And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them." then I will do to you what I had planned to do to themthen I will doThis phrase underscores the conditional nature of God's covenant with Israel. The Hebrew root for "do" is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which means to make, accomplish, or act with purpose. It reflects God's active role in the unfolding of His divine plan. In the context of Numbers 33, God is reminding the Israelites of His sovereignty and the consequences of disobedience. This serves as a powerful reminder that God's actions are not arbitrary but are deeply connected to His covenant promises and justice. to you
The pronoun "you" is directed at the Israelites, God's chosen people. It is a personal address, emphasizing the relational aspect of God's covenant. Historically, the Israelites were set apart to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6). This personal address serves as a reminder of their unique identity and the responsibilities that come with it. It also highlights the personal nature of God's dealings with His people, where each individual and the community as a whole are accountable to Him. what I had planned
The phrase "what I had planned" indicates God's foreknowledge and intentionality. The Hebrew word for "planned" is "חָשַׁב" (chashab), which means to think, plan, or calculate. This reflects the idea that God’s actions are not reactive but are part of a divine strategy. In the broader biblical narrative, this speaks to the omniscience of God, who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). It reassures believers that God’s plans are perfect and just, even when they involve discipline. to do to them
The "them" refers to the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, whom God had judged for their iniquity. The historical context here is crucial; the Canaanites were known for practices that were abhorrent to God, such as idolatry and child sacrifice. God's judgment on them was both a fulfillment of His promise to Abraham and a demonstration of His holiness. For the Israelites, this serves as a sobering warning that they are not immune to judgment if they fall into the same sins. It underscores the biblical principle that God is impartial and that His justice applies to all nations, including His chosen people. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and were journeying to the Promised Land. 2. The CanaanitesThe inhabitants of the land that God promised to the Israelites. They were known for their idolatry and immoral practices. 3. The Promised LandThe land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham and his descendants as an inheritance. 4. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, who guided them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. 5. God's JudgmentThe divine consequence that God warns He will bring upon the Israelites if they fail to obey His commands and drive out the inhabitants of the land. Teaching Points Obedience to God's CommandsGod requires complete obedience to His instructions. Partial obedience can lead to severe consequences, as seen in the warning to the Israelites. The Danger of CompromiseCompromising with sin and idolatry can lead to spiritual downfall. The Israelites were warned against adopting the practices of the Canaanites. God's Faithfulness and JusticeGod is faithful to His promises, but He is also just. His justice requires that sin be addressed, whether among the Canaanites or His own people. The Importance of HolinessGod calls His people to be holy and set apart. This requires a conscious effort to avoid the influences of a sinful culture. The Consequences of DisobedienceDisobedience to God’s commands can lead to the same judgments that fall upon the ungodly. The Israelites were warned that they would face the same fate as the Canaanites if they disobeyed. Bible Study Questions 1. What specific commands did God give the Israelites regarding the inhabitants of the Promised Land, and why were these commands important? 2. How does the warning in Numbers 33:56 reflect God's character of justice and holiness? 3. In what ways can modern Christians be tempted to compromise with the "inhabitants" of their cultural surroundings? 4. How can we apply the principle of holiness in our daily lives to avoid the pitfalls of disobedience? 5. Reflect on a time when you faced consequences for disobedience. How did that experience shape your understanding of God's justice and mercy? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 18:24-30This passage warns the Israelites not to defile themselves with the practices of the nations they are dispossessing, as these practices led to the nations' judgment. Deuteronomy 7:1-5God commands the Israelites to completely destroy the nations in the Promised Land to avoid being ensnared by their idolatry. Joshua 23:12-13Joshua warns the Israelites that if they intermarry with the remaining nations, God will no longer drive them out, and they will become snares and traps. Judges 2:1-3The Angel of the Lord rebukes the Israelites for not obeying God's command to drive out the inhabitants, resulting in the nations becoming thorns in their sides. People Aaron, Abel, Arad, Egyptians, Gad, Geber, Israelites, Moses, Perez, Tahath, Terah, ZephonPlaces 0, Abarim, Abel-shittim, Abronah, Almon-diblathaim, Alush, Arad, Baal-zephon, Bene-jaakan, Beth-jeshimoth, Canaan, Dibon-gad, Dophkah, Edom, Egypt, Elim, Etham, Ezion-geber, Hahiroth, Haradah, Hashmonah, Hazeroth, Hor-haggidgad, Iye-abarim, Iyim, Jericho, Jordan River, Jotbathah, Kadesh-barnea, Kehelathah, Kibroth-hattaavah, Libnah, Makheloth, Marah, Migdol, Mithkah, Moab, Moseroth, Mount Hor, Mount Shepher, Nebo, Negev, Oboth, Pi-hahiroth, Punon, Rameses, Red Sea, Rephidim, Rimmon-perez, Rissah, Rithmah, Sinai, Succoth, Tahath, Terah, Zalmonah, ZinTopics Moreover, Pass, Plan, PurposeDictionary of Bible Themes Numbers 33:50-56 7258 promised land, early history Numbers 33:55-56 5917 plans Library Some Miscellaneous Matters Belonging to the Country About Jericho.
Let us begin from the last encampings of Israel beyond Jordan. Numbers 33:49: "They encamped near Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth unto Abel-shittim."--"From Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim were twelve miles." It is a most received opinion among the Jews, that the tents of the Israelites in the wilderness contained a square of twelve miles. So the Targum of Jonathan, upon Number 2:2; "The encamping of Israel was twelve miles in length, and twelve miles in breadth." And the Gemarists say, "It is forbidden …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and HebraicaArbel. Shezor. Tarnegola the Upper.
"Arbel a city of Galilee."--There is mention of it in Hosea 10:14. But there are authors which do very differently interpret that place, viz. the Chaldee paraphrast, R. Solomon, Kimchi: consult them. It was between Zippor and Tiberias. Hence Nittai the Arbelite, who was president with Josua Ben Perahiah. The valley of Arbel is mentioned by the Talmudists. So also "The Arbelite Bushel." "Near Zephath in Upper Galilee was a town named Shezor, whence was R. Simeon Shezori: there he was buried. There …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Christ the Water of Life.
"Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life" (John iv. 13, 14). "Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John vii. 37). "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank …
Frank G. Allen—Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the Doubling it in the Maps is Well Done.
The readers of the eastern interpreters will observe, that Kadesh is rendered by all Rekam, or in a sound very near it. In the Chaldee, it is 'Rekam': in the Syriac, 'Rekem': in the Arabic, 'Rakim'... There are two places noted by the name Rekam in the very bounds of the land,--to wit, the southern and eastern: that is, a double Kadesh. I. Of Kadesh, or Rekam, in the south part, there is no doubt. II. Of it, in the eastern part, there is this mention: "From Rekam to the east, and Rekam is as the …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Peaceable Principles and True: Or, a Brief Answer to Mr. D'Anver's and Mr. Paul's Books against My Confession of Faith, and Differences in Judgment About Baptism no Bar to Communion.
WHEREIN THEIR SCRIPTURELESS NOTIONS ARE OVERTHROWN, AND MY PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES STILL MAINTAINED. 'Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?'--Psalm 58:1 SIR, I have received and considered your short reply to my differences in judgment about water baptism no bar to communion; and observe, that you touch not the argument at all: but rather labour what you can, and beyond what you ought, to throw odiums upon your brother for reproving you for your error, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Numbers 33:56 NIVNumbers 33:56 NLTNumbers 33:56 ESVNumbers 33:56 NASBNumbers 33:56 KJV
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