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Numbers Chapter
Twenty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 21
This
chapter gives an account of the defeat of King Arad, the Canaanite, Numbers 21:1 of the
murmurings of the children of Israel, because of difficulties in travelling
round, the land of Edom, for which they were punished with fiery serpents, Numbers 21:4 and
how that upon their repentance a brazen serpent was ordered to be made, and to
be erected on a pole, that whoever looked to it might live, Numbers 21:7 and of
the several journeys and stations of the children of Israel, until they came to
the land of the Amorites, Numbers 21:10, when
they sent a message to Sihon their king, to desire him to grant them a passage
through his country; but he refusing, they fought with him, smote him, and
possessed his land, concerning which many proverbial sayings were used, Numbers 21:21 and
the chapter is concluded with the defeat of Og, king of Bashan, Numbers 21:33.
Numbers 21:1 The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that
Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and
took some of them prisoners.
YLT
1And the Canaanite -- king
Arad -- dwelling in the south, heareth that Israel hath come the way of the
Atharim, and he fighteth against Israel, and taketh [some] of them captive.
And when King Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south,.... Arad
seems rather to be the name of a place, city, or country, of which the
Canaanite was king, than the name of a man, since we read of the king of Arad, Joshua 12:14 see
also Judges 1:16 and so
the Targums of Onkelos and Jerusalem here render it, the king of Arad; and the
Targum of Jonathan says, he changed his seat and reigned in Arad, which might
have its name from Arvad, a son of Canaan, Genesis 10:18 and
Jerom saysF14De locis Heb. fol. 87. K. , that Arath, the same with
Arad, is a city of the Amorites, near the wilderness of Kadesh, and that to
this day it is shown, a village four miles from Malatis and twenty from Hebron,
in the tribe of Judah; and so Aben Ezra observes, that the ancients say, this
is Sihon (the king of the Amorites), and he is called a Canaanite, because all
the Amorites are Canaanites; but, according to Jarchi, the Amalekites are
meant, as it is said, "the Amalekites dwell in the land of the
south": Numbers 13:29 and
so the Targum of Jonathan here,"and when Amalek heard, that dwelt in the
land of the south;'what he heard is particularly expressed in the following
clause:
heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies: either after
the manner of spies, or rather by the way in which the spies went thirty eight
years ago, which was the way of the south, where this Canaanitish king dwelt,
see Numbers 13:17, the
Septuagint version leaves the word untranslated, taking it for the name of a
place, and reads, "by the way of Atharim", so the Samaritan
Pentateuch and Arabic version; and did such a place appear to have been
hereabout, it would be the most likely sense of the passage; for as the spies
were never discovered by the Canaanites, the way they went could not be known
by them; nor is it very probable that, if it had been known, it should be so
called, since nothing of any consequence to them as yet followed upon it:
then he fought against Israel; raised his forces and
marched out against them, to oppose their passage, and engaged in a battle with
them:
and took some of them prisoners; according to the Targums
of Jonathan and Jerusalem, great numbers of them; but Jarchi says, only one
single maidservant.
Numbers 21:2 2 So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand,
then I will utterly destroy their cities.”
YLT
2And Israel voweth a vow to
Jehovah, and saith, `If Thou dost certainly give this people into my hand, then
I have devoted their cities;'
And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord,.... The
Israelites made supplication to the Lord for help against their enemies, and
that he would give them victory over them, and made promises to him:
and said, if thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand; certainly and
entirely deliver them, so as that a complete victory shall be obtained over
them:
then will I utterly destroy their cities; or
"anathematize", or devote them to utter destructionF15והחרמתי "et anathematisabo", Montanus;
"devovebo", Tigurine version. ; slay man and beast, burn their houses
and take their goods, not for a spoil, for their own private use, but reserve
them for the service of God; all which is implied in the vow made, as was done
to Jericho, Joshua 6:21 and so
it is a vow, as Abendana observes, of what they would do when they came to the
land of Canaan.
Numbers 21:3 3 And the Lord listened
to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly
destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.[a]
YLT
3and Jehovah hearkeneth to
the voice of Israel, and giveth up the Canaanite, and he devoteth them and
their cities, and calleth the name of the place Hormah.
And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel,.... In their
prayers and vows; with acceptance heard, and answered them according to their
wish:
and delivered up the Canaanites: into their hands, gave
them victory over them:
and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; that is, "anathematized"
them, and devoted them to destruction; for as yet they did not actually destroy
them, since we read of Arad afterwards, Joshua 12:14, but
this they did in Joshua's time, when the whole land of Canaan came into their
hands; for had they entered the land now, and took and destroyed the cities
belonging to Arad, they would doubtless have proceeded, and pursued their
conquests, and not have returned into the wilderness again to go round about
Edom, in order to enter another way; many think, as Aben Ezra observes on Numbers 21:1 that
this section was written by Joshua, after the land was subdued:
and he called the name of the place Hormah; which before
was called Zephath, and it seems to have its name from various disasters which
happened at this place; as the defeat of the Israelites by the Amalekites, Numbers 14:45, and
here of the Canaanites by the Israelites, and afterwards of the inhabitants of
this place by Judah and Simeon, Judges 1:17 it had
its name from "Cherem", the anathema or destruction it was devoted
to.
Numbers 21:4 4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the
Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very
discouraged on the way.
YLT
4And they journey from mount
Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the
people is short in the way,
And they journeyed from Mount Hor,.... After the battle
with the king of Arad, and the defeat of him:
by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom; which lay by
it, and from whence it had the name of the Red sea, Edom signifying red; and by
the way of that the Israelites must needs go, to go round that country:
and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way; because it
was going back instead of going forward to Canaan's land, and because of the
length of the way; it was a round about way they were going; when, could they have
been admitted to have passed through the country of Edom, the way would have
been short; or had they pursued their victory over the Canaanite, they would
have gone directly into the land; and this perhaps was what fretted, vexed, and
discouraged them, that they were obliged to go back, and take such a circuit,
when they had such an opportunity of entering; and they might be distressed
also with the badness and the roughness of the way, the borders of Edom being
rocky and craggy: it is in the original text, "their soul or breath was
short"F16ותקצר נפש
"et abbreviata est anima", Montanus, Munster, Fagius, Vatablus;
"decurtata", Piscator. ; they fetched their breath short, being weary
and faint with travelling, or through anger, as angry persons do, when in a
great passion: so the people of God travelling through the wilderness of this
world are often discouraged, because of the difficulties, trials, and troubles
they meet with in the way, from sin, Satan, and the world, and are fretful and
impatient; but though they are led about and walk in a round about way, and in
a rough way, yet in a right way to the city of their habitation, Psalm 107:7.
Numbers 21:5 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses:
“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there
is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”
YLT
5and the people speak
against God, and against Moses, `Why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to
die in a wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul
hath been weary of this light bread.'
And the people spake against God,.... Who went before them
in the pillar of cloud and fire, for leading them in such a way; that is,
against Christ, as the apostle has taught us to interpret it, 1 Corinthians 10:9,
and is no inconsiderable proof of the deity of Christ; and so the Targum of
Jonathan paraphrases it,"and the people thought in their heart, and spake
against the Word of the Lord,'the essential Word and Son of God:
and against Moses; his servant, for obeying the orders of the
Lord, and leading and guiding the people as he directed him:
wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the
wilderness? ascribing this equally to God and to Moses; using a strange
word, as Aben Ezra calls it, being in a great passion, and not considering well
what they said; showing great ingratitude for such a mercy, and representing it
in a wrong light, as if the intent of bringing them from thence was to slay
them in the wilderness:
for there is no bread; no bread corn, nothing
in the wilderness to make bread of; nothing that they called and accounted
bread, otherwise they had manna, as is presently owned:
neither is there any water; any fresh water fit to
drink, otherwise they were near the sea; what they had from the rock, lately,
perhaps was now spent, and it did not follow them as the other rock had:
and our soul loatheth this light bread; the manna;
this very light, this exceeding light bread, the radicals of the wordF17הקלקל "levissime", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus,
Fagius, Vatablus; "vilissimi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
used being doubled, which increases the signification: if to be understood of
light and easy digestion, it was the more to be valued; but perhaps they meant,
it had but little substance and virtue in it, and was not filling and
satisfying; or rather that it was exceeding vile, mean, and despicable; so they
called the bread of heaven, angel's food, this wonderful gift of Providence; in
like manner is Christ, the hidden manna, treated, and his Gospel, and the
precious truths of it, by unregenerate men and carnal professors, 1 Corinthians 1:23.
Numbers 21:6 6 So the Lord sent fiery
serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of
Israel died.
YLT
6And Jehovah sendeth among
the people the burning serpents, and they bite the people, and much people of
Israel die;
And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people,.... Of which
there were great numbers in the deserts of Arabia, and about the Red sea; but
hitherto the Israelites were protected from them by the cloud about them, but
sinning, the Lord suffered them to come among them, to punish them; these are
called fiery, either from their colour, for in Arabia, as there were serpents
of a golden colour, as AelianusF18De Animal. l. 10. c. 13. relates,
to which the brazen serpent, after made, bore some likeness, so there were others
in the same parts of Arabia of a red or scarlet colour, as Diodorus Siculus
saysF19Bibliothec. l. 3. p. 180. , of a span long, and their bite
entirely incurable; or else they are so called from the effect of them,
exciting heat and thirst in those they bit; so Jarchi says, they are so called
because they burn with the poison of their teeth: these, very probably, were
flying ones, as may seem from Isaiah 14:29 and
being sent of God, might come flying among the people and bite them; and such
there were in the fenny and marshy parts of Arabia, of which many writers speakF20Herodot.
Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 15. Aelian. de Animal. l. 2. c. 38. Mela, l. 3. c. 9.
Solin. Polyhistor, c. 45. & alii. , as flying from those parts into Egypt,
where they used to be met by a bird called Ibis, which killed them, and for
that reason was had in great veneration by the Egyptians; and HerodotusF21Thalia,
sive, l. 3. c. 109. says they are nowhere but in Arabia, and alsoF23Euterpe,
sive, l. 2. c. 76. that they of that kind of serpents, which are called Hydri,
their wings are not feathered, but like the wings of bats, and this BochartF24Hierozoic.
par. 2. l. 3. c. 13. col. 423. takes to be here meant:
and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died; for, as
before related from Diodorus Siculus, their bites were altogether incurable;
and SolinusF25Polyhist. c. 45. says, of the same Arabian flying
serpents, that their poison is so quick, that death follows before the pain can
be felt; and of that kind of serpent, the Hydrus, it is said by Leo AfricanusF26Apud
Scheuchzer, Physic. Sacr. vol. 2. p. 386. , that their poison is most
pernicious, and that there is no other remedy against the bite of them, but to
cut off that part of the member bitten, before the poison can penetrate into
the other parts of the body: the Dipsas, another kind of serpent, which others
are of opinion is designed, by biting, brings immediately a thirst on persons,
intolerable and almost not extinguishable, and a deadly one, unless help is
most speedily had; and if this was the case here it was very bad indeed, since
there was no water: SolinusF1Polyhist. c. 40. says, this kind of
serpent kills with thirst; AristotleF2Hist. Animal. l. 8. c. 29.
speaks of a serpent some call the sacred one, and that whatsoever it bites
putrefies immediately all around it: these serpents, and their bites, may be
emblems of the old serpent the devil, and of his fiery darts, and of sin
brought in by him, and which he tempts unto, the effects of which are terrible
and deadly, unless prevented by the grace of God.
Numbers 21:7 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have
sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against
you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents
from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
YLT
7and the people come in unto
Moses and say, `We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah, and against
thee; pray unto Jehovah, and He doth turn aside from us the serpent;' and Moses
prayeth in behalf of the people.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, we have sinned,.... Being
bitten with serpents, and some having died, the rest were frightened, and came
and made an humble acknowledgment of their sins to Moses:
for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; murmuring at
their being brought out of Egypt, and because they had no better provision in
the wilderness; concluding they should die there for want, and never enter into
the land of Canaan, of which evils they were now sensible, and confessed them:
pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us; or "the
serpent"F3את נחש
"serpentem", Montanus; "hunc serpentem", Piscator, , in the
singular, which is put for the plural, as it often is; or the plague of the
serpent, as the Targum of Jonathan, that it might cease, and they be no more
distressed by them: they were sensible they came from God, and that none could
remove them but him; and knowing that Moses was powerful in prayer, and had
interest with God, they entreat him to be their intercessor, though they had
spoken against him and used him ill:
and Moses prayed for the people; which proves him to be
of a meek and forgiving spirit; who, though he had been so sadly reflected on,
yet readily undertakes to pray to God for them.
Numbers 21:8 8 Then the Lord said to
Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that
everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
YLT
8And Jehovah saith unto
Moses, `Make for thee a burning [serpent], and set it on an ensign; and it hath
been, every one who is bitten and hath seen it -- he hath lived.
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... Out of the cloud;
or, it may be, Moses went into the sanctuary, and there prayed, and the Lord
answered him from between the cherubim:
make them a fiery serpent; not a real one, but the
likeness of one, one that should very much resemble the fiery serpents Israel
had been bitten with:
and set it upon a pole; a standard, banner, or
ensign, as the word signifies; perhaps meaning one of the poles on which their
ensigns were carried: the Targum of Jonathan renders it, on an high place, that
so it might be seen by all in the camp:
and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he
looketh upon it, shall live; which is very wonderful, that by looking to
the figure of a serpent, men should be cured of the bites of real ones, and
which bites were deadly; the virtue of healing could not come from the figure,
but from God, who appointed it to be made, the Targum of Jonathan adds, that
one bitten should live,"if he directed his heart to the Word of the
Lord,'even to that divine Logos or Word of God, whose lifting up was figured
hereby; see John 3:14.
Numbers 21:9 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole;
and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze
serpent, he lived.
YLT
9And Moses maketh a serpent
of brass, and setteth it on the ensign, and it hath been, if the serpent hath
bitten any man, and he hath looked expectingly unto the serpent of brass -- he
hath lived.
And Moses made a serpent of brass,.... Which was the most
proper metal to make it of, that it might resemble the fiery serpents, whether
of a golden or scarlet colour: and Diodorus SiculusF4Bibliothec. l.
17. p. 560. speaks of some of the colour of brass, whose bite was immediately
followed with death, and by which, if anyone was struck, he was seized with
terrible pains, and a bloody sweat flowed all over him; and this was chosen
also, because being burnished and bright, could be seen at a great distance,
and with this metal Moses might be furnished from Punon, the next station to
this, where they now were, Zalmonah, as appears from Numbers 33:42 a
place famous for brass mines, and which JeromF5De locis Heb. fol.
91. G. says, in his time, was a little village, from whence brass metal was
dug, by such that were condemned to the mines:
and put it upon a pole; as he was directed:
and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he
beheld the serpent of brass, he lived: which was very
marvellous, and the more so, if what physicians say is true, as Kimchi relatesF6Sepher
Sherash. rad. נחש , that if a man bitten by a serpent
looks upon a piece of brass he dies immediately: the lifting up of this serpent
on a pole for such a purpose was a figure of the lifting up of Christ, either
upon the cross, or in the ministry of the word, that whosoever looks unto him
by faith may have healing; see Gill on John 3:14,where
this type or figure is largely explained: the station the Israelites were now
at, when this image was made, is called Zalmonah, which signifies an image,
shadow, or resemblance, as the brazen serpent was; from Mount Hor, where they
were last, to this place, according to BuntingF7Travels of the
Patriarchs, &c. 83. , were twenty eight miles: this serpent did not remain
in the place where it was set, but was taken with them, and continued until the
days of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18:4.
Numbers 21:10 10 Now the children of Israel moved on and camped in
Oboth.
YLT
10And the sons of Israel
journey, and encamp in Oboth.
And the children of Israel set forward,.... From
Zalmonah, and came to Punon, which, according to the above writer, was twenty
miles from it; though here indeed, some think, the brazen serpent was set up,
here being, as before observed, brass mines to furnish with that metal:
and pitched in Oboth; which was twenty four
miles from Punon, as says the same writer: the word signifies bottles; perhaps
here the Israelites got water and filled their bottles, or, as others think,
they filled them with the wine of Moab, and called the name of the place from
thence; it is perhaps the same with the Eboda of PtolemyF8Geograph.
l. 5. c. 17. , which he places in Arabia Petraea; and of which PlinyF9Nat.
Hist. l. 6. c. 28. also makes mention.
Numbers 21:11 11 And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ije
Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise.
YLT
11And they journey from
Oboth, and encamp in Ije-Abarim, in the wilderness that [is] on the front of
Moab, at the rising of the sun.
And they journeyed from Oboth,.... How long they stayed
there is not certain:
and pitched at Ijeabarim; which, according to
BuntingF11Ut supra. (Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. 83.) , was
sixteen miles from Oboth; Jarchi says it was the way that passengers pass by
Mount Nebo to the land of Canaan, and which divides between the land of Moab
and the land of the Amorites:
in the wilderness which is before Moab; called the
wilderness of Moab, Deuteronomy 2:8.
towards the sunrising; the east side of the
land of Moab, Judges 11:18.
Numbers 21:12 12 From there they moved and camped in the Valley of
Zered.
YLT
12From thence they have
journeyed, and encamp in the valley of Zared.
From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zered. Or the brook
Zered, as in Deuteronomy 13:14
that is near it: this seems to be the same station with Dibongad, Numbers 33:45, and
which, according to the above writer, was sixteen miles from Ijeabarim.
Numbers 21:13 13 From there they moved and camped on the other side of
the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of
the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the
Amorites.
YLT
13From thence they have
journeyed, and encamp beyond Arnon, which [is] in the wilderness which is
coming out of the border of the Amorite, for Arnon [is] the border of Moab,
between Moab and the Amorite;
From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon,.... A river
on the borders of Moab:
which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the
Amorites; according to Jarchi, they went round the land of Moab, all to
the south and east, and came not into the border of Moab, as Jephthah said, Judges 11:18 but
before they came hither they had a station at Almondiblathaim, Numbers 33:46.
for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites; a river which
divided these two countries, and bounded them; and Moses is the more particular
in this account, to show that the Israelites took nothing from the Moabites,
but what the Amorites had taken from them, they being charged not to distress
the Moabites and Ammonites, Deuteronomy 2:9,
see Jephthah's defence, Judges 11:15.
Numbers 21:14 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah,[b] The brooks
of the Arnon,
YLT
14therefore it is said in a
book, `The wars of Jehovah,' -- `Waheb in Suphah, And the brooks of Arnon;
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord,.... A history
of wars in former times, which the Lord had suffered to be in the world; and
which, as Aben Ezra thinks, reached from the times of Abraham and so might
begin with the battle of the kings in his time, and take in others in later
times, and particularly those of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and his conquests
of some parts of Moab; and to this book, which might be written by some one of
those nations, Moses refers in proof of what he here says:
what he did in the Red sea; that is, what Sihon king
of the Amorites did, or the Lord by him, "at Vaheb in Suphah", as the
words may be rendered; either against a king, or rather city, of Moab, whose
name was Vaheb, in the borders of the land of Moab, or how he destroyed that
city Vaheb with a storm or terrible assaultF12Vid. L'Empereur. Not.
in Mosis Kimchi οδοιπορια p. 195. :
and in the brooks of Arnon: some places situated on
the streams of that river, which were taken by the Amorites from the Moabites,
as the book quoted plainly testified.
Numbers 21:15 15 And the slope of the brooks That reaches to the
dwelling of Ar, And lies on the border of Moab.”
YLT
15And the spring of the
brooks, Which turned aside to the dwelling of Ar, And hath leaned to the border
of Moab.'
And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of
Ar,.... All that part of the country which lay upon the stream, as
far as the city of Ar, the metropolis of Moab, called Ar of Moab, Isaiah 15:1,
and lieth upon the border of Moab; as that city did; so far
goes the quotation out of the aforesaid book, as a proof of what was taken by
the Amorites from the Moabites, and were not in their possession when Israel
were upon their borders; and therefore, in taking them from the Amorites, did
no wrong to Moab.
Numbers 21:16 16 From there they went to Beer, which is
the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the
people together, and I will give them water.”
YLT
16And from thence [they
journeyed] to Beer; it [is] the well [concerning] which Jehovah said to Moses,
`Gather the people, and I give to them -- water.'
And from thence they went to Beer,.... A place so called
from a well which sprung up here, of which the following account is given:
that is, the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses; promising him
to give it to the children of Israel, without asking for it; which was a very
singular favour, and for which they were thankful: saying to him:
gather the people together, and I will give them water; for as they
were now gone from the river Arnon, and the streams and brooks of it, they
might be in want of water, though they did not murmur as they had been used to
do; and without their petition for it, the Lord promises to give it to them;
and that they might be witness of the miracle that would be wrought for them,
they are ordered to be gathered together.
Numbers 21:17 17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! All of
you sing to it—
YLT
17Then singeth Israel this
song, concerning the well -- they have answered to it:
Then Israel sang this song,.... Being affected with
the free favour and good will of God towards them:
spring up, O well; for the springing up of which they prayed
in faith, believing in the promise of God, that it would spring up; and so
encouraged one another not only to believe it, but even to sing on account of
it before it actually did:
sing ye unto it; or on account of it praise the Lord for it;
or "answer to it"F13ענו לה "respondete ei", Montanus; "alternis
canite ei", Tigurine version, Piscator. , it being their manner to sing
their songs by responses, or alternately.
Numbers 21:18 18 The well the leaders sank, Dug by the nation’s nobles,
By the lawgiver, with their staves.” And from the wilderness they went
to Mattanah,
YLT
18`A well -- digged it have
princes, Prepared it have nobles of the people, With the lawgiver, with their
staves.' And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah,
The princes digged the well,.... The princes and
heads of the several tribes:
the nobles of the people digged it; the seventy elders,
according to the Targum of Jonathan:
by the direction of the lawgiver; either the Lord himself,
the lawgiver of his people, who pointed out the spot, and directed the princes
where to dig, that is, be did this by Moses; and who, as Jarchi thinks, is the
lawgiver, and not amiss: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render the word
by Scribes, in the plural number, and interpret them of Moses and Aaron: and
this the princes and nobles "dug with their staves"; either their
walking sticks, or their rods, the ensigns of their authority; with these they
smote the ground, or stuck them in a soft and sandy place, upon which the
waters bubbled up and flowed out. Dr. ShawF14Travels, p. 67. Ed. 2.
chooses to render the words, "with their united applause", or
"clapping of hands", as the word שען in
Chaldee signifies; or it may be expressed, as by Dr. Hunt, quoted by him,
"by describing" or "marking out" the figure or fashion of
the well "with staves". Mr. Ainsworth thinks that this well signified
Christ, the fountain of gardens, and well of living waters; and the waters of
it the Spirit and his graces, which are a well of living water springing up
unto everlasting life; the means of which are the labours of the governors of
the church, the ministers of Christ,by preaching the word, and opening the
Scriptures; and such grace is worthy of a song, and to be had with joy out of
the wells of salvation, Isaiah 12:3,
and from the wilderness they went to Mattanah; from the
wilderness near Arnon, which came out of the coasts of the Amorites, Numbers 21:13 to a
place which signifies a gift. The Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render
it,"and from the wilderness it was given to them for a gift'that is, the
well; and so the people of God, that are called out of the wilderness of this
world, and come up from it, are called to partake of the gifts and blessings of
grace, which are freely given unto them of God.
Numbers 21:19 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
YLT
19and from Mattanah to
Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth. All the
Targums interpret this, and the following verse, not of the journeying of the
children of Israel, but of the motion of the well, that that, from the place
from whence it was given them, descended with them into the valleys, and from
thence to the high places, as these words signify: and indeed those places are
not mentioned in the journeys of the children of Israel, Numbers 33:1 and
were not stations where they pitched, but places they passed through before
they came to Abarim, and the wilderness of Kedemoth.
Numbers 21:20 20 and from Bamoth, in the valley that is
in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the wasteland.[c]
YLT
20and from Bamoth in the
valley which [is] in the field of Moab [to] the top of Pisgah, which hath
looked on the front of the wilderness.
And from Bamoth, in the valley,.... Or rather
"to the valley", as the Targum of Onkelos, since Bamoth signifies
high places; though, according to the Jerusalem TalmudF15Sheviith,
fol. 38. 4. , Bamoth, Baal, which seems to be the same place, was in a plain:
that is in the country of Moab; the valley belonged to
Moab, into which Israel came:
to the top of Pisgah; not that the valley
reached to the top, nor did the children of Israel go to the top of it, only
Moses, but rather to the bottom, which indeed is meant; for it intends the
beginning of it, where Pisgah, which was an high mountain near the plains of
Moab, began, and which was properly the foot of it:
which looketh towards Jeshimon; that is, Pisgah, as
Jarchi rightly interprets it, which looked over a place called Jeshimon; and
which signifies a wilderness, and is no other indeed than the wilderness of
Kedemoth, Deuteronomy 2:26
for from thence the following messengers were sent.
Numbers 21:21 21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the
Amorites, saying,
YLT
21And Israel sendeth
messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorite, saying,
And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites,.... Who were
one of the nations of the Canaanites, and a principal and powerful one, and who
were devoted to destruction, and their land designed for the people of Israel;
see Genesis 15:16, at
this time Sihon was their king, to whom Moses, in the name of Israel, sent a
very peaceable message from the wilderness of Kedemoth, which lay near his
country, Deuteronomy 2:26,
saying; as follows.
Numbers 21:22 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside
into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the
King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
YLT
22`Let me pass through thy
land, we do not turn aside into a field, or into a vineyard, we do not drink
waters of a well; in the king's way we go, till that we pass over thy border.'
Let me pass through thy land,.... Through some part of
it, which would have been a shorter way to the river Jordan, over which Israel
was to pass into the land of Canaan; the terms proposed, or things to be
observed in their passage, which they would bind themselves strictly to, are
the same that were made to the king of Edom. See Gill on Numbers 20:17.
Numbers 21:23 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his
territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against
Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
YLT
23And Sihon hath not suffered
Israel to pass through his border, and Sihon gathereth all his people, and
cometh out to meet Israel into the wilderness, and cometh in to Jahaz, and
fighteth against Israel.
And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border,.... Because
he could not trust them, and confide in the promises they made, and thought it
not safe to let such a body of people into any part of his dominions, Judges 11:20 and
chiefly because his heart was hardened by the Lord, that he might be delivered
into the hands of Israel, as was determined, Deuteronomy 2:30,
but Sihon gathered all his people together; all that were
able to bear arms out of his cities, and which made no doubt a very numerous
and powerful army; but then these being defeated, as they were, it became more
easy to the Israelites to take their cities, where there were none left but
women and children:
and went out against Israel into the wilderness; the
wilderness of Kedemoth; not content to reject a peaceable message, he went out
in an hostile manner against Israel, even out of his own dominions; so that he
was the aggressor and unprovoked, which made his ruin appear the more just, and
the children of Israel to have a better claim to his country conquered by them:
and he came to Jahaz; a frontier town in the
land of Moab, see Isaiah 15:4 and
which, according to BuntingF16Travels of the Patriarchs, p. 83. ,
was sixteen miles from Abarim:
and fought against Israel; at the above place,
where they had a pitched battle.
Numbers 21:24 24 Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword,
and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the
people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified.
YLT
24And Israel smiteth him by
the mouth of the sword, and possesseth his land from Arnon unto Jabbok -- unto
the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon [is] strong.
And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword,.... Slew him
and his army, entirely routed them, and got a complete victory over them; God
giving them up into their hands, who otherwise were a very strong, powerful,
and warlike people; see Amos 2:9.
and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok; two rivers,
the one to the south, the other to the north of his country; the one was the
boundary of his country between him and the Moabites, the other the boundary of
his country between him and the Ammonites, as it follows:
even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of
Ammon was strong; which is given as a reason why the Israelites proceeded no
further in their conquest; there was another reason for that, which was the order
of the Lord not to distress the Ammonites, nor meddle with them; though Jarchi
makes this prohibition to be their strength, Deuteronomy 2:19,
but this is given as a reason why Sihon could not extend his conquests further,
because it was so well fortified, either by nature or art, or both, by the
river Jabbok, by mountains and frontier towns, and particularly by Rabbah, as
the Targum of Jonathan suggests, which was their royal city in later times, and
a very strong place; see 2 Samuel 12:26.
Numbers 21:25 25 So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in
all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages.
YLT
25And Israel taketh all these
cities, and Israel dwelleth in all the cities of the Amorite, in Heshbon, and
in all its villages;
And Israel took all these cities,.... Which lay between
the rivers Arnon and Jabbok; their particular names may be seen in Numbers 32:3,
and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites; being given
to the Reubenites and Gadites, who inhabited them, as their possession and
inheritance, Numbers 32:2,
in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof; or
"daughters thereof"F17בנתיה
"filiabus ejus", Montanus, Munster, Fagius, Grotius. . Heshbon was
the metropolis or mother city, and all the towns and villages adjacent were as
daughters to it; of which city more is said in the following verses; see Gill
on Isaiah 15:4.
Numbers 21:26 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the
Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his
land from his hand as far as the Arnon.
YLT
26for Heshbon is a city of
Sihon king of the Amorite, and he hath fought against the former king of Moab,
and taketh all his land out of his hand, unto Arnon;
For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites,.... His royal
city, where he kept his palace, where he had resided for some time, and perhaps
some of his predecessors; and therefore being now in his possession when taken
by the Israelites, they had a good right and title to keep it, and dwell in it:
and indeed this is here given as a reason of it:
who had fought against the former king of Moab; either the
king that reigned before Balak, or some king of Moab, that reigned formerly,
against whom one of the name of Sihon, which might be a common name to the
kings of the Amorites, as Pharaoh to the Egyptians, had engaged in war:
and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon; and had been
in the hands of the Amorites some years; and therefore the Moabites had no
reason to object to the Israelites dwelling in it, and possessing it, which
they had not taken from them, but from the Amorites in a lawful war. And for
proof of this, reference is had to the bards and poets of those times, who were
the persons that transmitted in verse the history of famous actions to posterity.
Numbers 21:27 27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say: “Come to
Heshbon, let it be built; Let the city of Sihon be repaired.
YLT
27therefore those using
similes say -- `Enter ye Heshbon, Let the city of Sihon be built and ready,
Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say,.... The
historical writers of those times, among the Amorites, who were usually poets,
and wrote the history of the wars between the Moabites and Amorites in verse;
as Homer among the Greeks wrote the wars of Troy; and the compositions of those
ancient bards were short and compendious, and wrapped up in proverbial sayings,
and enigmatical and figurative expressions, that they might be the better
retained in memory, and therefore were called proverbialists. Jarchi says, they
were Balaam and Beor that took up their parables, and said:
come into Heshbon; which words are the beginning of the song,
and in which the Amorites are represented as inviting Sihon, and his nobles, to
enter Heshbon, which he had taken, and make it his royal seat; or as
encouraging one another to go into it and repair it, having suffered much at
the taking of it, which seems to be confirmed by what follows:
let the city of Sihon be built and prepared; that is, let
us set about rebuilding of the city, and let us fit it up for Sihon our king,
and let it be called his city, and made the place of his residence, his palace,
and where his court may be kept.
Numbers 21:28 28 “For fire went out from Heshbon, A flame from the city
of Sihon; It consumed Ar of Moab, The lords of the heights of the Arnon.
YLT
28For fire hath gone out from
Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon, It hath consumed Ar of Moab, Owners of
the high places of Arnon.
For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon,.... Not
before, but after Sihon had subdued it, as Jarchi observes; and is to be
understood of his soldiers going out from thence, and making desolations in the
adjacent parts, like a strong fire, and the fierce flames of it there is no
resisting; and so the Jerusalem Targum,"for a people mighty, and burning
like fire, are gone out of Heshbon:'see Amos 1:4, a flame
from the city of Sihon: which is the same thing in other words, the city of
Sihon being Heshbon, and a flame the same with fire; warriors, as both the
Targums of Oakelos and Jerusalem interpret it; this seems to be what those
composers undertook in their poetical way to foretell would be the case in
future times; concluding, from the conquests already made, that they would be
extended much further, and that no opposition could hinder:
it hath consumed Ar of Moab; the metropolis of the
country of Moab, that is, they were as sure of it, and endeavoured to make the
people by these their compositions as confident of it, that this city would
fall into the hands of their armies, and be destroyed, as if it was already
done; otherwise it does not appear that it ever was taken out of the hands of
the Moabites, until taken by the Assyrians or Chaldeans; of this city See Gill
on Isaiah 15:1.
and the lords of the high places of Arnon; who had the
government of the high, strong, and fortified places all along the river Arnon;
these it is suggested would be conquered by the Amorites; all the three Targums
interpret it of the priests and worshippers in the temples, and at the altars
of the idols in Arnon; and it may be rendered, "the Baals of the high places
of Arnon", as if the gods of those places should fall into the victors'
hands; and which seems to have some confirmation from what follows; and it may
be observed, that in these parts there were some places called Bamoth Baal, or
the high places of Baal, see Numbers 22:41, and
Beth Baal Meon, which has its name from its being the temple and habitation of
Baal, Joshua 13:17.
Numbers 21:29 29 Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of
Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, To
Sihon king of the Amorites.
YLT
29Wo to thee, O Moab, Thou
hast perished, O people of Chemosh, He hath given his sons who escape -- Also
his daughters -- Into captivity, to a king of the Amorite -- Sihon!
Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone,.... The whole country
ruined, or likely to be so:
O people of Chemosh; which was the name of
their idol, who is called the abomination of the Moabites, 1 Kings 11:7,
he hath given his sons that escaped; that is, the idol
Chemosh had given his sons, the men of the country that worshipped him, who
escaped the sword of the Amorites, these:
and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites; who took
captive what he slew not, or would do so, Chemosh their god not being able to
preserve them, but obliged to deliver them up: thus the composers of this song
insult the god of the Moabites, as it was usual for conquerors so to do; see Isaiah 10:10,
though some think these are the words of the Israelites, making their
observations upon the above song, which ends at verse twenty eight, and
scoffing at the idol of the Moabites.
Numbers 21:30 30 “But we have shot at them; Heshbon has perished as far
as Dibon. Then we laid waste as far as Nophah, Which reaches to Medeba.”
YLT
30And we shoot them, Perished
hath Heshbon unto Dibon, And we make desolate unto Nophah, Which [is] unto
Medeba.'
We have shot at them,.... Either the
Amorites at the Moabites, or else the Israelites at the Amorites; for,
according to Aben Ezra, these are the words of Moses, though they, with Numbers 21:29, seem
rather to be a continuation of the song of the old Amorite bards, describing
the ruin of the country of Moab by them; and this clause may be rendered with
the next, "their light, or lamp, is perished from Heshbon"F18נירם אבד חשבון
"lucerna eorum, Heshbon (seilicet) periit", Tigurine version;
"regnum eorum periit a Chesbon", Pagninus, Vatablus; "imperium
eorum", Munster. ; or their yoke, as Jarchi, and so the Vulgate Latin
version; that is, their kingdom, and the glory of it, as the Targums of Onkelos
and Jonathan interpret it, and so Jarchi:
even unto Dibon; which was another city in the land of Moab;
see Isaiah 15:2,
and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reached
unto Medeba; Nophah perhaps is the same with Nebo, mentioned along with
Medeba, Isaiah 15:2,
however, they were both places in Moab, and are mentioned to show how far the
desolation had or would spread; and the whole is observed to prove, that this
part of the country of Moab, now possessed by the Israelites, was taken from
them, not by them, but by the Amorites, a people Israel now conquered, and so
had a right to what they found them in the possession of.
Numbers 21:31 31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
YLT
31And Israel dwelleth in the
land of the Amorite,
Thus Israel dwelt in the
land of the Amorites. Not the land of the Moabites; and by those means before
mentioned; by conquering Sihon their king, they came into the possession of it,
and took up their dwelling in it; this was the beginning of the conquest of the
Canaanites, and an earnest and pledge of inheriting their land promised unto
them; the Israelites that dwelt here were the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
Numbers 21:32 32 Then Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its
villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
YLT
32and Moses sendeth to spy
out Jaazer, and they capture its villages, and dispossess the Amorite who [is]
there,
And Moses sent to spy out
Jaazer,.... Or Jazer, as it is called in Isaiah 16:9, another
city that belonged to the Amorites, and which they had taken from the Moabites;
and which came into the hands of the latter again, after the captivity of the
ten tribes, as appears from the above places; according to JeromF19De
locis Heb. fol. 92. G. , it was fifteen miles distant from Heshbon:
and they took the villages thereof; not the spies, as
Jarchi, but the Israelites under Moses; who upon the return of the spies, and
the report they made, marched towards it, and took it, and all the towns and
villages round about it; for it seems to have been a principal city:
and drove out the Amorites that were there; that dwelt
there, and were in possession of it; otherwise they would not have attacked it,
had it, and its villages, been in the hands of the Moabites.
Numbers 21:33 33 And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. So
Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at
Edrei.
YLT
33and turn and go up the way
of Bashan, and Og king of Bashan cometh out to meet them, he and all his
people, to battle, [at] Edrei.
And they turned,.... From
Jaazer, after they had taken it, and came back a little way:
and went up by the way of Bashan; which was a nearer way
to Canaan, a fine country abounding with oxen and sheep, having rich pastures,
and very famous for its oaks; it had its name from the mountain of Bashan in
it, and has been since called Batanea; it was at this time in the hands of the
Amorites, and from them it was taken by Israel, as follows: who marched this
way for that purpose, or at least were so directed by the providence of God for
that end:
and Og king of Bashan went out against them; who was of
the race of the giants, and he himself of a gigantic stature, and was a king of
the Amorites, as well as Sihon, Deuteronomy 3:8, he
came out in an hostile manner against Israel, to stop them going any further:
he, and all his people: out of his many cities,
a numerous army no doubt:
to the battle at Edrei; where it was fought
between him and Israel. Jerom saysF20De locis Heb. fol. 87. I. &
92. M. it was in his time called Adara, a famous city of Arabia, twenty four or
twenty five miles from Bozra, and six from Ashtaroth Karnaim, the ancient seat
of the Rephaim, or giants from whom Og sprung, Genesis 14:5, and
was the seat of Og now, from whence he came to Edrei or Adara, to meet and
fight Israel there; see Deuteronomy 1:4.
Numbers 21:34 34 Then the Lord said to
Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his
people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the
Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.”
YLT
34And Jehovah saith unto
Moses, `Fear him not, for into thy hand I have given him, and all his people,
and his land, and thou hast done to him as thou hast done to Sihon king of the
Amorite, who is dwelling in Heshbon.'
And the Lord said unto
Moses, fear him not,.... Og being of a gigantic stature, and his forces numerous,
might cause some fear in Moses, and in the people, and therefore the Lord
encouraged them not to be afraid of him and his army:
for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and
his land; that is, he had determined to do it, and now promised it, and it
might be depended on and looked upon as if actually done:
and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the
Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon; slay him and his people,
and take possession of his country.
Numbers 21:35 35 So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people,
until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.
YLT
35And they smite him, and his
sons, and all his people, until he hath not left to him a remnant, and they
possess his land.
So they smote him and his sons, and all his people,.... They
engaged in battle with him, slew him and his sons that came with him, and all
his armies; and which consisted, as is probable, of all able to bear arms in
all his cities; which the more easily came into the hands of the Israelites
after this battle, in which such a carnage was made:
until there was none left him alive; so universal was the
slaughter at the battle, and in the cities that fell into their hands; they
utterly destroyed men, women, and children, Deuteronomy 3:3,
and they possessed his land; in which were sixty
cities fenced with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a great many unwalled
towns; these were possessed by the half tribe of Manasseh, Deuteronomy 3:4.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)