Numbers 21
21
Canaanite King Defeated
1When the Canaanite king of Arad, # 21:1 Nm 33:40; Jos 12:14; Jdg 1:16 who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming on the Atharim road, he fought against Israel and captured some prisoners. 2Then Israel made a vow to the Lord, “If you will hand this people over to us, we will completely destroy their cities.” # 21:2 Dt 2:34; 13:16–17; Jos 6:18,21 3The Lord listened to Israel’s request and handed the Canaanites over to them, and Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. So they named the place Hormah. # 21:3 = Destruction,# 21:3 Nm 14:45; Dt 1:44; Jdg 1:17
The Bronze Snake
4Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. 5The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food! ” 6Then the Lord sent poisonous # 21:6 Lit Burning snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died. # 21:6 1Co 10:9
7The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.
8Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.” # 21:8 2Kg 18:4; Jn 3:14–15 9So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.
Journey around Moab
10The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth. # 21:10–11 Nm 33:43–44 11They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness that borders Moab on the east. 12From there they went and camped at Zered Valley. 13They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites. 14Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord’s Wars:
Waheb in Suphah
and the ravines of the Arnon,
15even the slopes of the ravines
that extend to the site of Ar # 21:15 Nm 21:28; Dt 2:9,18,29; Is 15:1
and lie along the border of Moab.
16From there they went to Beer, # 21:16 = Well the well the Lord told Moses about, “Gather the people so I may give them water.” 17Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, well — sing to it!
18The princes dug the well;
the nobles of the people hollowed it out
with a scepter and with their staffs.
They went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab near the Pisgah highlands # 21:20 Nm 23:14; Dt 3:17,27; 4:49; 34:1; Jos 12:3; 13:20 that overlook the wasteland. # 21:20 Or overlook Jeshimon,# 21:20 Nm 23:28
Amorite Kings Defeated
21Israel sent messengers to say to King Sihon # 21:21 Nm 32:33; Dt 1:4; 2:24–4:46 of the Amorites, 22“Let us travel through your land. We won’t go into the fields or vineyards. We won’t drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway until we have traveled through your territory.” # 21:22 Nm 20:17; Dt 2:26–33 23But Sihon would not let Israel travel through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, # 21:23 Dt 2:32; Jdg 11:20; 1Ch 6:78 he fought against Israel. 24Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, # 21:21–24 Jdg 11:19–22 but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified. # 21:24 LXX reads because the Ammonite border was Jazer
25Israel took all the cities and lived in all these Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages. 26Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon. 27Therefore the poets # 21:27 Lit ones who speak proverbs say:
Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt;
let the city of Sihon be restored. # 21:27 Or firmly founded
28For fire came out of Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.
29Woe to you, Moab!
You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh! # 21:27–29 Jdg 11:24; 1Kg 11:7,33; Jr 48:45–47
He gave up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters into captivity
to Sihon the Amorite king.
30We threw them down;
Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon. # 21:30 Nm 32:34; Neh 11:25; Jr 48:18,22
We caused desolation as far as Nophah,
which reaches as far as Medeba. # 21:30 Jos 13:9,16; 1Ch 19:7; Is 15:2
31So Israel lived in the Amorites’ land. 32After Moses sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its surrounding villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
33Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan # 21:33 Nm 32:33; Dt 3:1–13; 4:47 came out against them with his whole army to do battle at Edrei. # 21:33 Dt 3:1,10; Jos 12:4; 13:12,31 34But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.” # 21:34 Dt 3:2 35So they struck him, his sons, and his whole army until no one was left, # 21:35 Lit left to him and they took possession of his land. # 21:35 Ps 135:10–11
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Numbers 21
21
Israel defeats the Canaanites at Hormah
1The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the Southern Desert of Canaan, and when he heard that the Israelites were on their way to the village of Atharim, he attacked and took some of them hostage.#Nu 33.40.
2The Israelites prayed, “Our LORD, if you will help us defeat these Canaanites, we will completely destroy their towns and everything in them, to show that they belong to you.”#21.2 completely destroy…belong to you: The complete destruction of a town and everything in it, including its people and animals, showed that the town belonged to the LORD and could no longer be used by humans.
3The LORD answered their prayer and helped them wipe out the Canaanite army and completely destroy their towns. That's why one of the towns is named Hormah, which means “Destroyed Place”.
Moses makes a bronze snake
4The Israelites had to go around the territory of Edom, so when they left Mount Hor, they headed south towards the Red Sea.#21.4 Red Sea: See the note at 14.25. But along the way, the people became so impatient#Dt 2.1. 5that they complained against God and said to Moses, “Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There's no water out here, and we can't stand this awful food!”#1 Co 10.9.
6Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes that bit and killed many of them.
7Some of the people went to Moses and admitted, “It was wrong of us to insult you and the LORD. Now please ask him to make these snakes go away.”
Moses prayed, 8and the LORD answered, “Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and won't die.”
9Moses obeyed the LORD. And all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived, even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes.#2 K 18.4; Jn 3.14.
Israel's journey to Moab
10As the Israelites continued their journey to Canaan, they camped at Oboth, 11then at Iye-Abarim in the desert east of Moab, 12and then in the Zered Gorge. 13After that, they crossed the gorge of the River Arnon and camped in the Moabite desert bordering Amorite territory. The Arnon was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. 14A song in The Book of the LORD's Battles#21.14 The Book of the LORD's Battles: This may have been a collection of ancient war songs. mentions the town of Waheb with its creeks in the territory of Suphah. It also mentions the River Arnon, 15with its valleys that lie beside the Moabite border and extend to the town of Ar.
16From the Arnon, the Israelites went to the well near the town of Beer, where the LORD had said to Moses, “Call the people together, and I will give them water to drink.”
17That's also the same well the Israelites sang about in this song:
Let's celebrate!
The well has given us water.
18With their royal sceptres,
our leaders pointed out
where to dig the well.
The Israelites left the desert and camped near the town of Mattanah, 19then at Nahaliel, and then at Bamoth. 20Finally, they reached Moabite territory, where they camped near Mount Pisgah#21.20 Mount Pisgah: This probably refers to the highest peak in the Abarim Mountains in Moab. in a valley overlooking the desert north of the Dead Sea.
Israel defeats King Sihon the Amorite
(Deuteronomy 2.26-37)
21The Israelites sent this message to King Sihon of the Amorites:
22Please let us pass through your territory. We promise to stay away from your fields and vineyards, and we won't drink any water from your wells. As long as we're in your land, we won't get off the main road.#21.22 the main road: See the note at 20.17.
23But Sihon refused to let Israel travel through his land. Instead, he called together his entire army and marched into the desert to attack Israel near the town of Jahaz. 24Israel defeated them and took over the Amorite territory from the gorge of the River Arnon in the south to the gorge of the River Jabbok in the north. Beyond the Jabbok was the territory of the Ammonites, who were much stronger than Israel.
25The Israelites settled in the Amorite towns, including the capital city of Heshbon with its surrounding villages. 26King Sihon had ruled from Heshbon, after defeating the Moabites and taking over their land north of the Arnon gorge. 27That's why the Amorites had written this poem about Heshbon:
Come and rebuild Heshbon,
King Sihon's capital city!
28His armies marched out#Jr 48.45,46.
like fiery flames,
burning down the town of Ar
and destroying#21.28 destroying: One ancient translation; Hebrew “the rulers of”. the hills
along the River Arnon.
29You Moabites are done for!
Your god Chemosh
deserted your people;
they were captured, taken away
by King Sihon the Amorite.
30We completely defeated Moab.
The towns of Heshbon and Dibon,
of Nophah and Medeba
are ruined and gone.#21.30 gone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 30.
31After the Israelites had settled in the Amorite territory, 32Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jazer. Later, the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the Amorites who lived there.
Israel defeats King Og of Bashan
(Deuteronomy 3.1-11)
33The Israelites headed towards the region of Bashan, where King Og ruled, and he led his entire army to Edrei to meet Israel in battle.
34The LORD said to Moses, “Don't be afraid of Og. I will help you defeat him and his army, just as you did King Sihon who ruled in Heshbon. Og's territory will be yours.”
35So the Israelites wiped out Og, his family, and his entire army—there were no survivors. Then Israel took over the land of Bashan.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012