Numbers 33

“Mount Hor” is a descriptive title, indicating a mountain which is peculiar and distinctive. Its Hebrew form is Hor ha-Har, literally “Mountain, the Mountain.” There is a mountain which fully meets the requirements of the Bible text, and the rational demands of the narrative, as to the Mount Hor where Aaron died and was buried. That mountain is Jebel Madurah, near the western extremity of Wady Fekreh, a little to the southwest of the passes Es-Sufah and El-Yemen. Its formation, its location, its name, go to identify it with the place of Aaron’s burial. Jebel Madurah is peculiarly the “Mountain, the Mountain;” a mountain rising by itself alone from a plain, like Mount Tabor. “This Madurah,” says Crosby, “is detached from all other mountains, and rises from the plain as we may imagine the tower of Babel on the plain of Shinar.” Seetzen describes it as a “steep-sided” hill, “quite naked,” and “surrounded with a most unfruitful plain.” Schubert mentions it as “a high, bald mountain.” Lord Lindsay calls it “a large, singular-looking, isolated chalk hill.” Robinson refers to it as “remarkable in its appearance, . . . rising alone like a lofty citadel.” Wilson designates it as “an isolated hill;” and Palmer as “a round isolated hill.” Nothing certainly is lacking in these descriptions to show it as Hor ha-Har, a mountain that is a mountain, instead of being a mountain among mountains.

In its location, Jebel Madurah stands at a triangular site, where the boundaries of Edom, of Canaan, and of the Wilderness of Zin, or in a larger sense of the Wilderness of Paran, approach each other so as to pass along this mountain without touching it. It is at the extremest northwestern boundary of the land of Edom, yet it is not within that boundary line. It is on the very verge of the Land of Promise, yet it is not within the outer limits of that land. The border wadies—Fekreh, Madurah, Murreh, and Hanjoorat—which separated Canaan from Edom, and both Canaan and Edom from the unclaimed wilderness, so run as to form the surrounding plain, above which is upreared this remarkable mountain-tower, this lofty, solitary mountain-citadel. And Jebel Madurah lies in a north-easterly direction from the region of Kadesh-barnea, in the line from Kadesh-barnea of the route which the Israelites seem to have had in mind, when they proposed to pass along Edom’s royal road from the east of the Arabah, and eastward of the Dead Sea; possibly through the broad Wady el-Ghuweir which offers an easy passage. The Israelites would not unnaturally move thitherward as they planned for that route; and such a move on their part would not unnaturally be looked upon by the kings of Edom and Arad as a threatening move, to be met and resisted vigorously. Then it was, on the occasion of that refusal, and the hostile demonstration that accompanied it, that Israel “turned away” from Edom, turned sharply from the northeast to the southwest, and journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea; went out into the “great and terrible wilderness” once more, to strike the Red Sea Road, or the Hajj Route as it is called to-day. H. C. T.

[For additional proofs and convincing treatment, see Kadesh barnea, pp. 127-135.]

The traditional site for Mount Hor is Jebel Harun, close by Petra, the capital of Edom. To state is already to refute a supposition which implies that Israel had asked leave to pass through Edom, and then, without awaiting the reply, marched into the heart of Edom, and camped for thirty days close by its capital! Moreover, it is difficult to understand what could have been the object of going so far south, if Israel hoped—as at the time they did—to strike through the nearest practicable wady, the road that led northward through Edom and Moab to the ford of Jordan. In that case Jebel Harun would have been far out of their way. Finally, it is impossible to arrange the chronological succession of events as given in the Bible, except on the supposition that Moderah (Madurah) was Mount Hor. For, if the camp of Israel had been near Petra, there could have been no reason for the King of Arad to dread their forcing their way through his territory, even as it seems most unlikely that he should have marched so far southeast as Petra to attack Israel. Accordingly, interpreters who regard Jebel Harun as Mount Hor are obliged to suppose that the attack of the King of Arad had taken place earlier, say, at the period indicated in Nu. 20 : 22. But in that case it is difficult to imagine how the king could have heard that Israel was “coming by the way of the spies,” seeing they were taking exactly the opposite direction, and had just requested permission to pass through Edom. Against these weighty reasons we have only the authority of tradition in favor of Harun. On the other hand, all becomes plain and easily understood if we regard Moderah as Mount Hor; and the whole narrative in its chronological succession in Scripture is just what we should have expected. A. E.

Nu. 20 : 24. Aaron shall be gathered unto his people. “Gathered to his people,” to a reunion with the patriarchal fathers that had already preceded him, and whose personal identity and continued existence is here so hopefully indicated for the comfort of all true servants of God. Christlieb.—This beautiful expression from the patriarchal age here again returns with reference to a man who, along with much infirmity, showed also great fidelity to the Lord, especially in the after period of his life. The expression involved, at the very least, not merely a strong desire for, but a more or less clear presentiment of, a higher life beyond the grave, the archetype of the terrestrial Canaan. C. G. B.

26. Strip Aaron of his garments.** Of his priestly robes. This implied the divesting him of his office; as the putting them upon Eleazar his son, implied the succeeding of Eleazar to his father’s office and dignity. Moses herein acted as the minister of God, who now transferred the priesthood to another. Patrick.—The transference of his office to his son, at the command of God and by the hand of Moses, sets forth in act the will of God for the continuance of the high-priesthood, notwithstanding the mortality of its successive inheritors; and also its subordination to him who came invested with direct authority from God. Espin.

28. And Aaron died there.** Hence, as Lightfoot has observed, we have an “indisputable proof that the earthly Canaan was not the utmost felicity at which God’s promises to the Israelites aimed; since the best men among them were excluded from it.” The remark of some of the Fathers here is worthy of attention. “Neither Moses, the representative of the Law, nor Miriam, the representative of the prophets, nor Aaron, the representative of the priesthood and its sacrificial rites, could bring the Israelites into the possession of the promised land. This was reserved for Joshua, who was in name and conduct the lively type of our

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” He alone can bring those who believe in his name into that rest which remains for the people of God. A. C.

33 : 38, 39. The notice that Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old at his death in the fortieth year of the exodus accords with the notice of Ex. 7 : 7, that he was eighty-three years old when he stood before Pharaoh. Espin.—The Pharaohs built lofty pyramids for their ashes, that they might outstrip all other beings in the magnificence of their tombs; but no Pharaoh had ever pyramid or monument so massive as that which God thus set apart for Aaron. W. G. B.

Scripture has few more solemn and majestic pictures than this of the two aged men—brothers in heart and sacred service—ascending with Eleazar to this wild mountain-top. “In his full priestly dress” walked Aaron to his burial. He knew it; and so did all in that camp, who now, for the last time, reverently and silently looked upon the venerable figure of him who these forty years had ministered unto them in holy things. There were no farewells. In that typical priesthood all depended on the unbroken continuance of the office, not of the person. And hence on the mountain-top, Aaron was first unclothed of his priestly robes, and Eleazar his son formally invested with them. Thus the priesthood had not for a moment ceased when Aaron died. Then, not as a priest, but simply as one of God’s Israel, was he “gathered unto his people.” But over that which passed between the three on the mount has the hand of God drawn the veil of silence. And so the new priest Eleazar came down from the solemn scene on Mount Hor to minister amid a hushed and awe-stricken congregation. “And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.” A. E.

It has been well observed that the very defects of Aaron’s character, and especially his sin and repentance in the matter of the golden calf, fitted him the more for the office of a high-priest—“Who can have compassion on the ignorant and the erring, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.” And he could also sympathize with deep suffering, such as he felt when his sons Nadab and Abihu were slain for their sacrilege—“and Aaron held his peace.” All these points are placed by the apostle in striking contrast to His priesthood, whose perfect and sinless human nature makes him have sympathy without infirmity. P. S.

Despite the many weaknesses and sins Aaron had always, through the Divine mercies and discipline, returned to the Lord. His life contained imperishable fruits—deeds of faith, of love, and of trust in God. Upward, not downward, does he go in his death. Though privileged to see the promised land only at a distance, his end was assuredly in peace and reconciliation with God—albeit his life-history had been a stormy one, full of toils, sufferings, and chastisements. Calmly submissive to God’s holy but most gracious decree, deprived of his outward priestly robes, yet retaining the inward priestly adornments of peace and hope, of trust and humble resignation to the Divine will—thus is he gathered to his fathers, and permitted, without a protracted struggle, to pass away. He had not lived in vain; following the wise guidance of God he had brought forth fruit, and therefore his name was held in blessed remembrance among the people. Chris’lieb.

Nu. 20 : 20, 21. Now the messengers returned from Edom bringing absolute refusal to the request of passage through that country. Not only so, but the large army of Edom was assembling on the frontier, close to the camping-ground of Israel. If, according to the Divine command, Edom was not to be attacked, then Israel must rapidly retreat. The ordinary route from Mount Hor “to compass the land of Edom,” so as to advance northward by the east of Edom, would have led Israel straight down through the northern part of the Arabah. But this route touched the western boundary of Edom just where, as we gather from the scriptural narrative, the army of Edom was cheloned. To avoid them, it became therefore necessary, in the first place, to retrace their steps again through the Wady Murreh, in order thence to strike in a southeasterly direction through what are now known as “the mountains of the Aza-zimeh.” But just at the point where the host of Israel would turn southward from Wady Murreh, they were also in almost a straight line for the territory of the King of Arad. Of course, he would be informed that Israel had been refused a passage through Edom, and, finding them on the flank of his territory, would naturally imagine that they intended to invade it. Nu. 21 : 1-3. “And the Canaanitish King of Arad, which dwelt in the Negeb” (or south country), “heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies” (or, more probably, “the way of the merchants,” the caravan road); “then he fought against Israel, and took of them prisoners”—having probably fallen on their rearguard. The event is mentioned now to show the unprovoked enmity of Canaan against Israel, and the subsequent faithfulness of God. For Israel at that time “vowed a vow” utterly to destroy these cities. Many years afterward God gave the prayed-for victory, when the name of Hormah, or ban, given in anticipation of God’s faithfulness, became a reality. A. E.—Joshua conquered the king of this district, and finally in the time of the early Judges the ban of Moses and his contemporaries was fully executed. We have therefore in the passage before us the history of the actual origin of the name “Hormah.” Espin.