Numbers 33:26 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מִמַּקְהֵלֹ֑ת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּתָֽחַת׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [journeyed, departed] from MakhelothMaqhêlôth [a meeting place, gathering spot] and campedchânâh▸ [encamped, pitched their tents] at TahathTachath [in the desert, a place of rest]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מִמַּקְהֵלֹ֑ת | from Makheloth | Preposition, noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְּתָֽחַת׃ | at Tahath | 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 Makheloth and camped at Tahath. |
| KJV | And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath. |
| YLT | and they journey from Makheloth, and encamp in Tahath. |
| WEB | They traveled from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath. |
| BBE | And they went on from Makheloth, and put up their tents in Tahath. |
Where they part company is in the translation of חָנָה — see How Translations Differ.
Two main actions connected by 'and', with prepositional phrases clarifying the locations.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, 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 33:26
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 33:26 describes a specific segment of the Israelites' travels in the wilderness. This verse follows a pattern of movement, showing how they transitioned from one camp to another, emphasizing their journey through the desert as they sought the Promised Land. The surrounding verses provide a list of their encampments, illustrating the ongoing nature of their travels.
Cross References
The Key Word — נָסַע, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
A sequential imperfect verb from the root נָסַע (naca`), meaning to set out or depart. It captures the action of beginning a journey, often in a communal context, as seen with the Israelites leaving Egypt or moving from one encampment to another.
This verb is used frequently in the narrative of the Israelites' travels, highlighting their movements and transitions. The parsing indicates that it is in the third person masculine plural, referring to the group as a whole — the Israelites — who are undertaking this journey together.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs יִּסְע֖וּ and יַּחֲנ֖וּ govern the main actions of the verse: they set out and they encamped. The structure reflects a sequence of actions, showing the progression from departure to setting up camp.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the actions of the Israelites, with the verbs leading the sentence, indicating the active nature of their journey.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָסַע with ἀπῆραν — they departed — which aligns closely with the original meaning of setting out on a journey. This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of the Hebrew verb.
The translation of חָנָה as παρενέβαλον indicates a similar act of encamping, maintaining the focus on the actions of the Israelites during their travels.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:26 describes how the Israelites left Makheloth and set up camp at Tahath. This verse is part of a larger account of their journey through the wilderness, detailing their movements and the places they stopped along the way.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Makheloth means a meeting place in the desert where the Israelites gathered, serving as a significant spot during their travels.
Encamping signifies a pause in the journey, allowing the Israelites to rest and regroup before continuing their travels.
This verse is part of a series of movements that illustrate the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, highlighting their progress toward the Promised Land.
The journey of the Israelites teaches about faith, perseverance, and the importance of community as they moved together toward their destination.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to set out on a journey in my own life?
- How can I find rest in the midst of my travels or challenges?
- What lessons can I learn from the Israelites about perseverance?
- In what ways can I support others on their journeys?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early interpretations of this passage, such as those by Origen, reflect on the significance of the Israelites' journey and the lessons learned from their experiences.
Next a stage is made at Cataath [Tahath], which is “encouragement” or “endurance.” For it is necessary for someone who wants to be of use to others to suffer many things and to bear them all patiently, as it is said of Paul,Early Church Fathers on Numbers 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:26 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 →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 Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
They traveled from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath.
They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
They traveled from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
Tyndale line
And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.
And they journeyed from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath.
And they journeyed from Makheloth, and pitched in Tahath.
And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.
And they remoued from Makheloth, and lay in Tahath.
Strictly literal
And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.
and they journey from Makheloth, and encamp in Tahath.
And they journey from Makheloth and encamp in Tahath.
And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped in Tachath.
They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
From the Latin
And departing from Maceloth, they came to Thahath.
Simplified
They moved on from Makheloth and set up camp at Tahath.
And they went on from Makheloth, and put up their tents in Tahath.
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 aligns with the Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch, all agreeing on the wording of the verse. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide additional evidence, though they show some restoration by editors, indicating that the original text has been damaged.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִמַּקְהֵלֹ֑ת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּתָֽחַת׃
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 ממקהלת ויחנו בתחת
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
[ויסעו] [ממקהלת] [ויחנו] [בתחת]
nothing on the leather here — 4 supplied entire by an editor.
[ויסעו] [ממקהלות] [ויחנו] [בתחת]
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 33:26
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
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
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
תַּ֫חַת (Tachath) refers to a name associated with a place in the wilderness and several individuals from the tribes of Levi and Ephraim. It signifies 'station' and includes references to a Kohathite Levite and his descendants, as well as a station of Israel during their desert wanderings. The entries do not show significant disagreement.
תַּ֫חַת n.pr.
m.
Levite
Ephraimite
loc. station in wilderness
base
H8480 תַּ֫חַת
8480 Tachath takh'-ath
the same as 8478; Tachath, the name of a place in the Desert,
also of three Israelites:--Tahath.
see HEBREW for 08478
תַּ֫חַת (ta.chat) — Tahath.
§ Tahath = "station"
a station of Israel in the wilderness
תַּ֫חַת (ta.chat) — Tahath.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.24;
son of: Assir (H0617H);
father of: Uriel (H0222)
§ Tahath = "station"
1) a Kohathite Levite, son of Assir and father of Uriel
2) a Kohathite Levite, son of Assir and father of Zephaniah
2a) maybethe same as 1
3) son of Bered, great grandson of Ephraim, and father of Eladah
4) son of Eladah, grandson of 3, and father Zabad
5) a station of Israel in the wilderness
תַּ֫חַת (ta.chat) — Tahath.
A man of the tribe of Ephraim living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.7.20a;
son of: Bered (H1260H);
father of: Eleadah (H0497)
§ Tahath = "station"
1) a Kohathite Levite, son of Assir and father of Uriel
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
the name of a desert station of the Israelites between Makheloth and Tarah. (Numbers 33:26) The site has not been identified.
fear; going down