63. Abel Hashshittim

Lexical Summary

Abel Hashshittim: Abel of the Acacias

Original Word: אָבֵל הַשִּׁטִּים
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Abel hash-Shittiym
Pronunciation: ah-BEL hah-shit-TEEM
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-bale' hash-shit-teem')
KJV: Abel-shittim
NASB: Abel-shittim
Word Origin: [from H58 (אָבֵל - Mourning) and the plural of H7848 (שִׁטָּה שִׁטִּים - acacia), with the article inserted]

1. meadow of the acacias
2. Abel hash- Shittim, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Abel-shittim

From 'abel and the plural of shittah, with the article inserted; meadow of the acacias; Abel hash- Shittim, a place in Palestine -- Abel-shittim.

see HEBREW 'abel

see HEBREW shittah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from abel and the pl. of shittah
Definition
a place in the lowlands of Moab
NASB Translation
Abel-shittim (1).

Topical Lexicon

Name and Location

Abel-ha-Shittim, literally “Meadow of the Acacias,” lay on the eastern side of the Jordan River in the plains of Moab, directly opposite Jericho. It formed the northern limit of Israel’s last encampment before the nation crossed the Jordan into Canaan.

Biblical Occurrence

Numbers 33:49 locates the site: “They camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.” Though the exact phrase appears only here, the surrounding district—commonly called Shittim—figures prominently in several key events (Numbers 25; Joshua 2–3).

Historical Setting

1. Final Station of the Exodus. After forty years of wilderness wandering, Abel-ha-Shittim was the last place Israel pitched its tents. From here the people could see the Promised Land across the river, marking the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:7).
2. Stage for Temptation and Judgment. While Israel remained at Shittim, “the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab” (Numbers 25:1). This lapse into idolatry and immorality provoked a devastating plague until Phinehas’s zealous action restored covenant fidelity. The contrast between nearness to inheritance and vulnerability to sin underscores the need for vigilance even at the threshold of blessing.
3. Launch-point for Conquest. From Shittim Joshua dispatched two spies to Jericho (Joshua 2:1) and later led the nation to the Jordan’s edge (Joshua 3:1). Thus Abel-ha-Shittim stands as the strategic staging ground for the conquest of Canaan.

Prophetic Echoes

Joel 3:18 foresees a future day when “a spring will flow from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Acacias.” The reference to acacias evokes the same region, hinting at coming restoration that reverses earlier judgment.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Faithfulness. Abel-ha-Shittim showcases the reliability of God’s promise: Israel reaches the border exactly as foretold (Exodus 3:8).
• Holiness and Separation. The moral failure at Shittim warns that geographic proximity to blessing does not guarantee spiritual preparedness (Hebrews 3:12–13).
• Transition and Anticipation. The camp represents a liminal space—no longer in the wilderness yet not quite in the land—mirroring the believer’s present pilgrimage “between” redemption and final inheritance (1 Peter 1:3–5).
• Zealous Leadership. Phinehas’s intervention (Numbers 25:7–13) highlights the necessity of decisive, righteous leadership to protect the community’s purity.

Ministry Significance

1. Preparation for New Seasons. Like Israel pausing at Abel-ha-Shittim, churches and believers benefit from deliberate seasons of consecration before major undertakings.
2. Guarding Against Complacency. The Shittim incident teaches that moments of apparent arrival often conceal unique spiritual dangers; vigilance and accountability remain essential.
3. Hope of Fulfillment. The site’s proximity to Jordan reminds Christians that God brings His people all the way to their appointed inheritance; present trials cannot nullify future glory (Romans 8:18–30).

Summary

Abel-ha-Shittim is more than a geographical footnote; it is the threshold where promise, peril, and preparation converge. Its solitary mention in Numbers 33 amplifies a cluster of surrounding narratives that exhort God’s people to covenant faithfulness, spiritual readiness, and unwavering hope as they stand on the brink of promised fulfillment.

Forms and Transliterations

הַשִּׁטִּ֑ים השטים haš·šiṭ·ṭîm hashshitTim haššiṭṭîm

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 33:49
HEB: עַ֖ד אָבֵ֣ל הַשִּׁטִּ֑ים בְּעַֽרְבֹ֖ת מוֹאָֽב׃
NAS: as far as Abel-shittim in the plains
KJV: from Bethjesimoth [even] unto Abelshittim in the plains
INT: Beth-jeshimoth far Abel-shittim the plains of Moab

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 63
1 Occurrence

haš·šiṭ·ṭîm — 1 Occ.