12 The children of Israel went forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud stayed in the wilderness of Paran.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
The wilderness of Paran - See Genesis 14:6 note. The wilderness is mentioned here by anticipation. The earliest halting-places, Kibroth-hattaavah and Hazeroth, were not within its limits Numbers 11:35; Numbers 12:16.
The cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran - This was three days' journey from the wilderness of Sinai, (see Numbers 10:33), and the people had three stations; the first at Kibroth-hattaavah, the second at Hazeroth, Numbers 11:35, and the third in the wilderness of Paran, see Numbers 12:16. But it is extremely difficult to determine these journeyings with any degree of exactness; and we are often at a loss to know whether the place in question was in a direct or retrograde position from the place previously mentioned.
And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai,.... Each of their camps removed from thence, and so everyone took their journey:
and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran; which was a signal for the camps to rest and pitch their tents; this was after they had gone three days journey, and were come to Taberah, which, it is probable, was in the wilderness of Paran; otherwise we read of their pitching in the wilderness of Paran, after they had been a month at Kibrothhattaavah, Numbers 11:34, and seven days at Hazeroth, Numbers 12:16; so they went from one wilderness to another; of this wilderness; see Gill on Genesis 21:21.
wilderness of Paran--It stretched from the base of the Sinaitic group, or from Et-Tyh, over that extensive plateau to the southwestern borders of Palestine.
Paran - From which they travelled to other places, and then returned into it again, Numbers 12:16.
*More commentary available at chapter level.