NOTES for Num 10:1-36
So the silver trumpets sounded, the camps set out, and Israel began a long journey. The cloud over the Tabernacle, signifying God’s presence and guidance, and the Ark of the Covenant, a sign of God’s promise and protection, go before the travelers who await hardships and deprivation—and the Promised Land! The calling of Hobab shows that the people of God gather not only the biological descendants of Abraham but also other people willing to walk the way God indicates. Thus those who were “far away” become “near,” and the commandment of love extends to them.