Numbers 33:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The third camp is set up following the tents, where for the first time the Lord is revealed at night as a pillar of fire and during the day as a pillar of cloud, leading the people and guiding their path. Epham signifies bravery and completeness, as echoed in David's song: ‘thou hast broken the rivers of Epham’ (Psalms 73:15), referring to the strong. It takes remarkable courage to depart from Egypt and halt at the edge of the wilderness. From this, we can infer that the location of Sokhof remained close to the borders of Egypt, as the phrase ‘in Epham, which is at the uttermost parts of the wilderness’ indicates that Sokhof sat on the threshold between the wilderness and Egypt.