Charles Ellicott Commentary Numbers 10:35-36

"And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Jehovah, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel." — Numbers 10:35-36 (ASV)

And it came to pass ... — It appears from these words that the marches of the Israelites began and ended with prayer, a significant lesson to the Church of all later ages. It is worth noting that the prayers were offered by Moses, not by Aaron. The inverted nuns, or parenthetical marks, which are found in a large number of Hebrew manuscripts at the beginning and end of these verses, are thought by some to denote their insertion as a break in the narrative, while others have ascribed to them a mystical meaning. The words, “Return, O Lord,” Bishop Wordsworth observes, “pre-announced the blessed time of rest and peace, when God would abide with His Church on earth, by the gift of the Holy Ghost, and will tabernacle for ever with His people in heavenly rest and joy” (Revelation 7:15; Revelation 21:3).