What Does Numbers 33:43 Mean?

They departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth (וַיִּסְעוּ מִפֻּנֹן וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּאֹבֹת)—The journey from Punon (perhaps meaning "darkness" or "perplexity") to Oboth ("water-skins" or "spiritists") marks a transition toward the final approach to Canaan. The Hebrew verb nasa (נָסַע, "to pull up," "to journey") appears throughout this itinerary, emphasizing the constant forward movement of God's people despite forty years of wilderness discipline.

This stage represents one of the final wilderness encampments before Israel reaches Moab's plains. The progression from copper mines at Punon (where brazen serpent judgment occurred, Numbers 21:4-9) to Oboth signals movement from judgment to the threshold of promise. Each chanah (חָנָה, "pitched," "encamped") was temporary, reminding Israel that earth is not their permanent dwelling—a theme Hebrews 11:13-16 applies to all believers as "strangers and pilgrims."