John Calvin Commentary Numbers 33

These are the journeys of the children of Israel. Moses had not previously enumerated all the stations where the people had encamped, but hardly more than those where something memorable had occurred, especially after the passage of the Red Sea. This was because it was very important that the actual locations should be set, as it were, before their eyes, until they were not only rescued from impending death by God’s amazing power, but a way to life was opened to them through death and the lowest deep. In fact, in one passage he has as good as told us that he omitted certain stations, where he records that the people journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, to Rephidim (Exodus 17:1). Here, however, he more accurately states every place at which they stopped, as if he were painting a picture of their journey of forty years.

His purpose in this is, first, that the remembrance of their deliverance, and so many accompanying blessings, might be more deeply impressed on them, since local descriptions have no little effect in giving certainty to history. Secondly, that they might be reminded by the names of the places, how often and in how many ways they had provoked God’s anger against them. But especially, now that they were on the very threshold of the promised land, they might acknowledge that they had been kept back from it, and had been wandering by various tortuous routes, because of their own depravity and stubbornness, until they had received the reward of their vile ingratitude. At the same time, they might reflect that God had so tempered the severity of His punishment that He still preserved and sustained the despisers of His grace, despite their iniquity and unworthiness, and also that He continued the covenant He had made with Abraham for the children of the transgressors.

It is not without reason that Moses begins by saying, “these were the journeys of the children of Israel.” For, when they came out of the land of Goshen, they were filled with no ordinary fear and anxiety, seeing themselves buried, as it were, in the grave, as they were shut in on every side by the sea, or the defiles of two mountains, or the army of Pharaoh. Having entered the desert, they had seven stations before they arrived at Mount Sinai. In these, they must have perished a hundred times over from hunger and thirst, and a scarcity of everything, unless God had miraculously helped them.

And although they could have completed their whole journey in a relatively short time, their obstinate perversity even then began to cause delays. If the lack of bread and water beset them, they should have been more effectively stirred by it to turn humbly to God. However, they were so little inclined to that humility which would have led them to ask God through prayer and supplication for a remedy for their need, that they instead rebelled against Moses. Not only that, but they petulantly assailed God Himself with their impious taunts, as if He were a cruel executioner instead of their Redeemer. Thus, it came about that it was not before the fortieth day that they were finally brought to Mount Sinai.

Scarcely had the Law been proclaimed, and while the awesome voice of God by which He had bound them to Himself as His people was still ringing in their ears, when, suddenly, a base, indeed, a monstrous, falling away into idolatry occurred. Consequently, it was no credit to them that—having rejected God’s grace and, as far as it depended on them, having annulled the promise—they did not perish miserably as they deserved. By this obstacle they were again prevented from further progress. With the same obstinacy they constantly raged against God and, though warned by many examples of punishment, never came to their senses.

The climax of their insane stubborn disobedience was that when they arrived at the borders of the promised land, they repudiated God’s kindness and exhorted each other to return, as if God were hostile to them, and His priceless deliverance—which should have been a perpetual obligation to obedience—was utterly repulsive to them. The stations that then follow express in a more vivid manner how—like a ship driven from its port by a tempest and whirled around by various currents—they were carried away from approaching the land and wandered by circuitous routes, as if God were deservedly leading them about in mockery. It will be well for us to keep our eyes on this purpose of Moses, so that we may read the chapter profitably.

He calls the order of their marches “journeys” (profectiones), in contrast to their “stations.” This is because they did not strike their camp unless the signal was given—that is, when the cloud left the sanctuary and moved to another spot, as if God stretched out His hand from heaven to direct their way. And so it was more clearly apparent that they were kept in the desert by His power.

²²² There seems to be an oversight here; he probably refers to ver. 1, “per exercitus suos.”, “per exercitus suos.”

²²³ “Qu’ils ont quitte le combat pour ne plus resister a Dieu; “that they had abandoned the contest so as to resist God no longer. — Fr.

²²⁴ The Fr. omits the negative here, and states the meaning of Moses to be, that the Egyptians forbore to hinder the departure of the Israelites, omits the negative here, and states the meaning of Moses to be, that the Egyptians forbore to hinder the departure of the Israelites, not only because they were preoccupied by the burial of their dead, but because they were preoccupied by the burial of their dead, but also, etc.

²²⁵ De Lyra’s gloss is: “Tunc enim idola. AEgypti corruerunt, et comminuta sunt.” Corn. a Lapide refers to his own note on Egypti corruerunt, et comminuta sunt.” Corn. a Lapide refers to his own note on Exodus 12:12, which is as follows: “Hence it appears, says Caietanus, that Apis or Serapis, and all the other images of gods in Egypt are thrown down, and dashed to atoms on the Passover night, either by an earthquake, or by thunderbolts, as St. Jerome, after the Hebrews, asserts, ‘Ad Fabiol.Deuteronomy 42 Mansion,’ at the beginning. Artabanus, an old historian, in Eusebius, , which is as follows: “Hence it appears, says Caietanus, that Apis or Serapis, and all the other images of gods in Egypt are thrown down, and dashed to atoms on the Passover night, either by an earthquake, or by thunderbolts, as St. Jerome, after the Hebrews, asserts, ‘Ad Fabiol.Deuteronomy 42 Mansion,’ at the beginning. Artabanus, an old historian, in Eusebius, lib. 9, ‘De praepar.’ 9, ‘De praepar.’ cap. ult., tells us that this was the case; and Isaiah alludes to it, tells us that this was the case; and Isaiah alludes to it, Isaiah 19:1. The Hebrews, moreover, have a tradition that the Egyptian idols, which were of stone, were then ground to powder; that those of wood were rotted or reduced to ashes, and those of metal melted and liquefied.”. The Hebrews, moreover, have a tradition that the Egyptian idols, which were of stone, were then ground to powder; that those of wood were rotted or reduced to ashes, and those of metal melted and liquefied.”

And they departed from before Pi-hahiroth. He relates how the people marched forward for three days; not so much in praise of their endurance as in celebration of God’s wonderful power, who sustained so great a multitude without water.

For we must bear in mind, what I have elsewhere shown, that from the passage of the Red Sea to Marah no water was found. This is why the impiety of the people was all the more detestable, since they burst forth into rebellion there on account of the bitter taste of the water.

On the other hand, the incomparable mercy of God shone forth, in that He condescended to refresh these churlish and provoking men in a pleasant and delightful station; for from their first encampment they were led to Elim, where they found twelve fountains and seventy palm trees.

Moses passes briefly over the wilderness of Sin, as if nothing worthy of being recorded had occurred there. Yet, the vile impiety of the people revealed itself there, and the place was ennobled by a remarkable miracle, since the manna rained from heaven for the nourishment of the people, so that, the windows of heaven being opened, mortal man did eat angels’ food.

He also briefly refers to the lack of water to drink at Rephidim. However, he considered it sufficient here to list the stations, which might recall the various occurrences to the memory of the people.

At the Graves of Concupiscence, a memorial of God’s punishment was inscribed. But since he simply gives a list of other places without any record of events, we may gather, as I have stated above, that he had no other purpose than to set before the eyes of the people the journey in which they had been engaged for forty years.

He, however, briefly mentions the death of Aaron, because his life had been prolonged by God’s special blessing for the good of the people, until the time approached when they were about to enter the promised land. His authority was a useful and necessary restraint upon the ungovernable character of this headstrong people.

At the same time, the punishment inflicted upon the holy man should have reminded posterity that it was not without reason their fathers had been so severely chastised. For they had not ceased to add sin to sin, and God had not spared even His own servant on account of a single transgression.

When he adds shortly thereafter that the Canaanites then first heard of the coming of the children of Israel, he indicates that God had put a veil over the eyes of their enemies, so that they would not oppose them at an earlier period.

For God so mitigated the severity of His judgment, that the exile of the Israelites was, at any rate, undisturbed and free from external harassment, as long as they had to wander in the desert.

And Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old. It is not without reason that the great age of Aaron is expressly stated, since his life had been prolonged to an unusual period for the good of the people. At the age of one hundred, he had already exceeded the ordinary extent of life; whereas, by God’s extraordinary blessing, he survived until the people were about to pass into the promised land. Hence, their ingratitude was the more base in not acknowledging this paternal care of God, since it was for their advantage that He preserved so long the minister of His grace.

And king Arad the Canaanite. Although Moses gives no account of a battle, yet he briefly revives the recollection of the previous history, as if to say that in this part of their journey the Israelites finally met with their enemy, since they then began to fight with one of the nations of Canaan. In a word, the meaning is that this was the beginning of their warfare, when the land which God had promised them as an inheritance was about to be occupied.