And there on the plains of MoabThe plains of Moab refer to the flatlands east of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho. This area was significant as the final encampment of the Israelites before entering the Promised Land. Moab was a region inhabited by the Moabites, descendants of Lot. The Israelites' presence here marks the end of their 40-year wilderness journey, highlighting God's faithfulness in bringing them to the brink of the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
they camped by the Jordan
Camping by the Jordan River signifies the Israelites' proximity to the Promised Land, as the Jordan was the natural boundary they needed to cross. This location is pivotal in the narrative of Israel's history, as it sets the stage for the miraculous crossing of the Jordan under Joshua's leadership (Joshua 3). The Jordan River is also symbolically significant in the New Testament, where it is the site of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, marking the beginning of His public ministry.
from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim
Beth-jeshimoth, meaning "house of desolation," was located near the northeastern shore of the Dead Sea. It served as a boundary marker for the Israelites' encampment. Abel-shittim, meaning "meadow of the acacias," was situated further north in the plains of Moab. This area is associated with the final encampment of the Israelites before crossing the Jordan. The mention of these locations underscores the vastness of the Israelite camp and the strategic positioning before entering Canaan. Abel-shittim is also notable as the place where the Israelites fell into sin with the Moabite women, leading to God's judgment (Numbers 25), highlighting the ongoing struggle between faithfulness and temptation.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The IsraelitesThe people of God who have been journeying through the wilderness for 40 years, now on the brink of entering the Promised Land.
2.
Beth-jeshimothA location near the northeastern shore of the Dead Sea, meaning "House of Desolation," indicating a place of transition from wilderness to promise.
3.
Abel-shittimA place in the plains of Moab, meaning "Meadow of the Acacias," symbolizing a place of preparation and anticipation before crossing into Canaan.
4.
The Jordan RiverA significant geographical and spiritual boundary for the Israelites, representing the transition from the wilderness wanderings to the inheritance of the Promised Land.
5.
The Plains of MoabThe final encampment area for the Israelites before entering Canaan, a place of both reflection on past journeys and preparation for future conquest.
Teaching Points
Preparation for PromiseJust as the Israelites camped in anticipation of entering the Promised Land, we must prepare our hearts and lives for the promises God has for us.
Reflecting on the JourneyThe encampment at the plains of Moab serves as a reminder to reflect on God's faithfulness throughout our life's journey, recognizing His guidance and provision.
Transition and TrustCrossing the Jordan symbolizes a step of faith. We are often called to trust God in transitions, leaving behind the familiar to embrace His promises.
Community and UnityThe Israelites camped together as a community, emphasizing the importance of unity and support within the body of Christ as we journey towards God's promises.
Obedience and FaithfulnessThe Israelites' obedience in following God's instructions to camp and prepare highlights the importance of faithfulness in our walk with God.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Numbers 33:49?
2.How does Numbers 33:49 demonstrate God's guidance during Israel's journey?
3.What significance does the location "plains of Moab" hold in Israel's history?
4.How can we apply Israel's journey lessons to our spiritual walk today?
5.What parallels exist between Israel's encampment and our church community's mission?
6.How does Numbers 33:49 connect to God's promises in the Old Testament?
7.What is the significance of Abel-shittim in Numbers 33:49 for Israel's journey?
8.How does Numbers 33:49 reflect God's guidance in Israel's wilderness journey?
9.What archaeological evidence supports the locations mentioned in Numbers 33:49?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Numbers 33?
11.Who was Gad in the Bible?
12.Who were Moab and Ammon in biblical history?
13.Why are many locations in Numbers 33:5-49 unidentified or disputed, casting doubt on the authenticity of this desert route?
14.Numbers 33:50-56: Why does the text insist on divinely sanctioned warfare for taking the land when later prophets and passages emphasize peace, suggesting an inconsistency in divine commands?What Does Numbers 33:49 Mean
There on the plains of Moab- The plains of Moab stretch along the eastern side of the Dead Sea, just across from Jericho (Numbers 22:1;Deuteronomy 34:1).
- After forty years of wilderness wanderings (Numbers 33:1–49), Israel finally stands on the very edge of the land God promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21).
- This setting underscores God’s faithfulness: every stage of the journey was ordered by Him (Exodus 13:21-22), and now the people see the Promised Land in clear view (Deuteronomy 32:49).
- The location also fulfills Balaam’s earlier prophecy spoken from Moab’s heights—that God would bless Israel and bring her safely to her inheritance (Numbers 23:11-24:9).
they camped by the Jordan- The river serves as the final natural barrier before conquest (Joshua 1:2). Camping “by the Jordan” signals strategic readiness; within weeks they will cross on dry ground (Joshua 3:13-17).
- The encampment reminds Israel of past waters God controlled—the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-31). The same Lord who opened one body of water will open another.
- It places the entire nation where they can see God’s impending miracle, strengthening faith for the battles ahead (Psalm 114:3-7).
from Beth-jeshimoth- Beth-jeshimoth (“House of the Desolation”) lay near the northeastern tip of the Dead Sea (Joshua 12:1-3).
- Mentioning the southern point of the camp shows its breadth; two-plus million people require vast space (Numbers 1:46;Exodus 12:37).
- God allocates room in an orderly manner, foreshadowing the careful tribal allotments to come (Joshua 13:7-33).
- Later prophets use Beth-jeshimoth as a landmark when describing judgment on Moab (Ezekiel 25:9), reinforcing that Israel’s presence there fulfills divine purposes, not random chance.
to Abel-shittim- Abel-shittim (“Meadow of Acacias”) lies several miles north of Beth-jeshimoth, opposite Jericho (Joshua 2:1; 3:1).
- The name recalls earlier failure: it was at Shittim that Israel fell into idolatry with Moabite women (Numbers 25:1-9). Camping there again highlights God’s mercy—past sin is forgiven, but not forgotten.
- It marks the final staging ground where Joshua will send spies into Jericho (Joshua 2:1). What once was a place of compromise now becomes a launchpad for victory, illustrating redemption and renewed obedience (Micah 6:5).
- By specifying both Beth-jeshimoth and Abel-shittim, the text draws a line north-to-south along the Jordan, framing the entire nation in God’s protective boundaries (Psalm 121:5-8).
summaryNumbers 33:49 records more than a campsite; it captures the moment when God’s covenant promises stand on the verge of visible fulfillment. Positioned on the plains of Moab, stretching from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim beside the Jordan, Israel is poised for a miraculous crossing, a fresh start after past failures, and the long-awaited entry into the land. The verse testifies to God’s faithful guidance, His orderly provision, and His power to turn places of former defeat into platforms for future triumph.
(49)
Beth-jesimoth even unto Abel-shittim . . . --See
Numbers 22:1, and Note, and
Numbers 25:1, where Abel-shittim is mentioned as Shittim.
Verse 49. -
From Beth-jesimoth even unto Abel-shittim. Beth-jesimoth, "house of the wastes," must have been very near the point where Jordan empties itself into the Dead Sea, on the verge of the salt desert which bounds that sea on the east. It formed the boundary of Sihon's kingdom at the south-west corner. Abel-shittim, "meadow of acacias," is better known by the abbreviated name "Shittim" (
Numbers 25:1;
Micah 6:5). Its exact site cannot be recovered, but the Talmud states that it was twelve miles north of the Jordan mouth. Probably the center of the camp was opposite to the great fords, and the road leading to Jericho.
NOTE ON THE TWO LISTS OF STATIONS BETWEEN EGYPT AND THE JORDAN. There can be no question that the chief interest of the Itinerary here given is due to its literary character as a document containing elements at least of extreme and unquestioned antiquity. At the same time it is a matter of some importance to compare it with the history as given at large in Exodus and Numbers, and to note carefully the points of contact and divergence. It is evident at first sight that no pains have been taken to make the two lists of stages agree, each list containing several names which the other lacks, and (in some cases) each having a name of its own for what appears to be the same place. With respect to the latter point, the explanation usually given seems quite natural and satisfactory: the names were in many cases given by the Israelites themselves, and in others were derived from some small local peculiarity, or belonged to insignificant hamlets, so that the same encampment may very well have received one name in the official record of the movements of the tabernacle, and retained another in the popular recollection of the march. With respect to the former point, it may fairly be argued that the narrative only records as a rule the names of places where something memorable occurred, and indeed does not always mention the place even then, while the Itinerary is simply concerned with the consecutive encampments as such. It would be more correct to say that the narrative is essentially fragmentary, and does not purport to record more than certain incidents of the wanderings. We have, therefore, no difficulty in understanding why the Itinerary gives us the names of three stations between Egypt and Mount Sinai not mentioned in Exodus. There is much more difficulty with the ensuing notices, because the name of Kadesh only occurs once in the list, whereas it is absolutely necessary, in order to bring the narrative into any chronological sequence, to assume (what the narrative itself pretty clearly intimates) that there were two encampments at Kadesh, separated by an interval of more than thirty-eight years. It has accordingly been very generally agreed that the Rithmah of the Itinerary is identical with the nameless station "in the wilderness of Paran," afterwards called Kadesh in the narrative. This is of course an assumption which has only probabilities to support it, but it may fairly be said that there is nothing against it. The
retem, or broom, is so common that it must have given a name to many different spots - a name too common, and possessing too few associations, to stand its ground in popular remembrance against any rival name (see note on verse 18). It has been argued by some that the whole of the twenty-one stages enumerated in verses 16-35 were made on the one journey from Sinai to Kadesh; and as far as the mere number goes there is nothing improbable in the supposition; the "eleven days" of
Deuteronomy 1:2 are no doubt the days of ordinary travelers, not of women and children, flocks and herds. It is true that the supposition is commonly connected with a theory which throws the whole historical narrative into confusion, viz., that Israel spent only two years instead of forty in the wilderness; but that need not cause its
rejection, for the whole thirty-eight may be intercalated between verse 36 and verse 37 of the Itinerary, and we could explain a total silence concerning the wanderings of those years better than we can the mention of (only) seventeen stations. The only serious difficulty is presented by the name Ezion-geber, which it is very difficult not to identify with the place of that name, so well known afterwards, at the head of the Elanitic Gulf; for it is impossible to find the last stage towards Kadesh at a spot as near to Sinai as to any of the supposed sites of Kadesh. It is of course possible that more than one place was known as the "giant's backbone;" but, on the other hand, the fact that at Moseroth Israel was near Mount Hor, and that they made five marches thence to Ezion-geber, is quite in accordance with the site usually assigned to it. It must remain, therefore, an unsettled point as to which nothing more can be said than that a balance of probabilities is in favour of the identification of Rithmah with the first encampment at Kadesh. Proceeding on this assumption, we have thereafter eleven names of stations concerning which nothing is known, and nothing can be with any profit conjectured. Then come four others which are evidently the same as those mentioned in
Deuteronomy 10:6, 7. That this latter passage is a fragment which has come into its present position (humanly speaking) by some accident of transcription does not admit of serious debate; but it is evidently a fragment of some ancient document, possibly of the very Itinerary of which we have only an abbreviation here. Comparing the two, we are met at once with the difficulty that Aaron is said to have died and been buried at Moserah, whereas, according to the narrative and the Itinerary, he died on Mount Hor during the last journey from Kadesh. This is not unnaturally explained by assuming that the official name of the encampment under, or opposite to, Mount Hor, from which Aaron ascended the mountain to die, was Moserah or Moseroth, and that the Israelites were twice encamped there - once on their way to Ezion-geber and back to Kadesh, and again on the last march round Edom, to which the fragment in Deuteronomy refers. There remain, however, unexplained the singular facts -
1. That the station where Aaron died is called Moserah inDeuteronomy 10:6, whereas it is called Mount Hor not only in the narrative, but in the Itinerary, which nevertheless does give the name Moseroth to this very station when occupied on a previous occasion.
2. That the fragment gives Bene-Jaakan, Moseroth, Gudgod, and Jotbath as stages on the last journey, whereas the Itinerary gives them (the order of the first two being inverted) as stages on a previous journey, and gives other names for the encampments of the last journey. There is no doubt room for all four, and more besides, between Mount Hor and Oboth; but it cannot be denied that there is an appearance of error either in the fragment or in the Itinerary. A further objection has been made to the statement that Israel marched from Ezion-geber to Kadesh, both on the score of distance and of the apparent absurdity of returning to Kadesh only to retrace their steps once more. It is replied
(1) that the return to Kadesh for the final move may have been hurried, and no regular encampment pitched; . . .
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
And there on the plainsבְּעַֽרְבֹ֖ת(bə·‘ar·ḇōṯ)Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 6160:Arabah -- a steppe or desert plain, also a desert valley running south from the Sea of Galileeof Moabמוֹאָֽב׃(mō·w·’āḇ)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4124:Moab -- a son of Lot,also his descendants and the territory where they settledthey campedוַיַּחֲנ֤וּ(way·ya·ḥă·nū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2583:To incline, to decline, to pitch a, tent, gen, to encampbyעַל־(‘al-)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstthe Jordan,הַיַּרְדֵּן֙(hay·yar·dên)Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3383:Jordan -- the principal river of Palestinefromמִבֵּ֣ית(mib·bêṯ)Preposition
Strong's HebrewBeth-jeshimothהַיְשִׁמֹ֔ת(hay·ši·mōṯ)Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1020:Beth-jeshimoth -- 'place of the desert', a place East of the Jordan in Moabtoעַ֖ד(‘aḏ)Preposition
Strong's 5704:As far as, even to, up to, until, whilethe plains of Moab.הַשִּׁטִּ֑ים(haš·šiṭ·ṭîm)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 63:Abel-shittim -- a place in the lowlands of Moab
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OT Law: Numbers 33:49 They encamped by the Jordan from Beth (Nu Num.) 
