Numbers 33:1

The list of travel places shows careful record-keeping. It includes many specific details. This is the only place in Numbers that says Moses wrote down part of Israel’s history (compare Exodus 24:4).

• This review of the entire wilderness period includes the longest connected list of place names in the Old Testament. It begins with Israel’s departure from Egypt (33:3; compare Exodus 12:37). It ends with their arrival in the plains of Moab, across from Jericho (Numbers 33:49; compare 22:1).

  The list names 42 stopping places along the way. These places represent more than a physical journey from one land to another. They also remind readers of Israel’s forty years of spiritual growth and testing.

  Israel traveled from Rameses in Egypt (33:3) to Abel-shittim on the plains of Moab (33:49). During these years, the people became ready to enter the land of Canaan and receive the promises God had made to Abraham.

• This list does not give enough information to trace an exact route on a map. Many of the places cannot be identified with certainty. Some of these names do not appear anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible.

  In addition, there are not enough details to locate these places precisely. The list is also selective. It does not include every place that earlier parts of the journey mention.