Numbers 33:25 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵחֲרָדָ֑ה וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמַקְהֵלֹֽת׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [journeyed, traveled, removed] from HaradahChărâdâh [a place of fear] and campedchânâh▸ [pitched, encamped, set up their tents] at MakhelothMaqhêlôth [a meeting place, a gathering spot]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מֵחֲרָדָ֑ה | from Haradah | Preposition, noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְּמַקְהֵלֹֽת׃ | at Makheloth | 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 Haradah and camped at Makheloth. |
| KJV | And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth. |
| YLT | And they journey from Haradah, and encamp in Makheloth; |
| WEB | They traveled from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth. |
| BBE | And they went on from Haradah, and put up their tents in Makheloth. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the actions of departing and encamping.
The sentence contains two main actions, each with a prepositional phrase indicating the locations involved.
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 33:25
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 33:25 describes the movements of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness. This verse specifically notes their departure from Haradah, a place associated with fear, and their arrival at Makheloth, a gathering spot. The narrative emphasizes the ongoing journey of the Israelites as they move toward the Promised Land, with each location carrying its own significance in their travels.
Cross References
The Key Word — נָסַע, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
The verb נָסַע (nāsaʿ) means to set out or depart, particularly in the context of beginning a journey. It can also imply the act of removing something, such as pulling up tent pegs. This word carries a sense of movement, both physical and metaphorical, as it marks the Israelites' transition from one place to another.
The parsing indicates that this is a Qal verb in the sequential imperfect tense, third person masculine plural, suggesting a collective action by the group. The use of this verb reflects the ongoing nature of their journey, as they continually set out from one location to the next.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations generally agree on the meaning of נָסַע, rendered as set out in the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse contains two main verbs: נָסַע (they set out) and חָנָה (they encamped), indicating sequential actions. The structure highlights the movement of the Israelites as they travel and then settle at a new location.
The first clause introduces the departure from Haradah, while the second clause describes the encampment at Makheloth. This sequential structure emphasizes the continuous journey of the Israelites through the wilderness.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, נָסַע is rendered as ἀπῆραν (G522), which means 'they departed.' This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning of setting out on a journey, maintaining the focus on movement.
The use of this Greek term reflects the same action of departure as in the Hebrew, indicating a consistent understanding of the journey's significance.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:25 tells us that the Israelites left Haradah, a place associated with fear, and camped at Makheloth, which means a gathering place. This verse is part of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, showing their movement from one location to another.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Haradah means 'fear' and was a stop for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness.
Makheloth means 'a meeting place' and represents a location where the Israelites gathered during their travels.
The Israelites camped at these locations as part of their journey through the wilderness, following God's guidance and establishing temporary dwellings.
This verse is part of a larger account detailing the movements of the Israelites as they traveled toward the Promised Land, highlighting their stops and experiences along the way.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the Israelites' journey about trusting in God's guidance?
- In what ways do you see the importance of gathering with others in your own life?
- How can the concept of setting out on a journey apply to your personal faith journey?
- What does it mean to you to have a place of gathering or community?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on this verse highlights its significance in understanding the journey of the Israelites and their experiences in the wilderness.
From there a stage is made at Maceloth [Makheloth], which means “from the beginning.” For the person who strives for contemplation contemplates the beginning of things, or rather he refers everything to him who was in the beginning,Early Church Fathers on Numbers 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:25 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. XXI. Verse 25. MAKHELOTH.] A name found nowhere else in Scripture.
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 Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
They traveled from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.
They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
They traveled from Haradah and camped in Makheloth.
Tyndale line
And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.
And they journeyed from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.
And they journeyed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.
And they removed from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.
And they remoued from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.
Strictly literal
And they removed from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.
And they journey from Haradah, and encamp in Makheloth;
And they journey from Haradah and encamp in Makheloth.
And they removed from Charadah, and encamped in Makheloth.
They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
From the Latin
From thence they went and camped in Maceloth.
Simplified
They moved on from Haradah and set up camp at Makheloth.
And they went on from Haradah, and put up their tents in Makheloth.
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 is supported by the Septuagint, which matches the Hebrew word-for-word, as well as by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees with the Masoretic Text here. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some variations, with one scroll partially restored and others supplying words by an editor, but the core message remains consistent across these witnesses.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵחֲרָדָ֑ה וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמַקְהֵלֹֽת׃
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 מחרדה ויחנו במקהלת
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
ויסעו מחרדה [ויחנו] [במקהלת]
1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 2 supplied entire by an editor.
[ויסעו] [מחרדה] [ויחנו] [במקהלות]
nothing on the leather here — 4 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 33:25
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
חֲרָדָה (Charadah) refers to a location in the wilderness, specifically a desert station of the Israelites. The entries indicate that it is associated with the concept of 'fear' and is linked to the place name Haradah. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons regarding this term.
חֲרָדָה n.pr.loc. a station of Isr. in wilderness
base
H2732 חֲרָדָה
2732 Charadah khar-aw-daw'
the same as 2731; Charadah, a place in the Desert:--Haradah.
see HEBREW for 02731
חֲרָדָה (cha.ra.dah) — Haradah.
§ Haradah = "fear"
a desert station of Israel in the wilderness
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
ha-ra'-da, har'-a-da (charadhah, "fearful"): A desert station of the Israelites between Mt. Shepher and Makheloth (Nu 33:24:25).
See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
Haradah
Fright; fear, the twenty-fifth station of the Israelites in their wanderings (Num. 33:24).
(fear), a desert station of the Israelites, (Numbers 33:24,25) its position is uncertain.
well of great fear
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
מַקְהֵלֹת (maqheloth) is a plural form meaning 'assemblies' or 'places of assembly.' It refers to a location where the Israelites camped in the wilderness, specifically mentioned in Exodus. The entries consistently identify it as a feminine noun related to gatherings.
מַקְהֵלֹת n.pr.loc. (place of assembly) station of Isr. in Exod.
base
H4722 מַקְהֵלֹת
4722 Maqheloth mak-hay-loth'
plural of 4721 (feminine); assemblies; Makheloth, a place in
the Desert:--Makheloth.
see HEBREW for 04721
מַקְהֵלֹת (maq.he.lot) — Makheloth.
§ Makheloth = "place of assembly"
a station of the Israelites in the wilderness
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
mak-he'-loth, mak-he'-loth (maqheloth, "assemblies"): A desert camp of the Israelites between Haradah and Tahath (Nu 33:25,26).
See WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL.
Makheloth
Assemblies, a station of the Israelites in the desert (Num. 33:25, 26).
(place of assemblies), a place mentioned only in (Numbers 33:26) as that of a desert encampment of the Israelites.
assemblies; congregations