Numbers 21:1-18

1 And when [the] Canaanite, the king of Arad, that dwelled at the south, had heard this, that is, that Israel came by the way of [the] spyers (that the Israelites came by the way of Atharim), he fought against them; and (the) Canaanite was the overcomer, and he led away (as) prey (some of) the men of Israel.
2 And Israel bound himself by a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou shalt betake this people in(to) mine hand, I shall do away their cities. (And the Israelites bound themselves with a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou shalt deliver these people into our hands, we shall do away their cities.)
3 And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and betook to them the Canaanites; and Israel killed him, and destroyed his cities; and Israel called the name of that place Hormah, that is, cursing. (And the Lord heard the prayers of the Israelites, and delivered the Canaanites unto them; and the Israelites killed them, and destroyed their cities; and the Israelites called the name of that place Hormah, that is, Cursing.)
4 Soothly Israel went forth from the hill of Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, that they would compass the land of Edom; and it began to annoy the people, of the way and [of the] travail. (And the Israelites went forth from Mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to by-pass the land of Edom; and the way, and all the tribulation, began to vex the people.)
5 And the people spake against the Lord, and Moses, and said, Why leddest thou us out of Egypt, that we should die in wilderness? bread faileth, waters be not; our soul loatheth now on this meat most light. (And the people spoke against the Lord, and Moses, and said, Why leddest thou us out of Egypt, so that we would die here in this wilderness? bread faileth us, waters be not; and our souls now loathe this most light food, yea, this manna!)
6 Wherefore the Lord sent fired serpents/fiery adders into the people; at the wounds of which serpents, and (after) the deaths of full many men, (And so the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people; and they bit many of them, and after many people had died,)
7 they came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we spake against the Lord, and thee; pray thou (the Lord), that he take away from us the serpents (pray thou to the Lord, that he take these snakes away from us). And Moses prayed for the people;
8 and the Lord said to him, Make thou a [brazen] serpent, and set thou it in a perch; he that is smitten and beholdeth it, shall live. (and the Lord said to him, Make thou a bronze snake, and put it up on a pole; he who is struck, or is bitten, and seeth it, shall live.)
9 Therefore Moses made a serpent of brass, and setted (it) in a perch; and (those) men (who were) hurt, and beholding it, were healed. (And so Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it up on a pole; and those who were bitten, and looked at it, were healed.)
10 And the sons of Israel went forth, and setted tents in Oboth; (And the Israelites went forth, and pitched their tents at Oboth;)
11 from whence they went forth, and setted tents in Iyeabarim, in the wilderness that beholdeth Moab, against the east coast. (and they went forth from there, and pitched their tents in Iyeabarim, in the wilderness on Moab's eastern border.)
12 And they moved from thence, and came to the strand of Zared; (And they went from there, and came to the valley of the Zared River;)
13 which they left, and setted tents against (the) Arnon, which is in the desert, and it appeareth in the coasts of Amorites. Forsooth (the) Arnon is the term of Moab, and parteth Moabites and Amorites. (and they left there, and pitched their tents on the north side of the Arnon River, which is in the wilderness, that goeth into the land of the Amorites. The Arnon River is the border of Moab, and it separateth the Moabites and the Amorites.)
14 Wherefore it is said in the book of battles of the Lord, As he did in the Red Sea, so he shall do in the strands of (the) Arnon; (And so it is said in the Book of the Battles of the Lord, As he did at the Red Sea, so he also did at the Arnon River,)
15 the hard rocks of the strands were bowed down, that they shall rest in Ar, or abide there, and should lie in the coasts of Moabites. (and from the cliffs of the river, down to the city of Ar, that sitteth on the border of Moab.)
16 From that place (they went to where) the well appeared, of which the Lord spake to Moses, Gather thou together the people, and I shall give water to it. (From there they went to Beer, that is, The Well, of which the Lord spoke to Moses, and said, Gather thou the people together, and I shall give them water.)
17 Then Israel sang this song, The water of the well, ascend up; they sang together, (Then Israel sang this song, Go ye up, water of the well; yea, we sing to thee,)
18 The well which the princes digged, and the dukes of the multitude made ready, in the giver of the law, and in their staves (The well from the Giver of the Law, which the leaders dug, yea, which the leaders of the multitude brought forth with their staffs). And (then) they went forth from the wilderness to Mattanah,

Numbers 21:1-18 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.