Numbers 34:6

Translations

Modern

Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west.

Traditional

And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.

Literal

And as for the western border, the Great Sea shall be to you for a border; this shall be your western border.

Latin

Plaga autem occidentalis a mari magno incipiet, et ipso fine claudetur.

Original

Hebrew

English

Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west.

Notes

Numbers 34:6–9

The natural western boundary of Canaan was the Mediterranean coast ("the Great Sea," 34:6). The northern boundary started at the Mediterranean and went east to Mount Hor. This was somewhere in the Lebanon mountain range (not the place of Aaron's death, 20:22–29).
Lebo-hamath: Compare 13:21; 1 Kings 8:65; Amos 6:14.

Numbers 34:1–29

Chapter 34 describes the borders of Canaan. This is where God commanded Israel to settle, following the guidelines in 26:52–56. Since Abraham's call, the promised land of Canaan has been central to the Old Testament story (Genesis 12:1–7). A generation of Hebrews died in the wilderness for not believing what the faithful spies reported (Numbers 13). Yet, God reaffirmed his promise of land (33:53).

Here, God reviews the plan and outlines the promised land's intended boundaries (compare Joshua 13–19; Ezekiel 47–48). Old Testament Israel did not fully capture this territory. It almost did during the time of the kings David and Solomon (see 2 Samuel 24:1–9). But these borders generally describe the region of Canaan as defined by Egyptian texts from 1500–1200 BC. This was when the Hebrews invaded. The region actually occupied by Israel changed from time to time.

Related verses

Ezekiel 47:15
This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon through Lebo-hamath to Zedad,
Joshua 15:12
And the western border was the coastline of the Great Sea. These are the boundaries around the clans of the descendants of Judah.
Joshua 1:4
Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea.
Ezekiel 47:20
And on the west side, the Great Sea will be the boundary up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western boundary.
Ezekiel 47:10
Fishermen will stand by the shore; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.
Joshua 9:1
Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)—
Joshua 15:47
Ashdod, with its towns and villages; Gaza, with its towns and villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea.
Joshua 23:4
See, I have allotted as an inheritance to your tribes these remaining nations, including all the nations I have already cut off, from the Jordan westward to the Great Sea.

Parallels

Genesis 15:8–21

Places

Great Sea: The Mediterranean Sea, the western boundary of the Promised Land

Glossary

Allotment of the Land Arabah Dead Sea Deuteronomy, Book of Kerioth Moses Numbers, Book of Palestine The Great Sea

Topics

Canaanites: Territory of Holy Land: Extent of As at First Divided Mediterranean Sea: Mentioned in Scripture As |The Great Sea| The Sea: Seas Mentioned in Scripture: Mediterranean or Great Sea

Numbers 34:6

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Original?

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Related verses?

Parallels?