Numbers 20:18

18 ¹Edom, however, said to him, "You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you."

Numbers 20:18 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 20:18

And Edom said unto him
The king of Edom replied to Israel, represented by the messengers sent in their name:

thou shall not pass by me;
through my country:

lest I come out against thee with the sword;
or with those that use the sword, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; that is, with an army of soldiers with their drawn swords in their hands, to slay them as enemies.

Numbers 20:18 In-Context

16 'But when we cried out to the LORD , He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.

17 'Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king's highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.' "

18 Edom, however, said to him, "You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you."

19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else."

20 But he said, "You shall not pass through." And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 24:18

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "me"