2 "Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan in its full extent),
3 your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern boundary shall be from the end of the Salt Sea on the east;
4 and your boundary shall turn south of the ascent of Akrab'bim, and cross to Zin, and its end shall be south of Ka'desh-bar'nea; then it shall go on to Ha'zar-ad'dar, and pass along to Azmon;
5 and the boundary shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.
The South is bordered by Zin, which means piercing or truth in the original Aramaic of the Bible. Akrabbim means a steep pass. This refers to a mountain pass, which symbolizes a spiritually elevated consciousness. Kadeshbarnea means sacred or divine presence. It symbolizes the presence of God. Hazar-addar means court of the threshing. This is the place where we have sorted out the ‘wheat from the chaff.’ Azmon means strength. This is the strength of the spiritually enlightened.
6 "For the western boundary, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast; this shall be your western boundary.
The great sea symbolizes the emotions of the heart. They must be elevated as part of the spiritualization of the whole being.
7 "This shall be your northern boundary: from the Great Sea you shall mark out your line to Mount Hor;
8 from Mount Hor you shall mark it out to the entrance of Hamath, and the end of the boundary shall be at Zeded;
9 then the boundary shall extend to Ziphron, and its end shall be at Ha'zar-e'nan; this shall be your northern boundary.
Mt. Hor indicates a mountain. Mountains, as we said above, symbolize a heightened level of Spiritual Consciousness. Hamath can be translated as an enclosed fortress or fortification. This relates to the security of the spiritually elevated condition. Zedad means turning aside. It represents our turning away from the material consciousness and turning to divine inspiration. Ziphon means perfume or a flower garden. It refers to the physical beauty with which we are surrounded when we reached this Promised Land. Hazar-enan means village of fountains and indicates a cleansing or renewal.
10 "You shall mark out your eastern boundary from Ha'zar-e'nan to Shepham;
11 and the boundary shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of A'in; and the boundary shall go down, and reach to the shoulder of the sea of Chin'nereth on the east;
12 and the boundary shall go down to the Jordan, and its end shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land with its boundaries all round."
Shepham means naked. This is our inner condition when we are prepared for the ultimate spiritual attainment or Illumination. Riblah means abundance. This abundance is what we experience when we become spiritually conscious. The Sea of Chinnereth is a reference to our emotions, our inner self. Chinnereth means harp or vitality. This is indicative of healthy emotions and inner life, or subconscious. The Jordan, which is a river, indicates the flow of feelings or thoughts. Jordan itself means flowing or flowing of judgment. So this indicates a stream of thought having to do with judgment. Finally, the salt sea is again a body of water symbolizing the inner feelings and heart. Salt here symbolizes truth. This means that the emotions are lifted up to truth.
13 Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, "This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which YHVH has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe;
14 for the tribe of the sons of Reuben by fathers' houses and the tribe of the sons of Gad by their fathers' houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manas'seh;
15 the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise."
The term inheritance is repeated several times in these passages. It refers to the karmic law of justice. We will reap what we have sown. And so we know that these different aspects of our consciousness, represented by the twelve tribes, had earned the rewards which they received through righteous living. This is the work of purification and transmutation which had to be completed. The lower thoughts and emotions had to be removed from the land (the consciousness) to make way for the emerging spiritual presence which would rightfully take place. Each of the twelve tribes represents an aspect of our consciousness. When elevated, they contribute to the overall development of our spiritual ideal, the Illumined soul, the Avatar, the Master, the Initiate, the Magus, the Cosmic Conscious or those baptized by Fire. This forty year journey is one we are all hoping to complete. This story tells us of the stumbling blocks to avoid, as well as the rewards for success.
17 "These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Elea'zar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.
Eleazar translated from the Aramaic, means help of God. Joshua means Jah is savior. (Jah is another word which means God.) It is with the help of God that we are to be “saved” or have a place in the Promised Land. Remember we have earned this inheritance from our forty-year sojourn through the wilderness.
18 You shall take one leader of every tribe, to divide the land for inheritance.
19 These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephun'neh.
Caleb means bold and fearless. Jephunneh means he will behold.
By paying attention to God, listening and accepting His Word, we are bold and fearless.
20 Of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Shemu'el the son of Ammi'hud.
Shemuel means instructed by God. Ammihud means people of excellence.
Because we have become people of excellence, we are instructed by God.