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Numbers 10

KJV · Chapter 10/36

1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.

3And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

4And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

5When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward.

6When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.

7But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.

8And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

9And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

10Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God.

11And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.

12And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

13And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

14In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

15And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar.

16And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

17And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.

18And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

19And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

20And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

21And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.

22And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud.

23And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

24And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

25And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

26And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran.

27And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.

28Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward.

29And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.

30And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

31And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.

32And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

33And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.

34And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.

35And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

36And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God institutes the use of two silver trumpets to summon the people and signal departures. Israel finally leaves Mount Sinai, marching in tribal order, with Moses inviting his brother-in-law Hobab to accompany them as a guide.

Explanation

The silver trumpets functioned as an essential sound-communication system for coordinating more than 600,000 people on the move — one blast to gather the leaders, two blasts to gather everyone, alarm blasts for war. This chapter marks a crucial turning point in the narrative: after nearly a year camped at Sinai receiving the Law and organizing the nation, Israel finally resumes the journey toward the promised land. The invitation to Hobab, a local expert on the wilderness, shows that trusting God did not rule out using practical wisdom and available human knowledge. Moses' prayer at each departure and stop of the ark ('Rise up, LORD... Return, O LORD') became one of the most repeated prayers in Jewish liturgy.

Fun facts

  • Moses' prayer as the ark set out and came to rest (vv. 35-36) is still recited in synagogues today when the Torah scroll is taken out and returned to the ark during worship.
  • Hobab, identified as the son of Reuel (another name for Jethro, Moses' father-in-law), represents a rare mention of close cooperation between Israel and a Midianite at this stage of the journey, before the conflict that would later occur with the Midianites in chapter 25.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Numbers 10:1The Lord speaks once more to Moses, now to explain how to use the two silver trumpets mentioned in the next verse.
  2. Numbers 10:2God commands two silver trumpets to be made to give practical signals to the whole people: to call everyone together, to summon only the leaders, or to signal that part of the camp should move out. It was essentially the mass-communication system of the time, used both in everyday camp life and later in battles and feasts.
  3. Numbers 10:3When both trumpets sounded together, that was the signal for the whole congregation to gather at the entrance of the tent.
  4. Numbers 10:4But if only one trumpet sounded, the call was more limited: only the leaders of the tribes were to come.
  5. Numbers 10:5A louder alarm blast told the tribes camped on the east side that it was time to set out.
  6. Numbers 10:6A second alarm blast told the tribes on the south side to set out as well — each side of the camp had its own signal.
  7. Numbers 10:7To simply gather the people, without signaling departure, the trumpets were sounded in a different way, without the alarm blast used for marching.
  8. Numbers 10:8Only the priests, the sons of Aaron, were authorized to sound these trumpets, and this rule was to remain permanent, generation after generation.
  9. Numbers 10:9The trumpets also served as a signal for war: sounding the alarm against an oppressing enemy meant the people could trust that God would remember them and bring victory.
  10. Numbers 10:10Besides war and travel, the trumpets also sounded on feast days, new moons, and celebrations, marking the offerings made at those times as a reminder before God.
  11. Numbers 10:11The text marks the exact date of departure: the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, when the cloud finally lifted from over the tabernacle.
  12. Numbers 10:12So the journey actually begins: the people set out from the wilderness of Sinai, following the cloud until it stops in the wilderness of Paran.
  13. Numbers 10:13This was the caravan’s first organized departure, carried out exactly according to the Lord’s command given through Moses.
  14. Numbers 10:14The standard of Judah is the first to move, with Nahshon in command of its army, repeating the marching order already set out in chapter 2.
  15. Numbers 10:15Alongside Judah’s army, the army of Issachar marches under the command of Nethaneel.
  16. Numbers 10:16Completing the first group, the army of Zebulun marches under the command of Eliab.
  17. Numbers 10:17Only after the first group had already set out was the tabernacle taken down, with the Gershonites and the Merarites following, carrying their assigned parts.
  18. Numbers 10:18Next the standard of Reuben sets out, with Elizur in command of its army.
  19. Numbers 10:19Alongside Reuben, the army of Simeon marches under the command of Shelumiel.
  20. Numbers 10:20Completing the second group, the army of Gad marches under the command of Eliasaph.
  21. Numbers 10:21Only then did the Kohathites set out, carrying the sacred objects; the idea was for the tabernacle to already be set back up at the new site before they arrived with the ark and its furnishings.
  22. Numbers 10:22Next the standard of Ephraim sets out, with Elishama in command of its army.
  23. Numbers 10:23Alongside Ephraim, the army of Manasseh marches under the command of Gamaliel.
  24. Numbers 10:24Completing the third group, the army of Benjamin marches under the command of Abidan.
  25. Numbers 10:25Last of all, the standard of Dan sets out, serving as the rear guard of the whole caravan, with Ahiezer in command of its army.
  26. Numbers 10:26Alongside Dan, the army of Asher marches under the command of Pagiel.
  27. Numbers 10:27Closing out the whole column, the army of Naphtali marches under the command of Ahira.
  28. Numbers 10:28This was, in practice, the marching order of the people of Israel whenever the caravan moved.
  29. Numbers 10:29Hobab was a relative of Moses’s father-in-law and knew that wilderness well. Moses asks him to travel on with the people, because his local knowledge would serve them “instead of eyes,” useful as a guide even though God’s cloud was already showing the way.
  30. Numbers 10:30Hobab replies that he will not go with the people: he prefers to return to his own land and his own family.
  31. Numbers 10:31Moses presses him, asking him not to leave, since his knowledge of the wilderness would be valuable in guiding the people, serving as a kind of local guide.
  32. Numbers 10:32Moses promises: if Hobab agrees to come along, he will share in whatever good the Lord grants Israel on the journey.
  33. Numbers 10:33The caravan sets out from the mountain of God on a three-day journey, with the ark of the covenant going ahead of the people, seeking a place to rest.
  34. Numbers 10:34During the day, the cloud of the Lord stayed over the people as they marched, making it clear that God Himself was guiding the journey.
  35. Numbers 10:35Every time the ark went out ahead for the people to set out, Moses would say this line asking that Israel’s enemies be scattered. And when the ark stopped, he said the opposite line, asking God to return to the midst of the people. They worked like fixed prayers tied to the movement of the ark.
  36. Numbers 10:36When the ark stopped moving, Moses said the companion line to the one in the previous verse: asking the Lord to return to the multitudes of Israel.

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