Numbers 34

The Boundaries of Canaan

¹The Lord told Moses

²to deliver these commands to the Israelites:

When you come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its boundaries),

³your southern border will extend from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern border on the east will start from the south end of the Dead Sea.[#34:3 Hebrew Salt Sea]

⁴Your border will turn south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, pass through to Zin, and it will end south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go out to Hazar Adda and pass through to Azmon.

⁵The border will turn from Azmon to the Stream of Egypt, and it will end at the Mediterranean Sea.[#34:5 Not the Nile, but a seasonal stream further east, perhaps at Arish; #34:5 Hebrew the Great Sea]

⁶For the western border, you will have the Mediterranean Sea as your border. This will be your western border.

⁷This will be your northern border: From the Mediterranean Sea you will draw a line for yourselves to Mount Hor.

⁸From Mount Hor you will draw a line to Lebo Hamath. The end of the border will be at Zedad.

⁹Then the border will go to Ziphron, and it will end at Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.

¹⁰You will draw a line to serve as your eastern border from Hazar Enan to Shepham.

¹¹The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain. The border will go down and meet the eastern slope of the Sea of Galilee.[#34:11 Hebrew]

¹²The border will go down to the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land according to its boundaries on all sides.

Tribal Chiefs Assigned for Dividing the Land

¹³Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land which you will assign as a possession by lot, which the Lord has commanded you to give to the nine and a half tribes.

¹⁴The tribe of Reuben's descendants according to their fathers' houses and the tribe of Gad's descendants according to their fathers' houses have already received their possession. Also half of the tribe of Manasseh has received its possession.

¹⁵The two and a half tribes have received their possession east of the Jordan across from Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶The Lord spoke to Moses:

²⁹These were the men whom the Lord commanded to assign the areas of possession for the Israelites in the land of Canaan.