Departure From Sinai

(Book of Numbers 10:11 - 10:36)
On the second year after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, on the 20th day of the second month (Iyar), the cloud lifted from the Sanctum of the Tabernacle.  The Israelites, therefore, set out, leaving behind the desert of Sinai and settling in the desert of Paran.

This was the first time the people had set out following the instructions Jehovah had given to Moses.  Under their standard Judah's part of the camp went first, led by Nahshon son of Amminadab,.  They were followed by the tribe of Issachar, led by Nethanel son of Zuar, and the tribe of Zebulun, led by Eliab son of Helon.  Next, the Tabernacle was dismantled and transported by the Gershonites and Merarites as they set out.  The tribe of Reuben, led by Elizur son of Shedeur, followed, then the tribe of Simeon under Shelumail son of Zurishaddai, and the tribe of Gad under Eliasaph son of Deuel.  Then the Kohathites, who carried the sacred objects from the Sanctum, set out.  (By the time they would arrive in the new camp, the Tabernacle would already be set up.)  Next, under their banner, went the tribe of Ephraim led by Elishama son of Ammihud, then the tribe of Manasseh under Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, and the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan son of Gideoni.  Finally, assuming the role of a rear guard, the companies from the tribe of Dan, all supervised by Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, marched out under their banner, followed by the tribe of Asher, led by Pagiel son Ocran and the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira son of Enan.  This was the order, tribe by tribe, in which the Israelites set out on their journeys.

Moses said to Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the land that Jehovah vowed to give us.  Please come with us.  You’ll do well for yourself, for Jehovah has promised great bounty to the people of Israel."

But Hobab replied, "No, I won't be going.  I must get back to my own land and my own people."

"Please don't leave us," Moses insisted.  "You know the places in the desert where we should camp.  You could be our guide.  If you do, we will share with you all the blessings that Jehovah may bestow upon us."

After leaving the mountain of Jehovah, they journey for three days.  During those three days the Chest of Sacred Records went out before them as they sought out a new camping site.  Jehovah's cloud hovered over them by day whenever they broke camp and set out again.  Whenever the sacred chest set out, Moses would then declaim, "Arise, O Jehovah!  Let your enemies scatter and those who hate you flee before you!"  And when it was set down, he would cry, "Return, O Jehovah, to the countless thousands of Israel!"

Notes
1.  The second month of occurs in late spring.  Getting out of the desert before the hot summers begin seems like a good idea! However, thy seem to want to go from one desert to another.

2.  The desert of Paran has not been positively identified.  Although some scholars place it in the southern Sinai, most believe it refers to western Arabia, perhaps near what later would be Mecca.

3.  This chapter reiterates what has already been written of in some detail, the cloud of Jehovah over the Chest of Sacred Records leading the Israelites in their travels, the enumeration of tribal leaders, and the marching order of the camp.  It seems as if this section was inserted into the narrative from another, briefer account of the events.  In fact, much of the Books of Moses gives the impression of being a cut-and-paste job, a somewhat inconsistent narrative compiled from several sources.  This, of course, has been confirmed by scholars.

4.  Moses invites his brother-in-law Hobab to join the Israelites on their journey to Canaan.  It is not mentioned when or why Hobab was in the Israelite camp to begin with, although it can be assumed that his home in Midian was not far away.  (Jethro visited at some point and maybe Hobab came with him and stayed on.)  He turns down the offer, though.  Moses persuades him further and it is assumed, though not stated, that Hobab then agreed to travel with the Israelites and share their fortunes.

5.  Hobab apparently takes a position as a guide.  Why on earth would Moses and his people need a human guide when they had Jehovah, the all-powerful and all-knowing god, to lead them and find places for them to camp.  It makes no sense.  Is Hobab going to take them where Jehovah does not want them to go?  Will he furnish knowledge of the land that Jehovah does not possess?  Perhaps Moses is tiring of his divine companionship and wants a human adviser.  Perhaps he is sick of having to consult all the time with Jehovah in his cloud above the Tabernacle.

6.  Moses' father-in-law is here called Reuel.  Back in the Book of Exodus he was originally called Jethro.  Either these are two names of the same man or Moses, if he is the writer of these books (which, of course, he is not), can't seem to remember who his wife's father is.  Hobab is assumedly Sephorah’s brother; however, in Exodus she had no brothers, only sisters.  Perhaps, then, he might have been a husband or widower of one of Sephorah’s sisters.

7.  Moses' declamation, "Let your enemies scatter and those that hate you flee before you!" is consistent with the prevailing attitude of Jehovah.  Everyone is an enemy to him.  Other people are not to be befriended or won over, but driven out.  There is no hope for the Israelites of finding a land of friendly natives with whom they can dwell in peace and harmony.  There is only the promise taking a hostile land by force of arms.  (in contrast, he American colonists and Western pioneers, who did end up taking the land from the Native Americans, generally had more benign intentions and entertained initial hopes for peaceful coexistence with the "Indians," despite a belief in Manifest Destiny.)