Numbers 9:23

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.

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.

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.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.

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 when the House was put up, the cloud came down on it, on the Tent of witness; and in the evening there was a light like fire over the House till the morning. ¹⁶ And so it was at all times: it was covered by the cloud, and by a light as of fire by night. ¹⁷ And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the House, then the children of Israel went journeying on; and in the place where the cloud came to rest, there the children of Israel put up their tents. ¹⁸ At the order of the Lord the children of Israel went forward, and at the order of the Lord they put up their tents: as long as the cloud was resting on the House, they did not go away from that place. ¹⁹ When the cloud was resting on the House for a long time the children of Israel, waiting for the order of the Lord, did not go on. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was resting on the House for two or three days; then, by the order of the Lord, they kept their tents in that place, and when the Lord gave the order they went on. ²¹ And sometimes the cloud was there only from evening to morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning they went on their journey again: or if it was resting there by day and by night, whenever the cloud was taken up they went forward. ²² Or if the cloud came to rest on the House for two days or a month or a year without moving, the children of Israel went on waiting there and did not go on; but whenever it was taken up they went forward on their journey. ²³ 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.

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
Give honour to your father and to your mother, so that your life may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Leviticus 19:32
Get up from your seats before the white-haired, and give honour to the old, and let the fear of your God be before you: I am the Lord.

Romans 13:7
Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is to be given.

Galatians 6:1
Brothers, if a man is taken in any wrongdoing, you who are of the Spirit will put such a one right in a spirit of love; keeping watch on yourself, for fear that you yourself may be tested.

1 Timothy 5:1
Do not say sharp words to one who has authority in the church, but let your talk be as to a father, and to the younger men as to brothers:

1 Timothy 5:17
Let rulers whose rule is good be honoured twice over, specially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:19
Do not take as true any statement made against one in authority, but only if two or three give witness to it.

1 Peter 2:17
Have respect for all, loving the brothers, fearing God, honouring the king.

1 Peter 4:8
And most of all be warm in your love for one another; because in love there is forgiveness for sins without number:

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.