Números 21:3

3 El SEÑOR atendió a la súplica de los israelitas y les concedió la victoria sobre los cananeos, a los que destruyeron por completo, junto con sus ciudades. Por eso a aquel lugar se le llamó Jormá.^[a]

Números 21:3 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 21:3

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.

Números 21:3 In-Context

1 Cuando el cananeo que reinaba en la ciudad de Arad y vivía en el Néguev se enteró de que los israelitas venían por el camino de Atarín, los atacó y capturó a algunos de ellos.

2 Entonces el pueblo de Israel hizo este voto al SEÑOR: «Si tú nos aseguras la victoria sobre este enemigo, destruiremos por completo sus ciudades».

3 El SEÑOR atendió a la súplica de los israelitas y les concedió la victoria sobre los cananeos, a los que destruyeron por completo, junto con sus ciudades. Por eso a aquel lugar se le llamó Jormá.

4 Los israelitas salieron del monte Hor por la ruta del Mar Rojo, bordeando el territorio de Edom. En el camino se impacientaron

5 y comenzaron a hablar contra Dios y contra Moisés:—¿Para qué nos trajeron ustedes de Egipto a morir en este desierto? ¡Aquí no hay pan ni agua! ¡Ya estamos hartos de esta pésima comida!

Footnotes

• [a]. En hebreo, "Jormá " significa "destrucción" .