Israel’s Final Wilderness Year (Year 40)
| No. | Case | Timeline | Bible Verses | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 124 | Crossing the Zered Valley marks the passing of the old generation | End of wilderness period / Year 40 context | Deuteronomy 2:13–16 | Israel crossed the Zered Valley after the wilderness judgement period, and this point marks the completion of the death of the earlier fighting generation that had refused to enter Canaan. |
| 125 | Death of Miriam at Kadesh | Year 40, Month 1 | Numbers 20:1 | Miriam died and was buried at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin. This marks the reopening of the narrative after the long wilderness gap. |
| 126 | No water at Kadesh | Year 40, Month 1 | Numbers 20:2–5 | The people again complained because there was no water, showing that the old pattern of testing and grumbling had not fully disappeared. |
| 127 | Moses told to speak to the rock | Year 40, Month 1 | Numbers 20:7–8 | God instructed Moses to take the staff and speak to the rock before the people so that it would yield water. |
| 128 | Moses strikes the rock at Meribah | Year 40, Month 1 | Numbers 20:9–11 | Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck it twice in anger before the assembly. |
| 129 | Water comes from the rock at Meribah | Year 40, Month 1 | Numbers 20:11 | Water still flowed abundantly from the rock, and the congregation and their livestock drank. |
| 130 | Moses and Aaron barred from entering the land | Year 40, Month 1 | Numbers 20:12–13 | Because they did not uphold God’s holiness before Israel, Moses and Aaron were told that they would not lead the people into Canaan. |
| 131 | Request for passage through Edom | Year 40, Months 1–2 | Numbers 20:14–17 | Moses sent messengers from Kadesh asking the king of Edom for permission to pass through his territory by the King’s Highway. |
| 132 | Edom refuses passage | Year 40, Months 1–2 | Numbers 20:18–21 | Edom refused and came out with a strong force, so Israel turned away rather than fight them. |
| 133 | Aaron transferred priestly garments to Eleazar | Year 40, Month 5 | Numbers 20:25–28 | On Mount Hor, Aaron’s priestly garments were placed on Eleazar, marking the formal transfer of high-priestly office. |
| 134 | Death of Aaron on Mount Hor | Year 40, Month 5 | Numbers 20:28; Numbers 33:38 | Aaron died on Mount Hor in the fortieth year, on the first day of the fifth month. |
| 135 | Thirty days of mourning for Aaron | Year 40, Months 5–6 | Numbers 20:29 | All Israel mourned for Aaron for thirty days. |
| 136 | King Arad attacks Israel | Year 40, Month 6 | Numbers 21:1 | The Canaanite king of Arad heard that Israel was approaching and attacked, taking some prisoners. |
| 137 | Victory over Arad | Year 40, Month 6 | Numbers 21:2–3 | Israel vowed the cities to destruction, and the Lord gave them victory over Arad. |
| 138 | Israel turns south around Edom | Year 40, Months 6–7 | Numbers 21:4 | Israel travelled from Mount Hor by the route to the Red Sea in order to go around Edom. |
| 139 | People complain on the way | Year 40, Months 6–7 | Numbers 21:4–5 | The people became impatient on the difficult route and spoke against God and Moses. |
| 140 | Fiery serpents sent among Israel | Year 40, Months 6–7 | Numbers 21:6 | The Lord sent venomous serpents among the people, and many Israelites died. |
| 141 | Bronze serpent raised for healing | Year 40, Months 6–7 | Numbers 21:7–9 | God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent; those who looked at it in faith lived. |
| 142 | Camp at Oboth | Year 40, Month 7 | Numbers 21:10; Numbers 33:43 | Israel moved on and camped at Oboth. |
| 143 | Camp at Iye-abarim | Year 40, Month 7 | Numbers 21:11; Numbers 33:44 | Israel next camped at Iye-abarim, on the edge of Moab. |
| 144 | Camp in the valley of Zered | Year 40, Month 7 | Numbers 21:12; Deuteronomy 2:13–14 | Israel camped in the valley associated with Zered as the last of the judged generation passed away. |
| 145 | Camp by the Arnon | Year 40, Month 7 | Numbers 21:13 | Israel then camped by the Arnon, which formed a boundary area near Moab and Amorite territory. |
| 146 | Song of the well | Year 40, Month 7 | Numbers 21:16–18 | Israel sang in thanksgiving over the well God provided in the wilderness. |
| 147 | Victory over Sihon king of the Amorites | Year 40, Months 7–8 | Numbers 21:21–24; Deuteronomy 2:24–35 | Sihon refused Israel passage and attacked, but Israel defeated him and took his territory. |
| 148 | Capture of Heshbon | Year 40, Months 7–8 | Numbers 21:25–31 | Israel occupied Heshbon and the surrounding Amorite towns after Sihon’s defeat. |
| 149 | Victory over Og king of Bashan | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 21:33–35; Deuteronomy 3:1–11 | Og also came out against Israel, but he too was defeated, and Bashan was taken. |
| 150 | Israel camps in the plains of Moab opposite Jericho | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 22:1; Numbers 33:48–49 | Israel camped on the east side of the Jordan in the plains of Moab, directly opposite Jericho. |
| 151 | Balak fears Israel | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 22:2–4 | Balak king of Moab became afraid because of Israel’s numbers and victories. |
| 152 | Balaam summoned by Balak | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 22:5–21 | Balak sent for Balaam to curse Israel, hoping spiritual power would weaken them. |
| 153 | Balaam’s donkey speaks | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 22:22–35 | The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and spoke, rebuking Balaam’s blindness and disobedience. |
| 154 | Balaam’s first oracle blesses Israel | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 23:7–10 | Balaam’s first oracle declared that Israel was distinct and could not be cursed as Balak wished. |
| 155 | Balaam’s second oracle blesses Israel | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 23:18–24 | Balaam’s second oracle affirmed that God does not lie or change his mind and had blessed Israel. |
| 156 | Balaam’s third oracle blesses Israel | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 24:3–9 | Balaam’s third oracle praised the beauty, strength and future prosperity of Israel. |
| 157 | Balaam’s final oracle | Year 40, Month 8 | Numbers 24:15–24 | Balaam’s final oracle looked beyond the immediate moment and spoke of future judgement on surrounding peoples. |
| 158 | Israel sins with Baal of Peor | Year 40, Month 9 | Numbers 25:1–3 | Israel was drawn into sexual immorality and idol worship with Moabite women at Peor. |
| 159 | Israel joins Moabite idolatry and immorality | Year 40, Month 9 | Numbers 25:1–3 | The people participated in sacrificial meals and bowed to the gods of Moab. |
| 160 | Plague at Baal-Peor | Year 40, Month 9 | Numbers 25:4–9 | God’s anger broke out in a plague against Israel because of the apostasy at Peor. |
| 161 | Phinehas kills Zimri and Cozbi | Year 40, Month 9 | Numbers 25:6–8 | Phinehas acted decisively against open rebellion, killing the Israelite man and Midianite woman in the camp. |
| 162 | Plague stopped through Phinehas | Year 40, Month 9 | Numbers 25:8–13 | The plague stopped after Phinehas’ action, and he was commended for zeal for God’s holiness. |
| 163 | Midian marked for judgement | Year 40, Month 9 | Numbers 25:16–18 | God instructed Israel to treat Midian as an enemy because of its role in leading Israel into sin. |
| 164 | Second census of Israel | Year 40, Months 9–10 | Numbers 26:1–65 | A new census was taken for the new generation, preparing for inheritance and military organisation in the land. |
| 165 | Zelophehad’s daughters request inheritance | Year 40, Months 9–10 | Numbers 27:1–11 | The daughters of Zelophehad appealed for inheritance rights, and God affirmed their case, shaping Israel’s land law. |
| 166 | Joshua appointed as Moses’ successor | Year 40, Month 10 | Numbers 27:12–23 | Moses publicly commissioned Joshua before Eleazar and the people as the next leader of Israel. |
Explanation of the table
This section of the timeline is one of the most important turning points in the whole Exodus story. It moves Israel from the end of the wilderness judgement into the final approach to the Promised Land. The crossing of the Zered Valley marks the close of the condemned generation, and the death of Miriam at Kadesh shows that the old era is ending. From that point onward, the narrative becomes faster, more concentrated and more urgent, because Israel is no longer wandering aimlessly but moving towards entry into Canaan. Deuteronomy itself treats the Zered crossing as a decisive marker that the former fighting generation had passed away. (Bible Gateway)
The event at Meribah is one of the most significant breakthroughs and one of the saddest failures in the whole journey. God still provides water, which shows his continuing faithfulness, but Moses and Aaron fail to honour him properly before the people. That failure changes the leadership future of Israel, because the generation that brought Israel out of Egypt will not be the generation that takes Israel into the land. This is a major theological and narrative turning point, linking divine provision with divine holiness and accountability. (Bible Gateway)
The refusal of Edom, followed by the route around Edom, is another major breakthrough in historical terms. It forces Israel away from the shorter path and into the final eastern approach. From there, the story changes from wandering to conquest preparation. The victories over Arad, Sihon and Og are especially important because they show that the new generation is not simply surviving; it is beginning to win territory under God’s guidance. These victories also prepare the east side of the Jordan for later tribal settlement. (Bible Gateway)
The plains of Moab section is equally decisive. Israel stands opposite Jericho, on the threshold of Canaan, but before crossing the Jordan the nation faces spiritual testing. Balak and Balaam show that Israel cannot be cursed when God has blessed it, yet Baal of Peor shows that Israel can still damage itself through compromise, immorality and idolatry. This contrast is one of the deepest lessons in the table: external enemies cannot overthrow Israel when God is for them, but internal unfaithfulness remains a serious danger. (bibleodyssey.org)
The second census, the inheritance case of Zelophehad’s daughters and the appointment of Joshua all show that this table is not only about movement from place to place. It is also about transition, law, succession and national reorganisation. The new generation is counted, inheritance principles are clarified, and Joshua is set apart to lead. Taken together, these entries show the final preparation of Israel as a covenant people ready to enter the land under renewed leadership. Overall, this table is best understood as the bridge between wilderness judgement and conquest readiness. (Bible Gateway)
References
The Holy Bible, New International Version (2011) Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Ashley, T.R. (1993) The Book of Numbers. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Budd, P.J. (1984) Numbers. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Wenham, G.J. (1981) Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press.
Walton, J.H. and Hill, A.E. (2009) Old Testament Today. 2nd edn. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Kitchen, K.A. (2003) On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.