Numbers 20 Study Notes

20:14-17 Moses’s message to the king of Edom followed classical Hebrew epistolary form and customary protocol of the Bronze and Iron ages. The content had all the earmarks of ancient Near Eastern diplomatic correspondence between nobles delivered by royal messengers.

The mention of the point of origin for the letter at Kadesh, a city on the border of your territory, made the king of Edom aware of Israel’s immediate need for passage. If this Kadesh is taken to be Kadesh-barnea, and if it lay near the border of Edomite territory, this implies that some of the early tribal Edomites had settled or controlled some areas west of the Arabah. Others believe the phrase means that Israel under Moses was simply approaching the Edomite region. If Edom was transitioning from a seminomadic society to a sedentary culture, “outskirts of your border” would have been rather fluid. Like Israel, the Edomites did not become a formal state in the modern sense until the Iron II period (1000-550 BC).

Moses’s request included specifics about how the Israelites would respect Edomite domain if they would grant passage. The seasonal description indicates spring, when grain fields were at or near harvest time and vine dressing for the summer and fall crops had just begun. Thus, it was important to assure the Edomites that their crops would not be trampled or scavenged. Water rights also were of great concern, even as they are among the Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians today. The Israelites would presumably bring their own water supply from Kadesh during their brief passage of perhaps two days through the Edomite highlands.

The King’s Highway was a famous trade route connecting Damascus with Arabia, Sinai, and Egypt through the Transjordan tablelands (Golan, Bashan, Gilead, Ammon, Moab, and Edom) and the southern mountains, paralleling the Arabah on the eastern side. Caravans brought highly prized incense, spices, perfumes, precious jewels, and copper from the Sinai and Paran wilderness sources.

20:18-21 Moses’s attempt at diplomatic correspondence carried alternative stipulations, some of which are preserved in the text of v. 19. The suggestion of payment for safe passage was in keeping with ancient Near Eastern protocol, as tolls or tribute were often exacted from trade caravans. The harsh Edomite answer caused bitter feelings between Israel and Edom for centuries.

20:22 The location of Mount Hor depends on the route followed by the Israelites. As with Kadesh (v. 16), Mount Hor was on the border with Edom, according to 33:37. The Israelites skirted around the boundaries of the militant Edomites. Suggested mountains have included the traditional Islamic identity of Jebel Nebi Harun (“Mount of the Prophet Aaron”) near Petra; Jebel Medra about six miles northeast of Kadesh; ‘Imaret el-Khurisheh about eight miles north of Kadesh; or Jebel Madurah about 15 miles northeast of Kadesh-barnea.

20:23-29 Aaron’s death, like the death and burial of Abraham (Gn 25:8), Ishmael (Gn 25:17), Isaac (Gn 35:29), Jacob (Gn 49:29,33), and then later Moses (Nm 27:13; Dt 32:50), is described as being gathered to his people. The phrase conveys the idea of being reunited with one’s ancestral families in Sheol, the place of the dead. A person was not to be left unburied or “ungathered” since this was viewed as a disgraceful end of life.