Numbers 33:22 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵרִסָּ֑ה וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּקְהֵלָֽתָה׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [journeyed, traveled, departed] from RissahRiççâh [a place in the desert] and campedchânâh▸ [pitched, encamped, set up their tents] at KehelathahQᵉhêlâthâh [a stopping point in the wilderness journey]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מֵרִסָּ֑ה | from Rissah | Preposition, noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בִּקְהֵלָֽתָה׃ | at Kehelathah | Preposition, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. |
| KJV | And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah. |
| YLT | and they journey from Rissah, and encamp in Kehelathah. |
| WEB | They traveled from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah. |
| BBE | And they went on from Rissah, and put up their tents in Kehelathah. |
Where they part company is in the details of the journey — see How Translations Differ.
The structure consists of two main actions connected by a conjunction, highlighting the sequence of the Israelites' movements.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, AdamClarke, Whedon & more — read them ›
clause
verbנָסַע
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Numbers 33:22
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Journey of the Israelitesgenerated
Numbers 33:22 describes a specific moment in the Israelites' wilderness journey, detailing their departure from Rissah and their encampment at Kehelathah. This verse is part of a larger narrative that lists the various locations where the Israelites camped as they traveled through the desert, illustrating their journey toward the Promised Land.
Cross References
The Key Word — וַיִּסְע֖וּ, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
The verb נָסַע (naca`) means to set out or start a journey, particularly in the context of the Israelites' travels. It encompasses actions like departing and marching, and can imply both physical movement and the act of leading away.
In this verse, it indicates the act of the Israelites beginning their journey from Rissah. The parsing as a sequential imperfect third person masculine plural shows that this is an ongoing action involving a group.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations on this page agree that the Israelites set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The sentence structure consists of two clauses connected by the conjunction, with וַיִּסְע֖וּ as the first verb indicating the action of setting out. Following this, וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ serves as the second verb, indicating the action of camping.
The Hebrew word order emphasizes the actions of the Israelites, first highlighting their departure and then their encampment.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיִּסְע֖וּ with ἀπῆραν, which means 'they departed.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning of setting out on a journey.
The translation reflects a straightforward rendering of the actions described, maintaining the focus on the movement of the Israelites.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:22 tells us that the Israelites set out from a place called Rissah and camped at Kehelathah during their journey in the wilderness. This verse is part of a list of locations where they stopped as they traveled toward the Promised Land.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Setting out from Rissah indicates the beginning of a new leg in the Israelites' journey, moving from one camp to another as they traveled through the wilderness.
Rissah is significant as it marks one of the stops where the Israelites camped during their wilderness journey, reflecting their progress toward the Promised Land.
Camping at Kehelathah signifies a temporary stop where the Israelites set up their tents, allowing them to rest before continuing their journey.
This verse fits into the larger narrative by detailing the specific locations where the Israelites camped as they traveled through the wilderness, illustrating their journey toward the Promised Land.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the Israelites' journey about following God's direction?
- How do the locations mentioned in this verse reflect the challenges and experiences of the Israelites?
- In what ways can we apply the concept of setting out on a journey in our own lives?
- How does the act of camping at a specific location relate to taking time for rest and reflection in our own journeys?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on this verse includes insights from Origen of Alexandria, who reflects on the significance of the journey and the locations mentioned.
From it they come to Macelath [Kehelathah], which is “sovereignty” or “staff.” Power seems to be meant by both and that the soul has progressed so far as to rule over the body and to obtain by that the staff of power.Early Church Fathers on Numbers 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:22 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hatta'avah. Kibroth-hattaavah - the graves of lust .
Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 33 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleSTAT. XVIII. Verse 22. KEHELATHAH.] Utterly unknown; though some conjecture that it might have been the place called Keilah, 1 Samuel 23:1, &c., but this is unlikely.
Read AdamClarke on Numbers 33 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleTHE OF THE , Numbers 33:1-49.Having reached the Land of Promise, and taken possession of its eastern portion, it is proper that the history of the desert wandering should close with a list of
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Numbers 33 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
They traveled from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.
They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
They traveled from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah.
Tyndale line
And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.
And they journeyed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.
And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.
And they journeyed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.
And they iourneyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.
Strictly literal
And they removed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.
and they journey from Rissah, and encamp in Kehelathah.
And they journey from Rissah and encamp in Kehelathah.
And they removed from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.
They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
From the Latin
And departing from Ressa, they came to Ceelatha.
Simplified
They moved on from Rissah and set up camp at Kehelathah.
And they went on from Rissah, and put up their tents in Kehelathah.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, and the Dead Sea Scrolls all convey similar content regarding the Israelites' journey. The Samaritan Pentateuch agrees word for word with the Masoretic Text, while the Dead Sea Scrolls contain fragments that match the overall narrative.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵרִסָּ֑ה וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בִּקְהֵלָֽתָה׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויסעו מרסה ויחנו בקהלתה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
מריסה [ויחנו] [בקהלתה]
3 words of the verse are on this fragment — 1 partly restored, 2 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Numbers 33:22
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
נָסַע (naca`) means to pull out or up, particularly in the context of setting out on a journey. It encompasses actions like departing, marching, and removing, with nuances related to both physical movement and the wind. The word can also imply causing someone or something to set out or be led away.
נָסַע 147 vb. pull out or up, set out, journey
Qal 137
pull out or up
hence (from pulling up tent-pegs),
set out
depart
journey, march (by stages)
of wind
Niph. be pulled up, removed
Hiph.
cause to set out, lead out
remove
base
H5265 נָסַע pull out or up, set out, journey .. pull out or up
. hence (from pulling up tent-pegs), . set out
. depart
. journey, march (by stages)
. of wind
. be pulled up, removed
. . cause to set out, lead out
. remove
5265 naca` naw-sah'
a primitive root; properly, to pull up, especially the
tent-pins, i.e. start on a journey:--cause to blow, bring,
get, (make to) go (away, forth, forward, onward, out), (take)
journey, march, remove, set aside (forward), X still, be on
his (go their) way.
נָסַע (na.sa) — to set out.
1) to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to pull out or up
1a2) to set out, depart
1a3) to journey, march
1a4) to set forth (of wind)
1b) (Niphal) to be pulled up, be removed, be plucked up
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to set out, lead out, cause to spring up
1c2) to remove, quarry
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
רִסָּה (Riccah) refers to a place name meaning 'ruin,' specifically a station of the Israelites in the wilderness. The word is derived from a root meaning to drip or fall apart, suggesting a sense of decay. It appears in the context of the Israelites' journey through the desert.
רִסָּה n.pr.loc. station in wilderness
base
H7446 רִסָּה
7446 Riccah ris-saw'
from 7450; a ruin (as dripping to pieces); Rissah, a place in
the Desert:--Rissah.
see HEBREW for 07450
רִסָּה (ris.sah) — Rissah.
§ Rissah = "ruin"
a station of Israel in the wilderness
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
ris'-a (riccah, "dew"): A camp of the Israelites in the wilderness wanderings between Libnah and Kehelathah (Nu 33:21 f).
See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
Rissah
Heap of ruins; dew, a station of the Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 33:21, 22).
watering; distillation; dew
→ A camping place of the Israelites Nu 33:21,22
חָנָה (chanah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to decline, bend down, or encamp. It conveys the idea of inclining or settling, particularly in the context of pitching a tent or establishing a temporary dwelling. The word appears in various forms, including the act of encamping or laying siege. It is associated with the imagery of the evening's slanting rays and the conclusion of a day's journey.
חָנָה 143 vb. decline, bend down, encamp
Qal
decline, of day drawing to its close
encamp (prop. verge toward, incline to, settle at, of goal of day’s march)
base
H2583 חָנָה decline, bend down, encamp
2583 chanah khaw-naw'
a primitive root (compare 2603); properly, to incline; by
implication, to decline (of the slanting rays of evening);
specifically, to pitch a tent; gen. to encamp (for abode or
siege):--abide (in tents), camp, dwell, encamp, grow to an
end, lie, pitch (tent), rest in tent.
see HEBREW for 02603
חָנָה (cha.nah) — to camp.
1) to decline, incline, encamp, bend down, lay siege against
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to decline
1a2) to encamp
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
קְהֵלָ֫תָה (Qhelathah) refers to a location associated with an assembly of the Israelites during their time in the wilderness. It is derived from the root word for 'convocation' and is noted as a specific station in the desert.
קְהֵלָ֫תָה n.pr. (assembly) station of Isr. in wilderness
base
H6954 קְהֵלָ֫תָה
6954 Qhelathah keh-hay-law'-thaw
from 6950; convocation; Kehelathah, a place in the
Desert:--Kehelathah.
see HEBREW for 06950
קְהֵלָ֫תָה (qe.he.la.tah) — Kehelathah.
§ Kehelathah = "assembly"
a station of the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
ke-he-la'-tha, ke-hel'-a-tha (qehlathah, "gathering," "assembly"): A desert camp of the Israelites between Rissah and Mt. Shepher (Nu 33:22,23). Situation is unknown.
See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
Kehelathah
Assembly, one of the stations of the Israelites in the desert (Num. 33:22, 23).
(assembly), a desert encampment of the Israelites, (Numbers 33:22) of which nothing is known.
→ An encampment of Israel Nu 33:22,23