And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.
Parallel translations
- WEB The border shall turn about from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and it shall end at the sea.
- BSB where it will turn from Azmon, join the Brook of Egypt, and end at the Sea.
- NKJV the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and it shall end at the Sea.
- NASB Then the border shall change direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.
- NLT From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.
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
The southern border turns from Azmon to the brook of Egypt and ends at the sea. This completes the southwestern edge of the land at the Mediterranean.
Overview
The brook of Egypt, the Wadi el-Arish, served as the recognized southwestern limit of the land. The boundary running to the Great Sea ties the southern border to the western coast. This consistent reckoning of the land's edges underscores the reliability of God's covenant grant to Israel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Josh 15:4From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast.
- Gen 15:18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
- Josh 15:47Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:
- 1 Kgs 8:65And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
- Isa 27:12And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
- Num 34:6–7And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.
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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 34:5 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
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