Numbers 9:23

JPS Old Testament

At the commandment of the LORD they encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
At the mitzvah of the LORD they encamped, and at the mitzvah of the LORD they journeyed. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the mitzvah of the LORD by Moshe.

King James Version
At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord , at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

Lexham English Bible
On the command of Yahweh they encamped, and on the command of Yahweh they set out. They kept the requirement of Yahweh, on the command of Yahweh in the hand of Moses.

New Century Version
At the Lord 's command the people camped, and at his command they moved. They obeyed the Lord 's order that he commanded through Moses.

New English Translation
At the commandment of the Lord they camped, and at the commandment of the Lord they traveled on; they kept the instructions of the Lord according to the commandment of the Lord , by the authority of Moses.

Amplified Bible
At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed on; they kept their obligation to the LORD, in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

New American Standard Bible
At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they did what the LORD required, in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

Geneva Bible (1587)
At the commandement of the Lord they pitched, and at the commandement of the Lorde they iourneyed, keeping the watch of the Lorde at the commaundement of the Lorde by the hand of Moses.

Legacy Standard Bible
At the command of Yahweh they camped, and at the command of Yahweh they set out; they kept the charge of Yahweh, according to the command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

Contemporary English Version
They obeyed the Lord 's commands and went wherever he directed Moses.

Complete Jewish Bible
At Adonai 's order, they camped; and at Adonai 's order, they traveled — they did what Adonai had charged them to do through Moshe.

Darby Translation
At the commandment of Jehovah they encamped, and at the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed: they kept the charge of Jehovah according to the commandment of Jehovah through Moses.

Easy-to-Read Version
So the people obeyed the Lord 's commands. They camped when the Lord told them to, and they moved when he told them to. They watched carefully and obeyed the Lord 's commands to Moses.

English Standard Version
At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord , at the command of the Lord by Moses.

George Lamsa Translation
At the commandment of the LORD they encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the ordinances of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Good News Translation
They set up camp and broke camp in obedience to the commands which the Lord gave through Moses.

Christian Standard Bible®
They camped at the Lord’s command, and they set out at the Lord’s command. They carried out the Lord’s requirement according to his command through Moses.

Literal Translation
By the mouth of Jehovah they encamped, and by the mouth of Jehovah they pulled up stakes . They kept the charge of Jehovah, by the mouth of Jehovah, by the hand of Moses.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For acordinge to the mouth of the LORDE they saye, and after the mouth of the LORDE they iourneyed, so yt they kepte the LORDES watch, acordinge to the worde of the LORDE by Moses.

American Standard Version
At the commandment of Jehovah they encamped, and at the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed: they kept the charge of Jehovah, at the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.

Bible in Basic English
At the word of the Lord they put up their tents, and at the word of the Lord they went forward on their journey: they kept the orders of the Lord as he gave them by Moses.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
At the mouth of the Lord they rested in the tentes, and at the comaundement of the Lorde they iourneyed, kepyng the watche of the Lorde at the commaundement of the Lord by the hande of Moyses.

King James Version (1611)
At the commandement of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commaundement of the Lord they iourneyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandement of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For they shall depart by the command of the Lord:—they kept the charge of the Lord by the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

English Revised Version
At the commandment of the LORD they encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Berean Standard Bible
They camped at the LORD's command, and they set out at the LORD's command; they carried out the LORD's charge according to His command through Moses.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Bi the word of the Lord thei settiden tentis, and bi his word thei wenten forth; and thei weren in the watchis of the Lord, bi his comaundement, bi the hond of Moyses.

Young's Literal Translation
by the command of Jehovah they encamp, and by the command of Jehovah they journey; the charge of Jehovah they have kept, by the command of Jehovah in the hand of Moses.

Update Bible Version
At the commandment of Yahweh they encamped, and at the commandment of Yahweh they journeyed: they kept the charge of Yahweh, at the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

Webster's Bible Translation
At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

World English Bible
At the commandment of Yahweh they encamped, and at the commandment of Yahweh they journeyed. They kept the charge of Yahweh, at the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

New King James Version
At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

New Living Translation
So they camped or traveled at the Lord 's command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.

New Life Bible
They set up their tents as the Lord told them. And they moved on as the Lord told them. They obeyed what the Lord had told them to do through Moses.

New Revised Standard
At the command of the Lord they would camp, and at the command of the Lord they would set out. They kept the charge of the Lord , at the command of the Lord by Moses.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
At the bidding of Yahweh, they encamped, and at the bidding of Yahweh, they set forward, - the watch of Yahweh, they kept, at the bidding of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.

Douay-Rheims Bible
By the word of the Lord they pitched their tents, and by his word they marched: and kept the watches of the Lord according to his commandment by the hand of Moses.

Revised Standard Version
At the command of the LORD they encamped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the LORD'S charge, according to the command of the LORD through Moses.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony; and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning. ¹⁶ So it was alway: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷ And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel encamped. ¹⁸ At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they encamped: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they remained encamped. ¹⁹ And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. ²⁰ And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. ²¹ And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed; or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. ²² Whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed. ²³ At the commandment of the LORD they encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they kept: Numbers 9:19, Genesis 26:5, Joshua 22:3, Ezekiel 44:8, Zechariah 3:7, Some of the Levites may have been appointed to watch the moving of the pillar, and to give timely notice to the camp of its beginning to stir; and this is called "keeping the charge of the Lord." It is uncomfortable staying when God is departed, but very safe and pleasant going, when we see God go before us, and resting where he appoints us to rest.

Reciprocal: Numbers 10:13 - General

Cross-References

Exodus 20:12
Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Leviticus 19:32
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents,.... Though ever so disagreeable:

and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed; though the circumstances might be such, that they could have liked a continuance; but whether agreeable or disagreeable, they were obedient to the divine will: this, or what is equivalent to it, is frequently observed in this paragraph, to show that the Israelites, though they were an obstinate and perverse people, and must in general be desirous of getting as soon as they could into the land of promise, yet in this case, in all their stations and journeys, were submissive and obedient to the divine will, as all good men should be with respect to happiness; and happy are they who have God to be their guide through it, even unto death:

they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses; observed the rest or motion of the cloud, the order and command of God signified thereby, as it was made known unto them by the ministry and means of Moses.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 9:23. Kept the charge of the Lord — When we consider the strong disposition which this people ever testified to follow their own will in all things, we may be well surprised to find them, in these journeyings, so implicitly following the directions of God. There could be no trick or imposture here. Moses, had he been the most cunning of men, never could have imitated the appearances referred to in this chapter. The cloud, and every thing in its motion, was so evidently supernatural, that the people had no doubt of its being the symbol of the Divine presence.

GOD chose to keep this people so dependent upon himself, and so submissive to the decisions of his own will, that he would not even give them regular times of marching or resting; they were to do both when and where God saw best. Thus they were ever kept ready for their march, though perfectly ignorant of the time when they should commence it. But this was all well; they had the presence of God with them; the cloud by day and the fire by night demonstrated that God was amongst them. Reader, thou art here a tenant at will to God Almighty. How soon, in what place, or in what circumstances, he may call thee to march into the eternal world, thou knowest not. But this uncertainty cannot perplex thee, if thou be properly subject to the will of God, ever willing to lose thy own in it. But thou canst not be thus subject, unless thou have the testimony of the presence and approbation of God. How awful to be obliged to walk into the valley of the shadow of death without this! Reader, prepare to meet thy God.