Numbers 21:28-35

28 fire went out of Heshbon, flame went out of the city of Sihon, and devoured (the city of) Ar of (the) Moabites, and the dwellers of the high places of (the) Arnon (and the inhabitants of the high places of the Arnon River).
29 Moab, woe to thee! thou, people of Chemosh, hast perished; it gave the sons thereof into flight, and the daughters into captivity to Sihon, king of Amorites; (Moab, woe to thee! O people of Chemosh, now ye have perished; thy god hath given his sons into flight, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon, the king of the Amorites;)
30 the yoke, or lordship, of them perished (their yoke, or their rule, hath now ended), from Heshbon unto Dibon; the weary men came into Nophah, and unto Medeba.
31 And so Israel dwelled in the land of (the) Amorites.
32 And Moses sent men that should espy Jaazer, whose towns they took, and wielded the dwellers. (And Moses sent men to spy out Jaazer, and then they took it, and its towns, and drove out all of its inhabitants.)
33 And they turned themselves (And then they turned), and went up by the way of Bashan. And Og, the king of Bashan, with all his people, came against them, to fight in Edrei.
34 And the Lord said to Moses, Dread thou not him, for I have betaken him, and all his land, and all his people, in thine hand; and thou shalt do to him as thou didest to Sihon, king of Amorites, the dweller of Heshbon. (And the Lord said to Moses, Do not thou fear him, for I have delivered him, and all his land, and all his people, into thy hands; and thou shalt do to him as thou didest to Sihon, the king of Amorites, and the inhabitants of Heshbon.)
35 Therefore they smote Og with his sons, and all his people, unto [the] death; and they wielded his land. (And so they struck down Og and his sons, and all his people, unto the death; and then they occupied his land.)

Numbers 21:28-35 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.