Numbers 10:6,12,13
When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys…

Numbers 33:1,2
These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron…

Mosera

Numbers 33:30-33
And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth…

Moseroth, Hor-ha-gid-gad, Jotbathah

Numbers 20:23-28
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, …

Numbers 33:38
And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.

where Aaron died and was buried
Aaron's death marks a significant transition in the leadership of Israel. As the first high priest, Aaron played a crucial role in establishing the priesthood and the sacrificial system. His death at Moserah signifies the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for the Israelites. The location of his burial is significant as it underscores the transient nature of the Israelites' journey and the fulfillment of God's word that the older generation would not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:24). Aaron's death is also a reminder of the consequences of disobedience, as he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land due to his actions at Meribah (Numbers 20:12).

and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest
The succession of Eleazar as high priest represents the continuity of the priestly line and the faithfulness of God in maintaining the covenant with Israel. Eleazar's role as high priest is crucial for the spiritual leadership of the nation, as he would oversee the sacrificial system and intercede for the people. This transition also highlights the importance of the priesthood in maintaining the relationship between God and His people. Eleazar's succession is a fulfillment of the Levitical priesthood established by God, ensuring that the spiritual needs of the Israelites would continue to be met. This succession is a type of Christ, who is our eternal High Priest, as described in Hebrews 4:14-16, emphasizing the continuity and fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through Jesus.

The verse opens with movement—an active reminder that Israel’s life with God is a journey shaped by His leading (Exodus 13:21 – 22). This travel scene comes after Moses recounts receiving the second set of tablets (Deuteronomy 10:1 – 5), showing that God’s covenant faithfulness continues as the people move forward. Like the pillar of cloud and fire, His presence accompanies each stage (Numbers 9:15 – 23).

Key takeaways

• God directs real geography and real people; His guidance is not abstract.

• Obedience means following even when the path is unfamiliar, echoing Proverbs 3:5 – 6.

Beeroth Bene-jaakan (“wells of the sons of Jaakan”) points back to an encampment among the tribal areas of the Horites (Genesis 36:27). Numbers 33:31 – 32 names the same site as Bene-jaakan, highlighting consistent historical detail. Wells suggest provision; God supplies water in the wilderness just as Christ later calls Himself “living water” (John 7:37 – 38).

Insights

• The specific place-name anchors Israel’s story in verifiable locations.

• Provision in dry places foreshadows God’s ongoing sustenance for His people (Psalm 78:15-16).

Moserah (also rendered Moseroth in Numbers 33:30) lies farther south in the wilderness of Zin. Travel from one camp to another underscores persistence; Israel will not remain in one season forever. Each stop trains them to trust God daily, reminiscent of the prayer “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

Highlights

• Movement dislodges complacency, keeping faith vibrant (Hebrews 11:8-9).

• God turns waystations into classrooms where dependence deepens.

“Then the whole congregation journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor… Aaron the priest went up and died there” (Numbers 20:22-29). Moses now retells that solemn moment. Aaron’s death after forty years of leadership reminds Israel that even the greatest servants are mortal (Psalm 90:3-4). Yet the burial affirms hope: God preserves covenant promises beyond one generation.

Lessons

• Leadership transitions are planned by God, not accidents.

• Physical death does not cancel God’s work; He remains “the God of the living” (Luke 20:37-38).

Numbers 20:28 notes Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and placed them on Eleazar. This visible transfer confirms that the priesthood endures despite human frailty. Later Scripture highlights Eleazar’s faithful service (Joshua 24:33) and God’s everlasting covenant with Aaron’s line (Numbers 25:11-13). Ultimately, the continuity anticipates our perfect High Priest who “lives forever” (Hebrews 7:23-25).

Key reflections

• God provides succession so worship never ceases.

• The office remains holy regardless of the individual; the garments outlast the wearer (Exodus 29:29-30).

• Eleazar’s new role calls the nation to fresh commitment, matching Paul’s charge to Timothy to “entrust to faithful men” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Deuteronomy 10:6 records a real journey, a real location, a real death, and a real succession—all underscoring God’s unwavering faithfulness. Each phrase invites trust: He guides each step, supplies every need, sustains leadership, and preserves covenant worship across generations.

If the connection of these verses with the train of thought in Moses' mind is spiritual, the difficulty may be solved. The death of the priest of Israel, whose first representative Aaron was, is spiritually identical with the destruction of the first pair of tables, the death of the first Adam and of all mankind in the person of our representative, the Lord Jesus Christ. After that death He "ariseth" as "another priest, made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." Thus the incident is connected with what goes before. The separation of the tribe of Levi "to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord," i.e., "to bear the burden of the Law," is the same thing in another form. It deprives them of an earthly inheritance, just as He whose representatives they were gave Himself an offering and sacrifice to God; and "His life is taken from the earth."

Further, the names of the places themselves have in this aspect a spiritual significance. From certain "wells of water"--the wells of the children of Jaakan (crookedness)--the people of God take their journey to the scene of the high priest's death. From thence to Hor-hagidgad, or Gudgodah, the mount of the "troop," or "band" (Sinai is the mount of the "congregation" in the Old Testament, Zion in the New), and thence to a land of rivers of water. It is only another way of relating how from the wells of the Law we pass to the rivers of living water opened by the Gospel. But we must pass by way of the cross of Christ.

EXCURSUS ON NOTES TO DEUTERONOMY.

EXCURSUS ON Deuteronomy 10:6-7.

THESE verses have always seemed to me to present the greatest difficulty in the whole of Deuteronomy. If it were not for their beautiful spiritual connection with the context, I should not know how to account for their presence in this place at all. And even so, the difference between this allusion to Aaron's death and the account given in Numbers, and the superficial resemblance between the four stages of the journey of Israel here mentioned, and four stages which belong to a different period (in Numbers 33:31-34)--together create a somewhat formidable perplexity. The Samaritan Pentateuch increases the confusion by introducing here the stages mentioned in Numbers 33:34-37Deuteronomy 10:6-7 supports the Hebrew text. The fact that the burial of Aaron is alluded to in this place only, shows that the verses in Deuteronomy cannot have been taken from those in Numbers. The following comparison will show the difference. . . .