Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 2:3
“You have been wandering around this hill country long enough; turn to the north
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks to Moses, instructing him to direct the Israelites after decades of circuiting Mount Seir.
The words — The Hebrew רַב (rav) means “enough” or “long enough,” paired with סֹב (so), “going round,” to mark the end of prolonged wandering. The command פְּנ֥וּ צָפֹֽנָה (pe.Nu tza.Fo.na) literally translates to “turn northward.”
The thread — This directive echoes the Lord’s earlier command to leave Horeb “long enough” (Deuteronomy 1:6) and concludes the thirty-eight-year journey from Kadesh-barnea to the Brook of Zered (Deuteronomy 2:14).
Why it lands — The text commands immediate directional change after a prolonged period of stagnation. It requires readers to recognize when divine instruction ends a season of waiting and initiates forward movement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 1:6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
- Deuteronomy 2:14 The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.
- Deuteronomy 2:7 Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.