Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
The boundaries of the promised land are described, namely, that on the East it is to be bounded by the Dead Sea; on the West by the Mediterranean Sea; on the South by the Torrent of Egypt; on the North by Lebanon and the city of Epiphania. Secondly, at verse 17, God names 12 princes who shall divide this land among the Hebrews by lot.
Vulgate Text: Numbers 34:1-29
1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2. Command the children of Israel and say to them: When you have entered the land of Canaan and it has fallen to you by lot as a possession, it shall be bounded by these borders. 3. The southern part shall begin from the wilderness of Zin, which is near Edom, and shall have as its boundary on the East the Salt Sea; 4. which shall go around the southern side by the Ascent of Scorpions, passing through Zinnah and reaching from the south to Kadesh-barnea; from there the borders shall go out to the village called Adar, and shall extend to Azmon, 5. and the boundary shall go around from Azmon to the Torrent of Egypt, and shall end at the shore of the Great Sea. 6. The western side shall begin from the Great Sea, and shall be enclosed by the same border. 7. To the northern side the borders shall begin from the Great Sea, extending to the highest mountain, 8. from which they shall go to Hamath, up to the borders of Zedad: 9. and the borders shall go to Ziphron, and the village of Enan; these shall be the borders on the northern side. 10. From there the boundaries shall be measured on the eastern side from the village of Enan to Shepham, 11. and from Shepham the borders shall descend to Riblah, opposite the spring of Daphne: from there they shall reach eastward to the Sea of Chinnereth, 12. and shall extend to the Jordan, and at last shall be enclosed by the Salt Sea. This shall be your land within its borders all around. 13. And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: This shall be the land which you shall possess by lot, and which the Lord has commanded to be given to nine tribes and the half-tribe. 14. For the tribe of the sons of Reuben according to their families, and the tribe of the sons of Gad according to the number of their kindred, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh, 15. that is, two and a half tribes, have received their portion beyond the Jordan, opposite Jericho on the eastern side. 16. And the Lord said to Moses: 17. These are the names of the men who shall divide the land for you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, 18. and one prince from each tribe, 19. whose names are these: From the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20. From the tribe of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21. From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22. From the tribe of the sons of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23. Of the sons of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24. From the tribe of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25. From the tribe of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26. From the tribe of Issachar, the leader Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27. From the tribe of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28. From the tribe of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29. These are those whom the Lord commanded to divide the land of Canaan among the children of Israel.
Verse 3: The Salt Sea and the Southern Boundary
3. "THE SOUTHERN PART" (of Canaan) "SHALL BEGIN FROM THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN, WHICH IS NEAR EDOM, AND SHALL HAVE AS ITS BOUNDARY ON THE EAST THE SALT SEA." -- The "Salt Sea" is the lake of Sodom, or the Asphaltites, where previously the Pentapolis stood, but when it was consumed by fire from heaven, an immense lake was formed in that place, which in Hebrew fashion is called a sea, and that the saltiest. For in this lake the water is thick, retaining the properties of the sulfur and salt which burned up the Pentapolis: for it is clear from Deuteronomy xxix, 23, that burning salt was then mixed with the sulfur.
Furthermore, this lake, or sea, is to the east of the Holy Land. For the Jordan, which is to the east of Canaan, flows into this sea and is absorbed by it, as is clear from geographical tables and from Joshua III, 16.
Although others think it is called the Salt Sea from the salt mines which Zephaniah, chapter II, 9, teaches are there, and therefore this lake nourishes neither fish nor any other living thing: whence it is also called the Dead Sea. It is also called the Sea of the Wilderness, or of the desert, because it is situated near the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh, where the king of Sodom was defeated by Chedorlaomer, Genesis xiv, 7. It is also commonly called the Sea of the Devil, because Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, on account of unspeakable sins, were submerged by fire and sulfur falling from heaven, by the demon (as the common people think), and overwhelmed by waters, says Abulensis.
Verse 4: The Ascent of Scorpions
4. "By the Ascent of Scorpions" -- this is a place so named from the steep mountains, which are rough like scorpions.
Verse 5: The Torrent of Egypt and the Great Sea
5. "AND THE BOUNDARY SHALL GO AROUND FROM AZMON TO THE TORRENT OF EGYPT." -- This torrent is a small stream which, coming from the desert (whence Theodotion translates it "torrent of Arabia") near Rhinocolura, flows into the Mediterranean Sea, and separates the land of the tribes of Judah and Simeon from the desert and the road to Egypt. Hence the Septuagint translate this torrent as Rhinocolura. Hence throughout Scripture this torrent is placed as the southern boundary of the promised land, namely of Canaan. So Saint Jerome in chapter vi of Amos, and his epistle to Dardanus, volume III; see Adrichomius in the Tables. Therefore those who think this torrent is one of the branches of the Nile, from Joshua XIII, 3, are mistaken, for the meaning of that passage is different. For this torrent is far from the Nile and from Pelusium and from Egypt.
"AND SHALL END AT THE SHORE OF THE GREAT (that is, Mediterranean) SEA." -- The Mediterranean Sea is here called "great" in comparison to two others: for in the Holy Land there are three seas: the first is this Mediterranean, which washes it from the west; whence "sea" in Hebrew here and often elsewhere signifies the west; the second is the Dead Sea, or Salt Sea; the third is the Sea of Chinnereth, or Gennesaret: these last two are rather lakes, while the first is a true and vast sea.
Verse 7: The Northern Boundary and Mount Hor
7. "TO THE NORTHERN SIDE THE BORDERS SHALL BEGIN FROM THE GREAT SEA, EXTENDING TO THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN" -- namely to Mount Hor, as the Hebrew and Chaldean have it. Therefore those who understand Lebanon here are mistaken.
Verse 8: Hamath the Lesser
8. "FROM WHICH THEY SHALL COME TO HAMATH." -- This Hamath is the lesser one, in which is a city that was later called Epiphania by Antiochus Epiphanes. This city was the boundary of the Holy Land to the north. There was another Greater Hamath, namely Antioch, which was the capital of all Syria. So Saint Jerome and from him Ribera on Amos chapter VI, verse 8.
Verse 11: The Spring of Daphne
11. "OPPOSITE THE SPRING OF DAPHNE." -- The Hebrew does not have the word "Daphne," but only "opposite the spring," namely that one which is famous and well-known near Riblah; but this is Daphne, as our translator, namely Saint Jerome, who carefully explored the Holy Land, very well knew and understood. The spring of Daphne waters the city of Riblah with most abundant streams, and like the famous and delightful Daphne, the suburb of Antioch, is renowned for its very thick laurels and pleasantness, as Adrichomius teaches from 2 Maccabees, Josephus, and Saint Jerome. Hear Saint Jerome on chapter iv of Ezekiel: "From Shepham," he says, "that is, from Apamea, the borders shall descend to Riblah, which is now called Antioch in Syria." And he adds, "so that you may know that this Riblah signifies a city, he says 'opposite the spring'; which clearly signifies Daphne, from whose spring a grove enjoys the most abundant waters." And 1 Maccabees III: "Onias," he says, "the priest, kept himself in a safe place near Daphne." For since there are several Antiochs -- one on the river Cragus in Cilicia, another near the river Meander in Caria, a third of Pisidia in Cappadocia -- to distinguish it from them, this one was surnamed Antioch at Daphne, which also in comparison with the others is called Antioch the Great, and Antioch on the Orontes, because it is divided in the middle by the river Orontes. This is a prolepsis; for afterward the name Daphne was given to this spring, as well as to the suburb of Antioch adjacent to it. Whence also the gate of the city leading in that direction was called the Daphnitic gate, near which Saint Jerome testifies that the body of Saint Ignatius the Martyr was buried. For it was called Daphne, meaning "laurel" or "laurel grove," because of the laurels and cypresses dedicated there by Pompey; or rather in memory of the maiden Daphne, whom the Antiochenes fabled to be the daughter of their river Ladon: whence they also "cultivated the laurel in memory of the maiden Daphne," says Philostratus, book I, and Arrian, and from them Antonius de Nebrija in his Quinquagena, chapter xiv.
The Sea of Chinnereth
"FROM THERE THEY SHALL REACH EASTWARD TO THE SEA OF CHINNERETH." -- "Chinnereth," or as the Hebrews read, Kinnereth, was a city which was afterward corruptly called Gennesaret, and by the Emperor Tiberius called Tiberias: near this city was the lake which is called the sea and pool of Chinnereth, or Gennesaret, or Tiberias, and from the province in which it was situated, the Sea of Galilee; near this sea were Nazareth, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and other cities which were made famous by the upbringing, life, and miracles of Christ.
This Sea of Chinnereth, like the other Salt Sea or Dead Sea, together with the Jordan, was the eastern boundary of the Holy Land; the Mediterranean was the boundary on the west; the Torrent of Egypt, with the deserts of Arabia, was the boundary on the south; Hamath, or Epiphania, and also Lebanon was the boundary on the north.
Verse 12: The Jordan and Its Seven Privileges
12. "AND SHALL EXTEND TO THE JORDAN." -- The Jordan was the boundary on the east of the Holy Land, that is, of the nine tribes. For the three other tribes, namely Reuben, Gad, and the half of Manasseh, are not counted here, nor are their boundaries described here, because they had already received their lot on this side of the Jordan, in Gilead, as is said in verse 14.
Note: The Jordan was a most famous river and the boundary of the Holy Land. For it rises at the foot of Lebanon, and is formed from the confluence of two streams, namely Jor and Dan; and from this it is called Jordan: near it is a very green plain, in which stands the tomb of Saint Job, distinguished by a tall pyramid. The Jordan, says Abulensis, Question V, has seven privileges over other rivers: first, that it divides the Holy Land from the Moabites, Arabs, and other nations; second, that when the ark of God was crossing with the Hebrews, its waters stood still: as a memorial of this, the Israelites took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan's channel, and set them up as pillars and placed them at Gilgal, Joshua III, 4 and 5; third, that Elijah and Elisha crossed through it dry-shod, when Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, 4 Kings II, 8; fourth, that in it Naaman the Syrian was cleansed from leprosy, when he washed in it seven times, 4 Kings chapter v; fifth, that in it the iron axehead floated to the surface at the command of Elisha, 4 Kings vi, 2 and 6; sixth, that in the Jordan Christ was baptized, and by the touch of His most pure flesh bestowed upon all waters the regenerative power in baptism, Matthew III; seventh, that there John the Baptist saw heaven opened, and heard the voice of the Father, and saw the Spirit descending in the form of a dove upon Christ, Matthew III.
The Extent of the Promised Land
The same boundaries of the promised land are designated in Exodus XXIII, 31, except that there the boundary on the north is placed at a river, namely the Euphrates. These were indeed broad boundaries, and consequently the land promised to the Jews was very extensive: for it encompassed all of Philistia and all the Philistines, as is clear from Joshua XIII, 2 and 3; again, it encompassed all of Phoenicia, and consequently Tyre and Sidon: for these were assigned to the tribe of Asher by Joshua, Joshua xix, verses 28 and 29; but Solomon permitted King Hiram to rule Tyre and used his labor in the construction of the temple, though he could by right have excluded him from the kingdom of Tyre. So Abulensis. Hence also the Tyrian woman who obtained from Christ the healing of her daughter is called by Matthew, chapter xv, 22, a Canaanite, but by Mark, chapter vii, verse 26, a Syrophoenician, because Phoenicia was part of Canaan.
From this it is clear that the Jews, by their own fault and demerit, did not possess all the land promised here, up to these boundaries, except for the brief period of Solomon's reign, during which nevertheless some regions were not cultivated and inhabited by them, but only subjugated and made tributary, and some were only friendly and allied, as I already said about Tyre.
Verses 17-18: The Twelve Princes Appointed to Divide the Land
17 and 18. "These are the names of the men who shall divide the land for you," etc., "one prince from each tribe." -- Not that these twelve distributors were the supreme princes of their individual tribes; for Caleb was not the highest prince of the tribe of Judah; nor were the others the sons of the firstborn, that is, of the chiefs of their tribe, as is clear if one compares the names of their parents, which are listed here, with the princes of the tribes named in chapter I. They were therefore princes of certain families in their tribe, or princes, that is, overseers and officials appointed for the division of the Holy Land. For the Hebrew word nasi properly means "one appointed over."
Therefore these twelve princes divided the land of Canaan into proportionally equal parts; after which they cast lots to determine which part would fall to each; and hence this land is said to be divided now by lot, now by princes, as is clear from the preceding chapter, verse 54. How the land was divided by lots I shall say at Joshua xiv, 1.