Old Testament Commentary - Numbers 21

Don R. Hender


Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
            CHAPTER 21           

Israel destroys those Canaanites who fight against her —She is plagued with fiery serpents—Moses lifts up a serpent of brass to save those who look thereon—Israel defeats Amorites and destroys people of Bashan and occupies their lands.

  1 AND when aking bArad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the csouth, heard tell that Israel came by the way of dthe spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
  2 And Israel vowed a avow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
  3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly adestroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place bHormah.
  4 ¶ And they journeyed from mount aHor by the way of the bRed sea, to ccompass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
  5 And the people aspake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
  6 And the LORD sent afiery bserpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
  7 ¶ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have asinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses bprayed for the people.
  8 And the LORD said unto Moses, aMake thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a polea: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall blive.
  9 And Moses made a aserpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
 8a set it upon a pole The pole was that which paralleled the cross upon which Jesus Christ would be lifted up upon.
  10 ¶ And the children of Israel set forward, and apitched in Oboth.
  11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is abefore Moab, toward the sunrising.
  12 ¶ From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.
  13 From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that acometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for bArnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
  14 Wherefore it is said in the abook of the wars of the LORDa, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,
  15 And at the astream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.
  16 And from thence they went to aBeer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
 14a the book of the wars of the LORD Now the Bible was not compiled together until the days of Exekiel in Babylon and not all of the records were added thereto nor were they any longer available. Many words of many prophets were not included such as Zenos, Neum and Zenock, and other record and history books were either 'lost' or not included but refernced only. Here is reference to 'the book of the wars of the LORD', no such book is today had or known other than this mention of it, that it did exist. It likely detailed all the wars which the LORD aided in their victories and included such as Israel's need to look to God and live righteously.
  17 ¶ Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
  18 The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:
  19 And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:
  20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which alooketh toward Jeshimon.
  21 ¶ And Israel sent messengers unto aSihon king of the bAmorites, saying,
  22 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.
  23 And aSihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his bborder: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
  24 And Israel asmote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from bArnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
  25 And Israel took all these acities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.
  26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
  27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and aprepared:
  28 For there is a fire gone out of aHeshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.
  29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of aChemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
  30 We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.
  31 ¶ Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
  32 And Moses sent to spy out aJaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
  33 ¶ And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and aOg the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.
  34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the aAmorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
  35 So they asmote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.