The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 21 -

When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.

So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.(a)”

And the LORD heard Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites. Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction; so they named the place Hormah.(b)

The Bronze Serpent

Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,(c) in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey

and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”

So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.

Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”

So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live.

The Journey to Moab

Then the Israelites set out and camped at Oboth.

They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite Moab to the east.

From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered.

From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends into the Amorite territory. Now the Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.

Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,

even the slopes of the wadis that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”

From there they went on to Beer,(d) the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people so that I may give them water.”

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well, all of you sing to it!

The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with their staffs.” From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah,

and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.(e)

The Defeat of Sihon

(Deuteronomy 2:24–37)

Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

“Let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”

But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz,(f) he fought against Israel.

And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.(g)

Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its villages.

Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land as far as the Arnon.

That is why the poets say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored.

For a fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the rulers of Arnon’s heights.

Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.

But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We demolished them as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.(h)”

The Defeat of Og

(Deuteronomy 3:1–11)

So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.

After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet them in battle at Edrei.

But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”

So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.

Footnotes

(a)21:2 Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verse 3.

(b)21:3 Hormah means destruction.

(d)21:16 Beer means well.

(e)21:20 Or Jeshimon

(f)21:23 Jahaz is a variant of Jahzah; see 1 Chronicles 6:78.

(g)21:24 Or because the territory was rugged; literally because it was strong

(h)21:30 Or We demolished them until fire spread to Medeba

The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the South, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.

Israel vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, “If you will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”

The LORD listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. The name of the place was called Hormah.(a)

The Bronze Serpent

They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.

The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!”

The LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died.

The people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” Moses prayed for the people.

The LORD said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. It shall happen that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”

Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.

The Journey to Moab

The children of Israel traveled, and encamped in Oboth.

They traveled from Oboth, and encamped at Iyeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrise.

From there they traveled, and encamped in the valley of Zered.

From there they traveled, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

Therefore it is said in The Book of the Wars of the LORD , “Vaheb in Suphah, the valleys of the Arnon,

the slope of the valleys that incline toward the dwelling of Ar, leans on the border of Moab.”

From there they traveled to Beer; that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, well! Sing to it,

the well, which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter, and with their poles.” From the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah;

and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;

and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks down on the desert.

The Defeat of Sihon

(Deuteronomy 2:24–37)

Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn away into field or vineyard. We will not drink of the water of the wells. We will go by the king’s highway, until we have passed your border.”

Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. He fought against Israel.

Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was fortified.

Israel took all these cities. Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.

For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even to the Arnon.

Therefore those who speak in proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be built and established;

for a fire has gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has devoured Ar of Moab, The lords of the high places of the Arnon.

Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon king of the Amorites.

We have shot at them. Heshbon has perished even to Dibon. We have laid waste even to Nophah, Which reaches to Medeba.”

The Defeat of Og

(Deuteronomy 3:1–11)

Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.

Moses sent to spy out Jazer. They took its villages, and drove out the Amorites who were there.

They turned and went up by the way of Bashan. Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

The LORD said to Moses, “Don’t fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people, and his land. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”

So they struck him, with his sons and all his people, until there were no survivors; and they possessed his land.

Footnotes

(a)21:3 “Hormah” means “destruction”.