb indicates the departure from Jotbathah, while the second indicates the action of camping at Abronah.
The structure reflects the sequential nature of the Israelites' journey, with each verb marking a distinct action in their travels.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָסַע as ἀπῆραν (they removed), which emphasizes the act of departure. This choice highlights the movement of the Israelites as they left one place for another.
The use of παρενέβαλον for חָנָה suggests a focus on the act of encamping, aligning with the physical act of setting up a temporary dwelling.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:34 tells us that the Israelites set out from a place called Jotbathah and camped at another location named Abronah. This verse is part of a larger account of their journey through the wilderness, where they moved from one stopping point to the next.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Jotbathah means 'pleasantness' and was a stopping place for the Israelites during their journey.
The journey signifies the Israelites' movement toward the Promised Land and their reliance on God's guidance.
To camp means to set up a temporary dwelling or tent, as the Israelites did during their travels.
Each location marks a significant point in the Israelites' journey, showing their progress and the places where they rested.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean for you to set out on a journey in your own life?
- How can you find 'pleasantness' in the places you stop along your journey?
- In what ways do you prepare to 'camp' or settle in different phases of your life?
- How does understanding the Israelites' journey help you in your own spiritual journey?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Origen of Alexandria comments on the significance of the journey, noting that every stage must be passed through as part of the Israelites' experience.
From there, it says, they camped at Ebrona [Abronah], which is “passage.” For everything must be passed through. Even if you have come to good things,Early Church Fathers on Numbers 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:34 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. XXX. Verse 34. EBRONAH.] Nowhere else mentioned.
Read AdamClarke on Numbers 33 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible34. Ebronah — Passage or ford. The meaning may point to a ford across the head of the Elanitic Gulf.
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 Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
They traveled from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah.
They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
They traveled from Jotbathah and camped in Abronah.
Tyndale line
And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.
And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah.
And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and pitched in Abronah.
And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.
And they remoued from Iotbathah, and lay in Ebronah.
Strictly literal
And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Abronah.
and they journey from Jotbathah, and encamp in Ebronah.
And they journey from Jotbathah and encamp in Ebronah.
And they removed from Yotbathah, and encamped in 'Abronah.
They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
From the Latin
And from Jetebatha they came to Hebrona.
Simplified
They moved on from Jotbathah and set up camp at Abronah.
And they went on from Jotbathah, and put up their tents in Abronah.
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, the Septuagint, and the Samaritan Pentateuch all agree in the wording of this verse, indicating consistency across these ancient witnesses. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide partial agreement, with some words supplied by an editor.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִיָּטְבָ֑תָה וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּעַבְרֹנָֽה׃
4 of the 4 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 מיטבתה ויחנו בעברנה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
ויסעו [מיטבתה] [ויחנו] [בעברנה]
1 word on the leather — 3 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 33:34
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
יָטְבָ֫תָה (Yotbathah) means 'pleasantness' and refers to a location where the Israelites stopped in the wilderness. It is derived from the root word יָטַב (yatab), which conveys the idea of goodness or pleasantness. The entries consistently identify it as a place, specifically a station for the Israelites during their desert journey.
יָטְבָ֫תָה n.pr.loc. (pleasantness) station of Isr. in wilderness
base
H3193 יָטְבָ֫תָה (pleasantness) station of Isr. in wilderness
3193 Yotbathah yot-baw'-thaw
from 3192; Jotbathah, a place in the Desert:--Jotbath,
Jotbathah.
see HEBREW for 03192
יׇטְבָ֫תָה (yot.va.tah) — Jotbathah.
§ Jotbath or Jotbathah = "pleasantness"
a stopping place in the wilderness
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
→ The twentieth encampment of Israel Nu 33:33,34
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
עֶבְרֹנָה (Ebronah) is a feminine noun referring to a location, specifically a station of the Israelites during their wilderness journey, situated before Ezion-geber. The name is derived from the related word for 'passage' and is noted in the context of their travels in the desert.
עַבְרֹנָה n.pr.loc. a station of Israelites in wilderness, on march from Ezion-geber, on gulf of Aḳaba
base
H5684 עֶבְרֹנָה
5684 `Ebronah eb-raw-naw'
feminine of 5683; Ebronah, place in the Desert:--Ebronah.
see HEBREW for 05683
עַבְרֹנָה (ev.ro.nah) — Abronah.
§ Ebronah = "passage"
one of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness immediately preceding Ezion-geber
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
a-bro'-na, the King James Version Ebronah (`abhronah): One of the stations of Israel in the wilderness on the march from Sinai to Kadesh--the station next before that at Ezion-geber on the eastern arm of the Red Sea (Nu 33:34,35).
Abronah
R.V., one of Israel’s halting-places in the desert (Num.33:34,35), just before Ezion-gaber. In A.V., “Ebronah.”