They encamped by the Jordan, from Beth Jeshimoth even to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.
Parallel translations
- KJV And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.
- BSB And there on the plains of Moab they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.
- NKJV They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jesimoth as far as the Abel Acacia Grove in the plains of Moab.
- NASB They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim, in the plains of Moab.
- NLT Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acacia on the plains of Moab.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel encamps along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab. This describes the broad spread of the camp before the crossing.
Overview
The extent of the encampment, stretching along the river, conveys the size of the assembled nation poised to enter Canaan. Shittim would be the site of the seduction into idolatry with Moab (Numbers 25) and later the place from which Joshua sent spies (Joshua 2-3). The location holds both warning and promise as Israel waits at the edge of fulfillment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ezek 25:9therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim,
- Num 25:1–9Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab;
- Exod 25:10“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
- Exod 25:5rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood,
- Josh 13:20Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth,
- Exod 25:23“You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, and a cubit its width, and one and a half cubits its height.
- Josh 2:1Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 33:49 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.