John Calvin Commentary Numbers 34
John Calvin Commentary
Numbers 34
John Calvin Commentary
Numbers 34
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying," — Numbers 34:1 (ASV)
And the Lord spoke to Moses. God here undertakes the role of a prudent and careful head of a family, in establishing the boundaries of the land on every side, so that their right to possess it would never be questioned. He begins on the southern side, where it must be observed that the district of Bashan is included, along with all that the Israelites had acquired before their crossing of the Jordan; thus, this addition was approved by God. He extends this part as far as the wilderness of Sin and the borders of Edom, bringing it around from Kadesh-barnea to Addar and the pass of Azmon, and finally to the stream that washes228 the city of Rhinocorura, in the immediate vicinity of Egypt. For by “the river of Egypt,” the Nile is by no means to be understood, as its course was not at all in that direction. The southern boundary, therefore, extended from the Mediterranean Sea towards Arabia.
On the western side, the land was bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, which is here called “the Great Sea” in comparison with the Lake of Gennesareth and the Salt Sea (by which name the Lacus Asphaltires is meant).
The northern boundary began at the promontory of Hor. It would not be fitting to suppose that this refers to the mountain where Aaron died, which was far away and located on the opposite side of the land. From there, it extended to Epiphania in Syria, which is called Hamath.
I agree with Jerome in thinking that there were two cities of this name, and it is undoubtedly probable that Antioch is called Hamath the great by the Prophet Amos (Amos 6:2) in comparison with the lesser city mentioned here, whose name was given to it by that wicked and cruel tyrant (Antiochus) Epiphanes. Whether, however, the greater Antioch was formerly called Hamath and Riblah, as Jerome states, I leave undecided. The boundary then passed on to Zedad and Ziphron, and its extremity was the village of Enan.
The eastern boundary passed from there through Shephan, Riblah, and Ain, until it reached the Lake of Gennesareth—a well-known lake, here called the Sea of Chinnereth. Thus, the eastern boundary extended from Arabia in the direction of Persia, with Babylon situated to its northeast.
228 There has been much discussion amongst the commentators on this point. The conclusion to which Dr. Kitto comes, after due examination of the opposite theory, is, that “the river of Egypt,” when mentioned as a boundary, cannot mean the Nile. “The present ‘river of Egypt’ (he adds) probably denotes a stream which formed the extreme boundary of the country eastward of the Nile, which Egypt, even in these early times, professed to claim, and which derived its name from that circumstance. It was probably not far from El-Arish, to which, under the name of Rhinocorura, it is expressly referred by the Septuagint. That it was a stream somewhere between the southern frontier of Palestine and the Nile we are deeply convinced.” — Illustr. Com., in loco.
"And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which Jehovah hath commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe;" — Numbers 34:13 (ASV)
And Moses commanded the children of Israel. Though this is a repetition, it is not a superfluous one, for he contrasts the new allotment of the nine and a half tribes with the former grant.229
For the exception, which is immediately added regarding the lands beyond the Jordan (given to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh), does not exclude them from their part of the promised inheritance as if they were disinherited and therefore banished beyond the boundaries prescribed by God. Instead, it only exempts them from being subject to the casting of lots. This is because they had, by special privilege, obtained from their brethren what would otherwise have been included in the common inheritance.
This had not been revealed from the beginning; rather, God, in His indulgence, had complied with their request, by which they enlarged the boundaries of the land.
And certainly, it would have been absurd for no place to be given to them among their brethren in the promised land, as if they were cast off from the family of Abraham.
We have recently seen that this part, which seemed to be separated from the others, was included in the limits laid down by God. Moses, therefore, merely wished to declare that what remained was to be divided by lot.
229 “La donation qui avoit este desia faite de la region de Basan;” the grant which had been already made of the district of Bashan. — Fr..
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying," — Numbers 34:16 (ASV)
And the Lord spoke to Moses. The question here arises: if the Israelites were to divide the land among themselves by lot, why was the authority of the judges required, as if there was anything for them to decide?
But if we consider what has recently been shown—that in the distribution of the land, consideration was to be given to the numbers in every tribe—it was necessary for two purposes: first, that God might show by His decree the districts assigned to them respectively; and secondly, that their dimensions might be proportionate to the number of their occupants.
The casting of lots was still necessary because many would have been averse to the sea-coast, or would have preferred the center of the land to its extremities, or would have been unwilling to be banished to the mountains. In short, they would have engaged in excessive contention, murmuring, and strife.
For this reason, the lots were cast. By their decision, God placed the several tribes in whatever position He pleased, even though the judges, together with the High Priest and Joshua, had previously divided the land into ten portions.
However, after it was declared in what district the several tribes were to dwell (as if God had designated their abodes there), human determination was again necessary. This was to decide how far, and in what direction, the boundaries of the larger tribes were to extend; otherwise, the smaller tribes would have refused to be confined in a less convenient position.
Although the supreme authority was justly held by Eleazar and Joshua, God provided them with a council to prevent them from being exposed to slander and resentment. This council also served as a prudent precaution against rivalry, as each of the twelve tribes contributed its judge to preside over the distribution, ensuring that no one might complain of being wronged.
Moreover, since it was very important that the possession, once established, should be secured for future generations, first, the names of the princes are recorded to give certainty to the history. Secondly, as had been stated at the beginning of the chapter and is also repeated at the end, they were chosen by God. From this, the Israelites learned that the boundaries then fixed could not be altered without overthrowing the authority of God Himself.
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