Numbers 21:1-8

Arad Conquered

1 When the Canaanite, the king of ¹Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.

2 So ²Israel 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."

3 The LORD heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called ³Hormah.

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red * Sea, to ⁴go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.

5 The people spoke against God and Moses, "⁵Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and ⁶we loathe this miserable food."

The Bronze Serpent

6 ⁷The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and ⁸they bit the people, so that ⁹many people of Israel died.

7 ¹⁰So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; ¹¹intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.

8 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a ¹²fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."

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Numbers 21:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 21

This chapter gives an account of the defeat of King Arad, the Canaanite, Nu 21:1-3 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, Nu 21:4-6 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, Nu 21:7-9 and of the several journeys and stations of the children of Israel, until they came to the land of the Amorites, Nu 21:10-20, 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, Nu 21:21-32 and the chapter is concluded with the defeat of Og, king of Bashan, Nu 21:33-35.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 12

1. Numbers 33:40; Joshua 12:14; Judges 1:16
2. Genesis 28:20; Judges 11:30
3. Numbers 14:45
4. Deuteronomy 2:8
5. Numbers 14:2, 3
6. Numbers 11:6
7. Deuteronomy 8:15
8. Jeremiah 8:17
9. 1 Corinthians 10:9
10. Numbers 11:2; Psalms 78:34; Isaiah 26:16; Hosea 5:15
11. Exodus 8:8; 1 Samuel 12:19; Acts 8:24
12. Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 30:6; John 3:14

Footnotes 10

[a]. I.e. South country
[b]. Or "the spies"
[c]. Lit "devote to destruction"
[d]. Lit "devoted to destruction"
[e]. I.e. a devoted thing; or Destruction
[f]. Lit "Sea of Reeds"
[g]. Lit "soul of the people was short"
[h]. Lit "bread"
[i]. Lit "our soul loathes"
[j]. Lit "Make for yourself"