The Church Fathers on this verse

Numbers 33:44Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And from Oboth they came to Ijeabarim, which is in the borders of the Moabites.

Douay-Rheims

וַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵאֹבֹ֑ת וַֽיַּחֲנ֛וּ בְּעִיֵּ֥י הָעֲבָרִ֖ים בִּגְב֥וּל מוֹאָֽב׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

One Church Father comments on this verse

Jerome of Stridon

4th centuryChurch Father

The thirty-eighth encampment symbolizes a gathering of stones placed by those who pass by. Among these are sacred stones that lie upon the earth, light, smooth, and shaped like wheels, and there are additional stones that the prophet instructs to be cleared away from the path, ensuring that those who walk by do not trip over them. Who are these travelers? They are certainly individuals journeying through this world en route to other destinations. The reference to being "in the borders of Moab," as noted earlier (Num. 21:11), indicates that they were previously along the edges of Idumea but have now moved to the vicinity of Moab as they transition from one land to another.

Read more (62 words)

It is not sufficient to fixate on one single virtue, for as it is written, "They shall go from strength to strength" (Isaiah 31:8), one must progress from one virtue to another, as they are interconnected; lacking one means lacking them all. However, one can transition from one virtue to another only by gazing upon the dawn of the Sun of Righteousness.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.