1And Arad, the CanaAnite king who lived near the desert, heard that Israel had traveled through Atharin, so he went to war against Israel and carried some of their [people] off as captives. 2Then Israel swore a vow to Jehovah, saying, ‘If You will hand them over to us, we will dedicate them and their cities to You.’ 3So Jehovah heard what [the people of] Israel said, and gave the CanaAnites into their hands. They [destroyed] them and their cities, and they started calling that place the Cursed. 4Thereafter, they left Mount Or and traveled toward the Red Sea, circling the land of Edom. And somewhere along the way, the people lost their courage. 5Then they started speaking against God and Moses, saying, ‘Why have you brought us out of Egypt… to kill us here in the desert? [We have] no bread or water, and we have come to hate the worthless bread.’ 6So, Jehovah sent poisonous snakes among them that bit [many] people, and quite a few of the children of Israel died. 7And then the people went to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Please pray to Jehovah and [ask] Him to take these snakes away from us!’ 8So Moses prayed to Jehovah for the people, and Jehovah told Moses, ‘Make a snake and raise it as a sign. Then, whenever a snake bites someone, they can look at [this sign] and they will live.’ 9As the result, Moses made a brass snake and put it on a sign, so whenever a snake bit a person, he could look at the bronze snake and survive. 10Then the children of Israel left that place and started camping in ObOth. 11And from ObOth they moved to AchalGai, which is on the eastern edge of the desert across from Moab. 12From there they traveled on and camped in the Valley of Zared. 13Then they left [Zared] and camped on the other side of Arnon, in the desert that runs along the border of the Amorites (Arnon is the border between Moab and the Amorites). 14And that’s why it was written about ZoOb (in the book of the Wars of Jehovah) that, ‘The dry river beds of Arnon were set on fire, 15and Moab’s [Capital] Er [was built] along the river beds at their border.’ 16It was there that they came to a well, and Jehovah said, ‘I have given this well to Moses; so gather the people and I will give them water to drink.’ 17Then Israel started singing this song at the well: 18‘Their leaders dug it; The kings of their nation and their kingdom; They in their kingship sank it in rock; It was the well to ManthaNain. 19And from ManthaNain to NaAliEl, And from NaAliEl to BamOth, Then from BamOth to Janen; And from the plains of Moab, And the quarry that faces the desert.’ 20Then Moses sent ambassadors to Seon (the king of the Amorites) with words of peace. They [said to him], 21‘We [wish to] pass through your land. We will travel along the road; we won’t step into your fields or vineyards; 22and we won’t drink water from your wells. We will just travel along the King’s Highway until we pass your borders.’ 23But Seon wouldn’t allow Israel to cross his borders. Rather, he gathered all his people and set up battle lines against Israel from the desert [all the way] to JasSa. 24However, Israel beat them and slaughtered [many of their people with] swords; then they owned all the land from Arnon to JaBoc, as far as the children of AmMan (for JaZer borders the [land of] the children of AmMan). 25Israel captured all the Amorite cities in the [district of] Hesh-Eboneh and they started living in them. 26For Hesh-Eboneh was the city of Seon (the king of the Amorites), and he had previously fought against the king of Moab and captured all the land from AroEr to Arnon. 27That’s why there was a saying among those who speak of such dark things: ‘Come to Hesh-Eboneh to build, And prepare the city for Seon. 28For a fire came out of Hesh-Eboneh; A flame from the City of Seon, And it has burned and consumed, As far as the pillars of Arnon in Moab. 29Woe to you O Moab; You people of Chamosh, for you’ve lost. Your sons that survived have been sold; Your daughters are captives of Seon, Who is the Amorite king. 30Their seed has perished from Hesh-Eboneh to DaEbon, And their women caused a fire that’s burning in Moab.’ 31It was while Israel was living in the cities of the Amorites 32that Moses sent spies to JaZer. Then he captured it and its [surrounding] villages, and drove out the Amorites who lived there. 33And after their return, they [marched] up the road that leads to Bashan and Og (Bashan’s king), and his army came from EdraIn to meet them. 34Then Jehovah told Moses: ‘Don’t be afraid of him, for I am putting him, his people, and his land into your hands. Now, do to him as you did to Seon the king of the Amorites who lived in Hesh-Eboneh.’ 35So, they attacked and destroyed [Og], his sons, and all his people. None of them were taken alive, so [Israel] inherited their land.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 ISRAEL ATTACKED BY THE CANAANITES. (Num. 21:1-35)
King Arad the Canaanite--rather, "the Canaanite king of Arad"--an ancient town on the southernmost borders of Palestine, not far from Kadesh. A hill called Tell Arad marks the spot.
heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies--in the way or manner of spies, stealthily, or from spies sent by himself to ascertain the designs and motions of the Israelites. The Septuagint and others consider the Hebrew word "spies" a proper name, and render it: "Came by the way of Atharim towards Arad" [KENNICOTT].
he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners--This discomfiture was permitted to teach them to expect the conquest of Canaan not from their own wisdom and valor, but solely from the favor and help of God (
Deut 9:4;
Ps 44:3-
Ps 44:4).
2 Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord--Made to feel their own weakness, they implored the aid of Heaven, and, in anticipation of it, devoted the cities of this king to future destruction. The nature and consequence of such anathemas are described (Lev. 27:1-34; Deu. 13:1-18). This vow of extermination against Arad [
Num 21:2] gave name to the place Hormah (slaughter and destruction) though it was not accomplished till after the passage of the Jordan. Others think Hormah the name of a town mentioned (
Josh 12:14).
4 they journeyed from mount Hor--On being refused the passage requested, they returned through the Arabah, "the way of the Red Sea," to Elath, at the head of the eastern gulf of the Red Sea, and thence passed up through the mountains to the eastern desert, so as to make the circuit of the land of Edom (
Num 33:41-
Num 33:42).
the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way--Disappointment on finding themselves so near the confines of the promised land without entering it; vexation at the refusal of a passage through Edom and the absence of any divine interposition in their favor; and above all, the necessity of a retrograde journey by a long and circuitous route through the worst parts of a sandy desert and the dread of being plunged into new and unknown difficulties--all this produced a deep depression of spirits. But it was followed, as usually, by a gross outburst of murmuring at the scarcity of water, and of expressions of disgust at the manna.
5 our soul loatheth this light bread--that is, bread without substance or nutritious quality. The refutation of this calumny appears in the fact, that on the strength of this food they performed for forty years so many and toilsome journeys. But they had been indulging a hope of the better and more varied fare enjoyed by a settled people; and disappointment, always the more bitter as the hope of enjoyment seems near, drove them to speak against God and against Moses (
1Cor 10:9).
6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people--That part of the desert where the Israelites now were--near the head of the gulf of Akaba--is greatly infested with venomous reptiles, of various kinds, particularly lizards, which raise themselves in the air and swing themselves from branches; and scorpions, which, being in the habit of lying in long grass, are particularly dangerous to the barelegged, sandaled people of the East. The only known remedy consists in sucking the wound, or, in the case of cattle, in the application of ammonia. The exact species of serpents that caused so great mortality among the Israelites cannot be ascertained. They are said to have been "fiery," an epithet applied to them either from their bright, vivid color, or the violent inflammation their bite occasioned.
7 the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned--The severity of the scourge and the appalling extent of mortality brought them to a sense of sin, and through the intercessions of Moses, which they implored, they were miraculously healed. He was directed to make the figure of a serpent in brass, to be elevated on a pole or standard, that it might be seen at the extremities of the camp and that every bitten Israelite who looked to it might be healed. This peculiar method of cure was designed, in the first instance, to show that it was the efficacy of God's power and grace, not the effect of nature or art, and also that it might be a type of the power of faith in Christ to heal all who look to Him because of their sins (
John 3:14-
John 3:15; see also on
2Kgs 18:4).
10 the children of Israel set forward--along the eastern frontier of the Edomites, encamping in various stations.
12 pitched in the valley--literally, the "woody brook-valley" of Zared (
Deut 2:13;
Isa 15:7;
Amos 6:14). This torrent rises among the mountains to the east of Moab, and flowing west, empties itself into the Dead Sea. Ije-Abarim is supposed to have been its ford [CALMET].
13 pitched on the other side of Arnon--now El-Mojib, a deep, broad, and rapid stream, dividing the dominions of the Moabites and Amorites.
14 book of the wars of the Lord--A fragment or passage is here quoted from a poem or history of the wars of the Israelites, principally with a view to decide the position of Arnon.
15 Ar--the capital of Moab.
16 from thence they went to Beer--that is, a "well." The name was probably given to it afterwards [see
Judg 9:21], as it is not mentioned (Num. 33:1-56).
17 Then Israel sang--This beautiful little song was in accordance with the wants and feelings of travelling caravans in the East, where water is an occasion both of prayer and thanksgiving. From the princes using their official rods only, and not spades, it seems probable that this well was concealed by the brushwood or the sand, as is the case with many wells in Idumea still. The discovery of it was seasonable, and owing to the special interposition of God.
21 Israel sent messengers unto Sihon--The rejection of their respectful and pacific message was resented--Sihon was discomfited in battle--and Israel obtained by right of conquest the whole of the Amorite dominions.
24 from Arnon unto Jabbok--now the Zurka. These rivers formed the southern and northern boundaries of his usurped territory.
for the border of . . . Ammon was strong--a reason stated for Sihon not being able to push his invasion further.
25 Israel dwelt in all the cities--after exterminating the inhabitants who had been previously doomed (
Deut 2:34).
26 Heshbon-- (
Song 7:4) --situated sixteen English miles north of the Arnon, and from its ruins it appears to have been a large city.
27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs--Here is given an extract from an Amorite song exultingly anticipating an extension of their conquests to Arnon. The quotation from the poem of the Amorite bard ends at
Num 21:28. The two following verses appear to be the strains in which the Israelites expose the impotence of the usurpers.
29 people of Chemosh--the name of the Moabite idol (1Ki. 11:7-33;
2Kgs 23:13;
Jer 48:46).
he--that is, their god, hath surrendered his worshippers to the victorious arms of Sihon.
33 they turned and went up by the way of Bashan--a name given to that district from the richness of the soil--now Batanea or El-Bottein--a hilly region east of the Jordan lying between the mountains of Hermon on the north and those of Gilead on the south.
Og--a giant, an Amoritish prince, who, having opposed the progress of the Israelites, was defeated.
34 The Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not--a necessary encouragement, for Og's gigantic stature (
Deut 3:11) was calculated to inspire terror. He and all his were put to the sword.
