1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

2And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

10And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

11And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

12From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

13From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

14Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

15And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.

16And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

17Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

18The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:

19And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

20And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

21And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.

23And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

24And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

25And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.

26For 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 unto Arnon.

27Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:

28For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.

29Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

30We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.

31Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.

33And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.

34And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

35So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

1And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies, then hee fought against Israel, and tooke some of them prisoners.

2And Israel vowed a vow vnto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt in deed deliuer this people into my hand, then I wil vtterly destroy their cities.

3And the Lord hearkened to the voyce of Israel, and deliuered vp the Canaanites: and they vtterly destroyed them, and their cities, and hee called the name of the place Hormah.

4 And they iourneyed from mount Hor, by the way of the red sea, to compasse the land of Edom: and the soule of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5And the people spake against God and against Moses, Wherefore haue ye brought vs vp out of Egypt, to die in the wildernesse? for there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soule loatheth this light bread.

6And the Lord sent fierie serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died.

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We haue sinned: for wee haue spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray vnto the Lord that hee take away the serpents from vs: and Moses prayed for the people.

8And the Lord said vnto Moses, Make thee a fierie serpent, and set it vpon a pole: and it shall come to passe, that euery one that is bitten, when hee looketh vpon it, shall liue.

9And Moses made a serpent of brasse, and put it vpon a pole, and it came to passe, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when hee beheld the serpent of brasse, he liued.

10 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

11And they iourneyed from Oboth, and pitched at Iie-Abarim, in the wildernes which is before Moab, toward the Sunne rising.

12 From thence they remooued, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

13From thence they remooued, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wildernesse that commeth out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, betweene Moab and the Amorites.

14Wherefore it is said in the booke of the warres of the Lord, what he did in the Red sea, and in the brookes of Arnon,

15And at the streame of the brookes that goeth downe to the dwelling of Ar, & lieth vpon the border of Moab.

16And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake vnto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will giue them water.

17 Then Israel sang this song, Spring vp O well, Sing ye vnto it:

18The Princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the Law-giuer, with their staues. And from the wildernesse they went to Mattanah:

19And from Mattanah, to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

20And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the countrey of Moab, to the toppe of Pisgah, which looketh toward Ieshimon.

21 And Israel sent messengers vnto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

22Let me passe thorow thy land, we will not turne into the fields, or into the vineyards, we will not drinke of the waters of the well: but we will goe along by the kings high way, vntill wee be past thy borders.

23And Sihon would not suffer Israel to passe thorow his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wildernes: and he came to Iahaz, and fought against Israel.

24And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon vnto Iabok, euen vnto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

25And Israel tooke all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.

26For Heshbon was the citie 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, euen vnto Arnon.

27Wherefore they that speake in prouerbes, say, Come into Heshbon: let the citie of Sihon bee built and prepared.

28For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the citie of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lordes of the high places of Arnon.

29Woe to thee, Moab, thou art vndone, O people of Chemosh: he hath giuen his sonnes that escaped, and his daughters, into captiuitie vnto Sihon King of the Amorites.

30We haue shot at them; Heshbon is perished euen vnto Dibon, and we haue layde them waste euen vnto Nophah, which reacheth vnto Medeba.

31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

32And Moses sent to spy out Iaazer, and they tooke the villages thereof, and droue out the Amorites that were there.

33 And they turned and went vp by the way of Bashan: and Og the King of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battell at Edrei.

34And the Lord said vnto Moses, Feare him not: for I haue deliuered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land, and thou shalt doe to him as thou didst vnto Sihon King of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

35So they smote him & his sonnes, and all his people, vntill there was none left him aliue, and they possessed his land.

I == Num 13:21 ; 33:40 ; Judg 1:16

 

 

II == Gen 28:20 ; Lev 27:28 ; Judg 11:30

 

 

 

 

 

IV == Ex 6:9 ; Num 20:22 ; 33:41 ; Judg 11:18

 

V == Ex 16:3 ; 17:3 ; Num 11:6 ; Ps 78:19

 

 

 

 

VI == Deut 8:15 ; 1st Cor 10:9

 

VII == Ex 8:8 , 28 ; Num 21:5 ; 1st Sam 12:19 ; 1st Kings 13:6 ; Ps 78:34 ; Acts 8:24

 

 

 

 

 

IX == 2nd Kings 18:4 ; John 3:14-15

 

 

X == Num 33:43

 

XI == Num 33:44

 

 

XII == Deut 2:13

 

XIII == Num 22:36 ; Judg 11:18

 

 

 

 

 

 

XV == Deut 2:18, 29

 

XVI == Judg 9:21

 

 

XVII == Ex 15:1 ; Ps 105:2 ; 106:12

XVIII == Isa 33:22

 

 

 

 

 

XX == Num 23:28

 

XXI == Deut 2:26-27 ; Judg 11:19

XXII == Num 20:17

 

 

 

XXIII == Judg 11:20

 

 

 

XXIV == Deut 2:33 ; 29:7 ; Josh 12:1-2 ; 24:8 ; Neh 9:22 ; Ps 135:10-11 ; 136:19 ; Amos 2:9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXVIII == Deut 2:9 , 18 ; Isa 15:1 ; Jer 48:45-46

 

XXIX == Judg 11:24 ; 1st Kings 11:7 , 33 ; 2nd Kings 23:13 ; Jer 48:7 , 13

XXX == Isa 15:2 ; Jer 48:18 , 22

 

 

 

 

XXXII == Num 32:1 ; Jer 48:32

 

XXXIII == Deut 3:1 ; 29:7 ; Josh 13:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXV == Deut 3:3-4

 

1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that the Israelites were coming along the way of Atharim, he engaged them in battle and took some of them captive.

2 Israel then made this vow to the LORD: "If you deliver this people into my hand, I will doom their cities."

3 Later, when the LORD heeded Israel's prayer and delivered up the Canaanites, they doomed them and their cities. Hence that place was named Hormah.

4 From Mount Hor they set out on the Red Sea road, to by-pass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the journey,

5 the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!"

6 In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died.

7 Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people,

8 and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover."

9 Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered.

10 The Israelites moved on and encamped in Oboth.

11 Setting out from Oboth, they encamped in Iye-abarim in the desert fronting Moab on the east.

12 Setting out from there, they encamped in the Wadi Zered.

13 Setting out from there, they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, in the desert that extends from the territory of the Amorites; for the Arnon forms Moab's boundary with the Amorites.

14 Hence it is said in the "Book of the Wars of the LORD": "Waheb in Suphah and the wadies,

15 Arnon and the wadi gorges That reach back toward the site of Ar and slant to the border of Moab."

16 From there they went to Beer, where there was the well of which the LORD said to Moses, "Bring the people together, and I will give them water."

17 Then it was that Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! - so sing to it - 

18 The well that the princes sank, that the nobles of the people dug, with their scepters and their staffs." From Beer they went to Mattanah,

19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

20 from Bamoth to the cleft in the plateau of Moab at the headland of Pisgah that overlooks Jeshimon.

21 Now Israel sent men to Sihon, king of the Amorites, with the message,

22 "Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, nor will we drink any well water, but we will go straight along the royal road until we have passed through your territory."

23 Sihon, however, would not let Israel pass through his territory, but mustered all his forces and advanced into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he engaged Israel in battle.

24 But Israel defeated him at the point of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and as far as the country of the Ammonites, whose boundary was at Jazer.

25 Israel seized all the towns here and settled in these towns of the Amorites, in Heshbon and all its dependencies.

26 Now Heshbon was the capital of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had seized all his land from Jazer to the Arnon.

27 That is why the poets say: "Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt, let Sihon's capital be firmly constructed.

28 For fire went forth from Heshbon and a blaze from the city of Sihon; It consumed the cities of Moab and swallowed up the high places of the Arnon.

29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are ruined, O people of Chemosh! He let his sons become fugitives and his daughters be taken captive by the Amorite king Sihon.

30 Their plowland is ruined from Heshbon to Dibon; Ar is laid waste; fires blaze as far as Medeba."

31 When Israel had settled in the land of the Amorites,

32 Moses sent spies to Jazer; Israel then captured it with its dependencies and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

33 Then they turned and went up along the road to Bashan. But Og, king of Bashan, advanced against them with all his people to give battle at Edrei.

34 The LORD, however, said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of him; for into your hand I will deliver him with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon."

35 So they struck him down with his sons and all his people, until not a survivor was left to him, and they took possession of his land.

v 1-3. It had been 38 years since Israel had sent spies into Canaan, but their large number kept them under suspicion, and their movement may have been watched, especially so close to the Canaanite border near Mt. Hor where Aaron died. By capturing a few Israelite stragglers, the King of Arad either hoped to scare them away or launch a full scale assault on them. Instead of murmuring, the people actually called on the Lord and vowed to destroy the Canaanite cities if He would help them. He helped and they did utterly destroy them. These would have been among the last Canaanites destroyed, but they were the first. Hormah is about 35-40 miles southwest of Hebron, 8 southeast of Beer-sheba, possibly a similar distance southwest of Arad.

v 4-6. After victory came discouragement (beware of that). They marched east and south along the border of Edom, clear to Elath and Ezion-geber, where Solomon later built a naval base and copper smelting place at the northeast end of the Gulf of Aqaba, before heading north. This had been a circuitous desert route apparently in the wrong direction, so they murmured for the shortage of water and were tired of perfect manna, so the Lord sent fiery serpents to bite them. They were fiery from the burning effect of the poison, or as called in Isa. 14:29, flying. This means to light upon, so they actually hurled themselves into the air to strike people.

v 7-9. After some painful deaths, the people acknowledged this sin against Moses was also a sin against God, compare Ps. 51:4. The Lord had Moses put a fiery brass (representing judgment) serpent on a pole, and all those who beheld, that is looked intently at it were cured. This is a type of Christ, Jn. 3:14, and must be looked upon in faith. They carried it for protection the rest of the journey and into the promised land, but eventually idolized it and Hezekiah had it destroyed, 2 Ki. 18:4. They may have had brass along, but this was near the copper mines later used by Solomon, copper being used in the making of the bronze. Like Christ, the serpent was provided by God for all, on an individual basis, by faith without works and effective immediately.

v 10-16. From the gulf of Aqaba they may have followed the valley north toward the Dead Sea through Punan to Oboth, then north and east to the “rains of Abarim”, , east of Moab, to brook Zered, to brook Arnon, between Moab and Amorites, Ar at the border of Moab and to Beer, not Beers in Israel, but probably Beer-elim, Isa. 15:8. “Beer” simply means a dug well rather than a spring. For better detail, see the synchronized chart of movement in Numbers 33 notes.

v 17-20. This well at the edge of the wilderness was dug by the princes at the command of the Lord. It must have been shallow to be dug with staves. The people even sang a song about it. Next stops were Mattanah, Nahaliel, then Bamoth and Mt. Pisgah in Moab, where Moses viewed the promised land and died, Deut. 34.

v 21-30. As Israel approached through Moab, they did not attack, but asked permission of Sihon King of the Amorites to pass through on the King’s Highway. This is the eastern one, not the one in 20:17. Israel fought and possessed the land which Sihon had taken from Moab. Here Moses uses an Amorite poem to describe the destruction of the Amorites.

v 31-35. Og, the Amorite king of Bashan also attacked Israel. The Lord destroyed them just as he had Sihon. This concludes a brief summary of the conquest of Bashan and Amorites, but preservation of Moab and Ammonites, relatives like Edom.