Numbers 21:29

29 Doom, Moab! The people of Chemosh, done for! Sons turned out as fugitives, daughters abandoned as captives to the king of the Amorites, to Sihon.

Numbers 21:29 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 21:29

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 ) (See Gill on Jeremiah 48:7):

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 Isaiah 10:11 ) ( 36:18-20 ) , 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 21:29 In-Context

27 That is why the folk singers sing, Come to Heshbon to rebuild the city, restore Sihon's town.
28 Fire once poured out of Heshbon, flames from the city of Sihon; Burning up Ar of Moab, the natives of Arnon's heights.
29 Doom, Moab! The people of Chemosh, done for! Sons turned out as fugitives, daughters abandoned as captives to the king of the Amorites, to Sihon.
30 Oh, but we finished them off: Nothing left of Heshbon as far as Dibon; Devastation as far off as Nophah, scorched earth all the way to Medeba.
31 Israel moved in and lived in Amorite country.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.