Num 21:1-3 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XXI Arad, a king of the Canaanites, attacks Israel, and makes same prisoners , 1. They devote him and his people to destruction , 2; which they afterwards accomplished , 3. They journey from Hor, and are greatly discouraged , 4. They murmur against God and Moses, and loathe the manna , 5. The Lord sends fiery serpents among them , 6. They repent, and beg Moses to intercede for them , 7. The Lord directs him to make a brazen serpent, and set it on a pole, that the people might look on it and be healed , 8. Moses does so, and the people who beheld the brazen serpent lived , 9. They journey to Oboth, Ije-abarim, Zared, and Arnon, 10-13. A quotation from the book of the wars of the Lord, 14, 15. From Arnon they came to Beer, 16. Their song of triumph , 17-20. Moses sends messengers to the Amorites for permission to pass through their land , 21, 22. Sihon their king refuses, attacks Israel, is defeated, and all his cities destroyed , 23-26. The poetic proverbs made on the occasion , 27-30. Israel possesses the land of the Amorites , 31, 32. They are attacked by Og king of Bashan , 33. They defeat him, destroy his troops and family, and possess his land , 34, 35. NOTES ON CHAP. XXI Verse 1. The way of the spies ] atharim . Some think that this signifies the way that the spies took when they went to search the land. But this is impossible, as Dr. Kennicott justly remarks, because Israel had now marched from Meribah-Kadesh to Mount Hor , beyond Ezion-Gaber , and were turning round Edom to the south-east; and therefore the word is to be understood here as the name of a place .

‏ Numbers 21:1-3

CHAPTER XXI

Arad, a king of the Canaanites, attacks Israel, and makes same prisoners, 1.

They devote him and his people to destruction, 2;

which they afterwards accomplished, 3.

They journey from Hor, and are greatly discouraged, 4.

They murmur against God and Moses, and loathe the manna, 5.

The Lord sends fiery serpents among them, 6.

They repent, and beg Moses to intercede for them, 7.

The Lord directs him to make a brazen serpent, and set it on a pole, that the people might look on it and be healed, 8.

Moses does so, and the people who beheld the brazen serpent lived, 9.

They journey to Oboth, Ije-abarim, Zared, and Arnon, 10-13.

A quotation from the book of the wars of the Lord, 14, 15.

From Arnon they came to Beer, 16.

Their song of triumph, 17-20.

Moses sends messengers to the Amorites for permission to pass through their land, 21, 22.

Sihon their king refuses, attacks Israel, is defeated, and all his cities destroyed, 23-26.

The poetic proverbs made on the occasion, 27-30.

Israel possesses the land of the Amorites, 31, 32.

They are attacked by Og king of Bashan, 33.

They defeat him, destroy his troops and family, and possess his land, 34, 35.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXI

Verse 1. The way of the spies] atharim. Some think that this signifies the way that the spies took when they went to search the land. But this is impossible, as Dr. Kennicott justly remarks, because Israel had now marched from Meribah-Kadesh to Mount Hor, beyond Ezion-Gaber, and were turning round Edom to the south-east; and therefore the word is to be understood here as the name of a place.

Verse 3. The Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel] The whole of this verse appears to me to have been added after the days of Joshua. It is certain the Canaanites were not utterly destroyed at the time here spoken of, for this did not take place till after the death of Moses. If, instead of utterly destroyed them, vaiyacharem, we translate they devoted them to utter destruction, it will make a good sense, and not repugnant to the Hebrew; though some think it more probable that the verse was added afterwards by Joshua or Ezra, in testimony of the fulfilment of God's promise; for Arad, who is mentioned as being destroyed here, is mentioned among those destroyed by Joshua long after, (see Jos 12:14:) but this is quite consistent with their being devoted to destruction, as this might be fulfilled any time after. See Clarke on Le 27:34.