Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Numbers
Chapter 34: The Borders of the Land
On the eve of the conquest, God draws the map. He defines the exact borders of the promised inheritance, south, west, north, and east, so that Israel knows the shape of what is theirs. The land is to be divided by lot, and God names the men who will apportion it: Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and a prince from each tribe. It is a chapter about a sure and bounded inheritance, marked out by God before it is possessed, and apportioned to His people by His appointed servants.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Numbers chapter 34. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The chapter marks out the borders of the promised land, orders it divided by lot, and names the men who will apportion it. It shows a sure and defined inheritance, marked by God before it is possessed, and points to our secure inheritance in Christ. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
The Land Defined
God marked out the exact boundaries of the inheritance on every side, so Israel knew the shape of their portion.
Divided by God's Hand
The land was to be inherited by lot, each tribe's portion decided by the sovereign hand of God.
Named to Apportion
Eleazar, Joshua, and a prince from each tribe were named to divide the inheritance among the people.
Yours Before You Possess
God described the inheritance before Israel entered it, so faith could lay hold of what was sure.
This Is the Land of Your Inheritance (Numbers 34:1-12)
God marks out the exact borders of the promised land on every side, defining the inheritance before Israel has set foot in it.
The Land That Shall Fall Unto You
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: 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. And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border. And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border. And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham: And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about."
Hebrew Study
"fall unto you," from naphal (נָפַל). The land was to "fall" to them, the language of the lot falling, so that the portion each received came by God's own casting. The same image gives the beautiful words of Psalm 16: "the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places." What falls to God's people falls by His hand.
"inheritance," nachalah (נַחֲלָה). The land was a nachalah, an inheritance handed down. It was not wages earned by conquest but a possession received and kept in the family, passed from one generation to the next as the gift of the God who owned it first.
Explanation
God draws the map of the inheritance. "When ye come into the land of Canaan," He says, "this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance." Then He traces the borders on every side: the south "from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom," the western border along "the great sea," the northern boundary by the mountains, and the eastern border running down to the Jordan and "the salt sea." "This shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about." The inheritance was not left vague; it was defined precisely, a real land with real boundaries, marked out by God before Israel had taken a single step into it. God gave His people the shape of their portion in advance, so they would know exactly what He had promised them.
Gospel Focus
That God defined the borders so precisely reveals how sure and specific His promises are. The inheritance was not a hazy hope but a mapped and measured land, marked out by God before it was possessed. So our inheritance in Christ is definite and secure: "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" (1 Peter 1:4). God has marked out our portion with the same certainty, and He describes it before we enter it, so that faith may lay hold of what is sure. And the language is precious: the land would "fall" to them, the very image the Psalmist takes up when he rejoices, "the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage" (Psalm 16:6). Every believer can say the same. The boundary lines of your life and portion have fallen where God has cast them, and to those who are His, they fall "in pleasant places." Whatever your borders, they are drawn by a wise and loving hand, and your heritage in Christ is good, bounded, and sure.
Which Ye Shall Inherit by Lot (Numbers 34:13-15)
The land was to be divided among the tribes by lot, each portion decided by the sovereign hand of God, while the eastern tribes had already received theirs.
Inherited by Lot
"And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"
Hebrew Study
The land is to be divided "by lot" — goral. The lot removed human grasping and put the distribution in God's hands: "the lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). No tribe seized the best for itself; each received the portion God assigned. Our inheritance, likewise, is not something we secure by ambition but a place appointed for us by God, who apportions to every one His own.
Explanation
Moses tells the people how the inheritance will be assigned: "This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe." The land of Canaan, west of the Jordan, would be divided among nine and a half tribes, since Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had already "received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward." The dividing was to be by lot, which meant that where each tribe settled was not decided by preference or power but by the casting of the lot, that is, by God. No tribe could seize the choicest land; each received the portion God appointed. The inheritance was a gift, given and placed by the LORD.
Gospel Focus
The dividing by lot teaches again that our portion is God's to give and to place. "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). No tribe grasped for the best; each trusted God's allotment, and so should we. In Christ "we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Ephesians 1:11); our place, our portion, our calling are His to assign. There is rest in this: we need not scramble for what looks best or envy another's lot, for the same wise God who mapped the land and cast the lot has appointed our portion in perfect love. And notice the quiet note about the eastern tribes: the true inheritance God is defining here is Canaan itself, the land west of Jordan, while the two and a half tribes settled outside it. It is a gentle reminder that God's people can settle short of the fullest portion. Receive gladly the lot God casts for you, and press into the fullness of the inheritance He has given, not short of it.
The Men Who Divide the Inheritance (Numbers 34:16-29)
God named the men who would apportion the land, Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and a prince from every tribe, so the inheritance would be divided fairly and by His appointment.
These Are the Names
"These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance. And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli. The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan."
Hebrew Study
God names in advance the men who will divide the land — Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and one prince from each tribe. The distribution of the inheritance is no free-for-all but an orderly, appointed work, with every tribe represented at the table. God's care reaches down to the boundaries of each family's field: He sees to it that the promise, once given to the whole nation, is faithfully parceled out so that every household receives its due place in the land.
Explanation
God does not leave the dividing of the land to chance or dispute; He names the men who will oversee it. First stand "Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun," the spiritual and civil heads of the nation, and with them "one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance." Each tribe had a representative in the apportioning, so no tribe could feel cheated, and the whole was overseen by the high priest and the God-appointed leader. Every man is named. "These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel." The apportioning of the inheritance was an orderly, fair, and God-directed work, carried out by servants the LORD Himself appointed and named.
Gospel Focus
God's care that the inheritance be divided fairly, by named and appointed men, shows His concern that His people actually receive what He has promised. He does not merely define the inheritance; He provides the servants to bring His people into it. And it is striking who leads the dividing: Eleazar the priest and Joshua, whose name is the Hebrew form of Jesus. The high priest and the one called "the LORD is salvation" together apportion the inheritance, a fitting picture of Christ, who is both our great High Priest and our Joshua, and who leads His people into their inheritance and gives to each his portion. As the risen Christ has "gave gifts unto men" (Ephesians 4:8) and assigns to every member his place in the body, so He brings us into the inheritance and sees that each receives his own. No believer is left unaccounted for; the same Lord who mapped the land and named the dividers has appointed your portion and will surely bring you into it. Trust the Priest and the Joshua who divide the inheritance; in Christ, your place is named and sure.
Chapter 34 in Review
Numbers 34 draws the map of the inheritance. God defined the exact borders of the promised land on every side, marking out "the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance" before Israel had entered it. The land was to be divided by lot among the nine and a half tribes, the eastern tribes having already received theirs, each portion placed by the sovereign hand of God. And God named the men who would apportion it, Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and a prince from every tribe, so the dividing would be fair and by His appointment.
For the Apostolic reader, the chapter shines with the security of our inheritance in Christ. As God mapped the land precisely before it was possessed, so our inheritance is "incorruptible... reserved in heaven," sure and defined, and we can say with the Psalmist, "the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places." Our portion is God's to place, not ours to grasp, and He casts the lot in perfect love. And the very ones who divide the inheritance, the priest and Joshua, whose name is Jesus, point to Christ our High Priest and Saviour, who brings us into our inheritance and gives each his portion. Rest in the God who has mapped your heritage, cast your lot in pleasant places, and named you an heir in His Son.
- God defined the inheritance precisely before it was possessed; His promises are sure and specific (34:2; 1 Peter 1:4).
- The land would "fall" to them by God's hand: "the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places" (34:2; Psalm 16:6).
- The inheritance was divided by lot, God's to place, not ours to grasp (34:13; Proverbs 16:33; Ephesians 1:11).
- God's people can settle short; the true inheritance was Canaan itself, west of Jordan (34:13-15).
- The priest and Joshua (Jesus) divide the inheritance, picturing Christ who brings us into our portion (34:17; Ephesians 4:8).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you rest in the sureness of your inheritance in Christ, mapped and reserved for you by God?
- Can you say, "the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places," trusting the lot God has cast for you?
- Do you trust Christ, our Priest and our Joshua, to bring you into the fullness of the portion He has named for you?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The defined borders and the sure inheritance: Numbers 34:1-12; 1 Peter 1:4; Psalm 16:6.
- Inheritance by lot, God's to place: Numbers 34:13-15; Proverbs 16:33; Ephesians 1:11.
- The named men who divide it, and Christ our Priest and Joshua: Numbers 34:16-29; Ephesians 4:8.