Numbers 33:27 — Word Study
WLCוַיִּסְע֖וּ מִתָּ֑חַת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּתָֽרַח׃
BSAThey set outnâçaʻ▸ [journeyed, departed] from TahathTachath [a place in the Desert] and campedchânâh▸ [pitched, encamped] at TerahTerach [the father of Abraham's ancestral home]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיִּסְע֖וּ | and they set out | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| מִתָּ֑חַת | from Tahath | Preposition, noun proper |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | and they encamped | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בְּתָֽרַח׃ | at Tarah | 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 Tahath and camped at Terah. |
| KJV | And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah. |
| ASV | And they journeyed from Tahath, and encamped in Terah. |
| YLT | And they journey from Tahath, and encamp in Tarah; |
| WEB | They traveled from Tahath, and encamped in Terah. |
| BBE | And they went on from Tahath, and put up their tents in Terah. |
Where they part company is in the contextual notes provided, but the translations agree on the fundamental actions described.
The sentence structure is straightforward, with two main actions connected by 'and', indicating a clear sequence of events.
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 33:27
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 Itinerary of the Israelitesgenerated
Numbers 33:27 is part of a passage detailing the various locations where the Israelites camped during their journey in the wilderness. This verse specifically notes their departure from Tahath and their arrival at Terah. The movements of the Israelites are significant as they reflect their obedience to God's commands and their progress toward the Promised Land.
Cross References
The Key Word — נָסַע, vai.yis.'Ugenerated
The verb נָסַע (nasá) means to set out or depart, particularly in the context of a journey. It is a Qal verb in the sequential imperfect tense, indicating an ongoing action performed by the third person masculine plural — in this case, the Israelites. The word encompasses the act of starting a journey, which is central to the narrative of the Israelites' travels.
This verb also carries the nuance of pulling up stakes, as in removing the pins of a tent, which aligns with the context of the Israelites moving from one location to another. The use of this word emphasizes the action of leaving behind one place to embark on a new phase of their journey.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase set out for נָסַע and camped for חָנָה.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse contains two main verbs: וַיִּסְע֖וּ (and they set out) and וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ (and they encamped), which govern the actions of the subjects, the Israelites. The structure follows a straightforward sequence of actions, reflecting the movement from one location to another.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the verbs, highlighting the actions of setting out and encamping, which are central to the narrative of the Israelites' journey.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָסַע as ἀπῆραν (they departed), which captures the essence of the Israelites setting out on their journey. This choice of word maintains the focus on the act of leaving a location.
The Greek rendering of חָנָה is not provided, but the overall translation reflects the same actions described in the Hebrew text, ensuring the continuity of meaning across the translations.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 33:27 tells us that the Israelites left one camp at Tahath and moved to another camp at Terah. This reflects their journey through the wilderness as they followed God's direction.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies the Israelites' obedience to God's command to move forward in their journey.
Terah is noted as the father of Abraham and represents an important ancestral connection in the narrative.
Camping represents a pause in their journey, allowing the Israelites to rest and regroup before continuing.
It highlights the sequential movements of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can I learn about following God's direction from the Israelites' journey?
- How can I apply the concept of setting out on a journey in my own life?
- What significance does the location of Terah hold in relation to Abraham's story?
- How does resting or camping during a journey relate to my own experiences of waiting on God?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 33:27 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. XXIII. Verse 27. TARAH.] Also unknown.
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 Tahath and camped at Terah.
They traveled from Tahath, and encamped in Terah.
They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.
They traveled from Tahath and camped at Terah.
Tyndale line
And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.
And they journeyed from Tahath, and encamped in Terah.
And they journeyed from Tahath, and pitched in Terah.
And they departed from Tahath, and encamped at Tarah.
And they departed from Tahath, and pitched in Tarah.
Strictly literal
And they removed from Tahath, and encamped at Terah.
And they journey from Tahath, and encamp in Tarah;
And they journey from Tahath and encamp in Tarah.
And they removed from Tachath, and encamped in Tarach.
They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.
From the Latin
Removing from Thahath they camped in Thare.
Simplified
They moved on from Tahath and set up camp at Terah.
And they went on from Tahath, and put up their tents in Terah.
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 words closely, and the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word with the Masoretic Text. The Dead Sea Scrolls also reflect the same phrases but were supplemented by an editor, indicating no significant variation in this instance.
וַיִּסְע֖וּ מִתָּ֑חַת וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּתָֽרַח׃
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 מתחת ויחנו בתרח
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
[ויסעו] [מתחת] [ויחנו] [בתרח]
nothing on the leather here — 4 supplied entire by an editor.
[ויסעו] [מתחת] [ויחנו] [בתרח]
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 33:27
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
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
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
תֶּ֫רַח (Terach) refers to the father of Abraham and also denotes a station in the Exodus journey. The entries indicate that the name may carry meanings related to 'station' or 'delay.' Terach is first mentioned in Genesis 11:24 and is associated with notable family members like Nahor and Haran.
תֶּ֫רַח n.pr.
m. father of Abraham
loc. station of Exodus journey
base
H8646 תֶּ֫רַח . father of Abraham
. station of Exodus journey
8646 Terach teh'-rakh
of uncertain derivation; Terach, the father of Abraham; also
a place in the Desert:--Tarah, Terah.
תֶּ֫רַח (te.rach) — Terah.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.24;
son of: Nahor (H5152);
father of: Abraham (H0085), Nahor (H5152H), Haran (H2039) and Sarah (H8283)
Also named: Thara (Θάρα "Terah" G2291)
§ Terah = "station"
1) the father of Abraham
Tarah = "delay"
2) a station of Israel in the wilderness
תֶּ֫רַח (te.rach) — Terah.
§ Terah = "station"
a station of Israel in the wilderness
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
ta'-ra, tar'-a (Nu 33:27 f the King James Version).
See TERAH.
Tarah
Stopping; station, an encampment of the Hebrews in the wilderness (Num. 33:27, 28).
(delay), a desert-station of the Israelites between Tahath and Mithcah. (Numbers 33:27)
a hair; a wretch; one banished