Numbers/Bamidbar 34: ". . .this is the land that will fall to you for an inheritance"

[Inheritance—unworked for ownership of any asset, sometimes undeserved—is undoubtedly a blessing.  

Land occupied by another people, someone else’s territory such as the land of the Canaanites—promised to the patriarchs of a nation of slaves, landless, with no territorial claim to any property on earth except by Divine promise—this is the land that is surrounded with so much controversy to this day.  With the history of this piece of real estate recorded only in Israel’s sacred scriptures as rightfully Israel’s by Divine promise and bestowal, is it any wonder that there are people today — not only occupants of the the Land renamed ‘Palestine’ —who question Israel’s right to be re-established as a nation there?  
 
The UN, Jews and Christians acknowledge Israel’s right to the Land it was granted to occupy . . . but who else does? Does the declaration of the God of Israel many millennia ago and recorded by the current occupants count any more or at all in this day and age?  Is the God of Israel the God of Islam? Is the God of Israel the God of Christianity? Is the God of Israel acknowledged by other people as the One True God?  Who can say to skeptics and angry Palestinians, “just read the TNK to correct your wrong perception on who is entitled to the LAND!”
 
Just some thoughts to mull over while reading this chapter.
 
Commentary is from Pentateuch and Haftorahs, ed. Dr. J.H. Hertz; translation is EF/Everett Fox The Five Books of Moses..-Admin1.]

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XXXIV, 1-29.  THE BOUNDARIES OF THE HOLY LAND

This chapter indicates the ideal limits of the Holy Land.  ‘These, the providential (Gen. XV,18,Ex. XXIII,31) and in some sense natural, boundaries of the territory of Israel, were only attained for a brief period during the reigns of David and Solomon’ (Dummelow).  Great uncertainty exists in regard to many of the geographical terms, especially those connected with the Northern border.  S.H. Isaacs, The True Boundaries of the Holy Land, Chicago, 1917, is a valuable contribution to the solution of a difficult problem, and has been followed in these comments.]
 

Numbers/Bamidbar 34

1 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:

2 Command the Children of Israel and say to them:

When you enter the land, Canaan,

this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance,

the land of Canaan by its borders:

shall fall unto you.  This expression of the Dead Sea, it proceeded in a S.W. direction to the region south of Kadesh-barnea; thence to the Brook of Egypt; and then north-westwards to the Mediterranean.

3 the Negev limit will be for you from the Wilderness of Tzyn alongside Edom; 

the Negev border will be for you from the edge of the Sea of Salt, on the east;

by the side of Edom.  Along the western border of Edom.

south side. i.e. your southern boundary.

the Salt Sea.  The Dead Sea.

eastward.  On its eastern end.

4 the border will then turn for you from the Negev-side of Scorpions’ Pass, crossing on to Tzyn; its outer-lines will be from the Negev-side of Kadesh Barne’a,

(then) going out to Hatzar Addar and crossing on to Atzmon.

of Akrabiim. lit. ‘of scorpions’; one of the passes that lead to the northern slope of the Wady-el-Fikreh.

Kadesh-barnea.  The modern Ain Quadis.  ‘Then your frontier shall turn south of the Scorpion Pass and along to Zin, coming out of Kadesh-barnea, stretching to Hazaraddar, and along to Azmon’ (Moffatt).

5 The border will then turn from Atzmon toward the Wadi of Egypt,

its outer-lines will be at the Sea.

Brook of Egypt.  The Wady-el-Arish, flowing into the Mediterranean about 20 miles south of Gaza.

and the goings out thereof shall be at the Sea. ‘At end at the Mediterranean Sea’ (Moffatt).

6.  THE WESTERN BORDER

6 As the seaward border will be for you the Great Sea and (its own) border;

this will be for you
the seaward border.

the Great Sea.  The Mediterranean Sea.

shall be your west border.  The western border of Palestine is to be the Mediterranean coast. ‘The Great Sea—that is the whole eastern flank of the Great Sea from its south-eastern to its north-eastern corner—shall be the western boundary of the land.  If any point on the coast between these two corners were meant, the Text would surely have designated that point.  As it did not, the whole eastern shore of the Mediterranean must be intended.  The western border of the Holy Land, therefore, begins at the southeast corner of the Mediterranean where the “Brook of Egypt” falls into it; thence it runs northward, passing Mount Carmel, Tyre, Zidon, the Lebanons, unto the north-eastern border of the Bay of Alexandretta’ (S.H. Isaacs).

7-9.  THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY

ye shall mark out your line.  ‘‘Ye shall draw your boundary-line’ (Kennedy).

mount Hor.  This is quite distinct from the mountain of the same name in the Wilderness of Zin, where Aaron died; but no two geographers can be said to agree where it was.  Isaacs follows Jewish tradition.  He writes: ‘If the starting point of the northern border is the north-eastern corner of the Sea, and the direction of the line is eastward, this line will strike on its way the Mountain of Amanus.’

Targum Jonathan and the Tosefa also identify this Mount Hor with Mount Amanus.  Mount Amanus is the modern Giaour Dagh.

7 And this will be for you the northern border: 

from the Great Sea you are to mark yourselves (a line) to Hill’s Hill.
8 From Hill’s Hill you are to mark going to Hamat, 

and the outer-lines of the border shall be at Tzedad.

the entrance to Hamath.  The Pass accross Mount Amanus to the territory of Hamath.  Zedad is identified with Baghche Pass.

9 Then the border will go out to Zifron,

 

and its outer-lines will be Hatzar Einan;

 

this will be for you the northern border.

Ziphron. Afrin, on the river of the same name.

Hazar-enan.  Aintab.  This last-named brings us to lands inhabited in ancient times by Hittites.  ‘Numerous mounds covering the remains of Hittite and other towns attest its former settlement and cultivation’ (Sir. Chas. Wilson).  This accords with Josh. I,4; ‘All the land of the Hittites, and unto the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border.’

10-12. THE EASTERN BOUNDARY

10 And you are to mark for yourselves, for the border eastward:

from Hatzar Einan to Shefam.

Shepham.   Apamea, east of the lower valley of the Orontes; now known as Kulat-el-Mudik.

11 And the border will go down from Shefam to Rivla, on the east of Ayin/The Spring,

then the border will go down and brush the shoulder of the Sea of Kinneret, eastward,

sea of Chinnereth.  Lake of Galilee, or Lake of Tiberias.

12 then the border will go down along the Jordan, 

its outer-lines will be the Sea of Salt. 

This will be for you the land, in all its borders round about!
13 So Moshe commanded the Children of Israel, saying: 

This is the land for which you are to arrange-inheritance by lot,

that YHVH commanded to be given to the nine tribes and the half tribe.
14 For the tribe of the Sons of the Re’uvenites, according to their Fathers’ House, 

and the tribe of the Sons of the Gadites, according to their Fathers’ House, 

and half of the tribe of Menashe

have (already) taken their inheritance;

16-29.  Ten princes are appointed to superintend the allotment of Western Palestine.

16 YHVH spoke to Moshe, saying:
17 These are the names of the men that will arrange-for-your-inheritance of the land:

El’azar the priest and Yehoshua son of Nun,
18 and one leader, one leader per tribe you are to take for arranging-inheritance of the land.
19 And these are the names of the men: 

of the tribe of Yehuda: Calev son of Yefunne

and these are the names of the men.  These men were the successors of the ‘princes’ or heads of the tribes referred to in I,5-16, also in VII,12-38.  The first three were probably not ‘princes’, hence they are not given that title.

It was the Divine wish that Caleb, though not a ‘prince’, should be given the honour of being among those who superintend the allotment of Canaan, on account of the distinguished part he had hitherto played in the history of Israel; and the two men mentioned in v.20 and 21 were probably friends of Caleb (Luzzatto).

20 Of the tribe of the Sons of Shim’on: Shemuel son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Binyamin: Elidad son of Kislon.
22 Of the tribe of the Sons of Dan, leader: Bukki son of Yogli.
23 Of the Sons of Yosef: 

of the tribe of the Sons of Menashe, leader: Hanniel son of Efod,

24 of the tribe of the Sons of Efrayim, leader: Kemiel son of Shiftan.
25 Of the tribe of the Sons of Zevulun, leader: Elitzafan son of Parnakh.
26 Of the tribe of the Sons of Yissakhar, leader: Paltiel son of Azzan.
27 Of the tribe of the Sons of Asher, leader: Ahihud son of Shelomi.
28 Of the tribe of the Sons of Naftali, leader: Pedah’el son of Ammihud.
29 These (are they) whom YHVH commanded to parcel-out-inheritance for the Children of Israel, in the land of Canaan.