Numberi 21:3

3 De HEERE dan verhoorde de stem van Israel, en gaf de Kanaanieten over; en hij verbande hen en hun steden; en hij noemde den naam dier plaats Horma.

Numberi 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.

Numberi 21:3 In-Context

1 Als de Kanaaniet, de koning van Harad, wonende tegen het zuiden, hoorde, dat Israel door den weg der verspieders kwam, zo streed hij tegen Israel, en hij voerde enige gevangenen uit denzelven gevankelijk weg.
2 Toen beloofde Israel den HEERE een gelofte, en zeide: Indien Gij dit volk geheel in mijn hand geeft, zo zal ik hun steden verbannen.
3 De HEERE dan verhoorde de stem van Israel, en gaf de Kanaanieten over; en hij verbande hen en hun steden; en hij noemde den naam dier plaats Horma.
4 Toen reisden zij van den berg Hor, op den weg der Schelfzee, dat zij om het land der Edomieten heentogen; doch de ziel des volks werd verdrietig op dezen weg.
5 En het volk sprak tegen God en tegen Mozes: Waarom hebt gijlieden ons doen optrekken uit Egypte, opdat wij sterven zouden in de woestijn? Want hier is geen brood, ook geen water, en onze ziel walgt over dit zeer lichte brood.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.