Numbers 20:22

22 Wherefore Israel turned away from him. And when Israel had moved their tents from Kadesh, they came into the hill of Hor, (And so Israel turned, and went by another way. And when they had moved on from Kadesh, they came to Mount Hor,)

Numbers 20:22 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 20:22

And the children of Israel, [even] the whole congregation,
journeyed from Kadesh
Not directly, but after they had continued there some time, and had furnished themselves with provisions for their journey, which they bought of the Edomites, see ( Judges 11:17 ) , "the whole congregation" is observed to Journey from hence, not one of them being lost by the king of Edom's coming out against them; these went out complete and perfect, safe and sound:

and came unto Mount Hor;
which, according to Bunting F6, was forty eight miles from Kadesh; this had not its name from the Horim or Horites, nor they from that, their name being written with a different letter, but from Harar, a mountain, for the word itself signifies a mountain; wherefore it may be rendered, "a mountain of the mountain", which Jarchi interprets a mountain on the top of a mountain. Josephus


FOOTNOTES:

F7 says, that here stood a city, formerly called Arce, since Petra, surrounded with an high mountain, where Aaron went and died; and Pliny says F8 of Petra, that it is encompassed with inaccessible mountains.


F6 Travels of the Patriarchs p. 83.
F7 Antiqu. l. 4. c. 4. sect. 7.
F8 Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28.

Numbers 20:22 In-Context

20 And he answered, Ye shall not pass by me. And anon he went out against Israel, with a multitude without number, and [with a] strong hand/and with strong power, (And they answered, Ye shall not pass through our land. And at once the Edomites went out against Israel, in a multitude without number, and with mighty power,)
21 neither he would assent to Israel beseeching, that he should grant passage by his coasts. (for they would not agree to Israel's beseeching, to grant them passage through their land.)
22 Wherefore Israel turned away from him. And when Israel had moved their tents from Kadesh, they came into the hill of Hor, (And so Israel turned, and went by another way. And when they had moved on from Kadesh, they came to Mount Hor,)
23 which is in the ends of the land of Edom (which is near Edom's border); where the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
24 Aaron (shall) go to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I gave to the sons of Israel, for he was unbelieveful to my word, at the waters of against-saying. (Aaron shall now go to his people, that is, he shall die; for he shall not enter into the land which I gave to the Israelites, for he did not believe my word at the waters of Meribah.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.