Num 21 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Num 21:1-22:1: 21:1–22:1 In the march toward the Promised Land, Israel moved from Mount Hor to the plains of Moab (22:1 ). The account of Israel’s march is punctuated by the book’s emphasis on the Lord’s patient plan to lead Israel into Canaan despite their frailties. • Although the general direction of travel is clear, the exact route taken by the Hebrews remains unknown. Many of the places are hard to identify, and the archaeological evidence from some sites does not fit the time frame usually associated with the wilderness period. An honest appraisal of the wilderness itinerary is still beset by significant geographical and historical uncertainties. 21:1 It is possible that the Canaanite king of Arad was provoked by many enemies to the south of his territory (cp. 14:44-45 ). • Arad and Hormah (21:3 ) were far to the north of Mount Hor (20:22-29 ; 21:4 ; see study note on 20:22-23). Ancient Arad is usually identified with Tell Arad, located west of the modern Israeli town of Arad and about fifty miles north of Kadesh. While excavation at Tell Arad has revealed important ruins from the Early Bronze Age (about 3300–2000 BC ) and the Iron Age (about 1200–500 BC ), there is no evidence of occupation during Israel’s exodus and wilderness period (the Late Bronze Age, 1500–1200 BC ). Some solutions link ancient Arad with another archaeological site in the region. Others claim that all such stories come from a much later period and that there is no reason to expect a correlation between excavated data and literary traditions. Another set of solutions recognizes that the evidence is fragmentary, insufficient to settle scholarly debate or to reach a definitive conclusion. The same general kinds of problems with geographical and archaeological details are found in other parts of the Old Testament, and the solutions are often uncertain. • Atharim is otherwise unknown.

Summary for Num 21:1-22:1: 21:1–22:1 ^a In the march toward the Promised Land, Israel moved from Mount Hor to the plains of Moab (22:1 ^b). The account of Israel’s march is punctuated by the book’s emphasis on the Lord’s patient plan to lead Israel into Canaan despite their frailties.

• Although the general direction of travel is clear, the exact route taken by the Hebrews remains unknown. Many of the places are hard to identify, and the archaeological evidence from some sites does not fit the time frame usually associated with the wilderness period. An honest appraisal of the wilderness itinerary is still beset by significant geographical and historical uncertainties. 21:1 ^c It is possible that the Canaanite king of Arad was provoked by many enemies to the south of his territory (cp. 14:44-45 ^d).

• Arad and Hormah (21:3 ^e) were far to the north of Mount Hor (20:22-29 ^f; 21:4 ^g; see study note on 20:22-23). Ancient Arad is usually identified with Tell Arad, located west of the modern Israeli town of Arad and about fifty miles north of Kadesh. While excavation at Tell Arad has revealed important ruins from the Early Bronze Age (about 3300–2000 BC) and the Iron Age (about 1200–500 BC), there is no evidence of occupation during Israel’s exodus and wilderness period (the Late Bronze Age, 1500–1200 BC). Some solutions link ancient Arad with another archaeological site in the region. Others claim that all such stories come from a much later period and that there is no reason to expect a correlation between excavated data and literary traditions. Another set of solutions recognizes that the evidence is fragmentary, insufficient to settle scholarly debate or to reach a definitive conclusion. The same general kinds of problems with geographical and archaeological details are found in other parts of the Old Testament, and the solutions are often uncertain.

• Atharim is otherwise unknown.
Summary for Num 21:2-3: 21:2-3 ^h completely destroy (Hebrew kharam): Israel was instructed to completely destroy their enemies and their enemies’ property (see Lev 27:28-29 ⁱ; Deut 7:2 ^j; 20:17 ^k; Josh 6–7 ^l; 10:1–11:23 ^m).

• This battle reflects a play on words between kharam and Hormah (Hebrew khormah, Num 21:3 ⁿ). It marks a turning point in Israel’s interaction with the Canaanites, who remained a formidable enemy throughout the period of the conquest.
Summary for Num 21:4-9: 21:4-9 ^o The “vow to the Lord” and consequent victory (21:2-3 ^p) did not eliminate Israel’s criticisms against God and Moses, even though the long journey was punishment for the same kind of complaining (14:26-35 ^q).
21:6 ^r This whole region provided (and still provides) habitat for extremely poisonous snakes (cp. Isa 30:6 ^s).
Summary for Num 21:7-9: 21:7-9 ^t Jesus alluded to this incident when discussing his identity and mission (John 3:14-15 ^u).

• By Hezekiah’s day (around 700 BC), this bronze snake had become an object of worship in Jerusalem (2 Kgs 18:4 ^v).
21:10 ^w The location of Oboth is uncertain.
Summary for Num 21:11-12: 21:11-12 ^x The Israelites made their way along the east side of Edom.

• Iye-abarim (“ruins of Abarim” or “ruins of the region beyond”) was probably near the northern bank of Zered Brook (cp. Deut 2:13-14 ^y) which separated ancient Edom from Moab (Deut 2:8-25 ^z).
21:13 ^aa The Israelites traveled to the east of the Moabite territory that lay between the Zered Brook on the south and the Arnon River on the north. The far side of the Arnon River was probably north and east of the main east–west canyon of the Arnon; this “Grand Canyon” was an effective natural boundary line between Moab and the territory of the Amorites north of the Arnon (see 21:26 ^ab).

• The Amorites were a group of nomadic peoples who had conquered areas from Mesopotamia to Canaan in the Middle Bronze Age (about 2000–1500 BC), including Babylon (around 1830 BC) and Assur (around 1750 BC). Amorites living in the hill country of Canaan had terrified Israel’s spies (Deut 1:26-28 ^ac) and had then repelled Israel’s misguided attempt to enter Canaan (Num 14:44-45 ^ad; see Deut 1:42-44 ^ae). At the time of Israel’s arrival, Amorites had gained control of much of Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan); see study note on Num 21:26.
Summary for Num 21:14-15: 21:14-15 ^af The Book of the Wars of the Lord, analogous to The Book of Jashar (Josh 10:13 ^ag; 2 Sam 1:18 ^ah), is otherwise unknown.

• Waheb (a town) and Suphah (a region) are otherwise unknown. Ar was one of the major Moabite settlements of that day (cp. 21:28 ^ai; Deut 2:18 ^aj; Isa 15:1 ^ak).
Summary for Num 21:16-18: 21:16-18 ^al The location of Beer is unknown (cp. Isa 15:8 ^am). The poetic fragment describes the excavation of a new well and reflects the joy that this occasioned in a semiarid region. That the laborers were princes and leaders and the tools were scepters and staffs may indicate that digging the well included a festive ceremony.
Summary for Num 21:18-20: 21:18b-20 ^an After moving north of the Arnon, the Hebrews left the wilderness on the eastern side of Moab and the recently conquered Amorite territory (see study note on 21:21-35). They turned westward toward the ridgeline that rises up from the Jordan Rift Valley, then traveled north to Pisgah Peak (see also 23:14 ^ao; Deut 3:17 ^ap, 27 ^aq; 34:1 ^ar, 5 ^as).
Summary for Num 21:21-35: 21:21-35 ^at The Israelite victories over King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan were previews of the Hebrew conquest of Canaan and came to represent God’s promise to assist his people in their time of need (cp. 13:10-12 ^au; Deut 2:24–3:7 ^av; Josh 2:10 ^aw; 9:10 ^ax; 12:1-6 ^ay; Judg 11:19-22 ^az; Neh 9:22 ^ba; Pss 135:10-12 ^bb; 136:17-22 ^bc; Jer 48:45-46 ^bd).

• Because Israel had left the wilderness (cp. Num 21:18 ^be, 23 ^bf) before arriving at Pisgah (21:20 ^bg), this account is probably a flashback of something that took place before the movement described in 21:18-20 ^bh.
Summary for Num 21:21-24: 21:21-24 ^bi The territory of King Sihon was sandwiched between Moab and Ammon. The Israelites were not to invade Ammon (Deut 2:19 ^bj), Edom, or Moab (Deut 2:4-9 ^bk) because they were kin (Gen 19:30-38 ^bl; 32:3 ^bm), but Israel needed to cross Transjordan to enter Canaan. Sihon’s territory was the natural route.
Summary for Num 21:21-22: 21:21-22 ^bn Cp. 20:14-17 ^bo.
21:25 ^bp The area conquered at this time became home to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (cp. ch 32 ^bq).
21:26 ^br King Sihon of the Amorites had taken the area north of the Arnon from the Moabites, who earlier controlled it. After Israel occupied this region for several hundred years, it was reclaimed by King Mesha of Moab (see 2 Kgs 3:4-27 ^bs) through a campaign described in detail around 830 BC on the Mesha Inscription (also known as the Moabite Stone).

• Heshbon is usually identified with Tell Hesban, which has not yielded evidence of Late Bronze Age occupation; see study note on Num 21:1.
Summary for Num 21:27-30: 21:27-30 ^bt This ancient ballad was apparently an old Amorite song focusing on the exploits of King Sihon. Other interpreters assume that Israelite balladeers created it as a taunt song to ridicule Sihon’s defeat and celebrate Israel’s victory. The logical flow of thought from 21:26 ^bu to 21:27 ^bv would favor the former interpretation, with Israel applying the song to their own victory: Sihon and the Amorites had defeated Moab; now Israel had defeated them! Cp. Judg 11:12-28 ^bw.
21:28 ^bx King Sihon had destroyed Moab’s towns from his center of operations at Heshbon.
21:29 ^by From the ancient point of view, even Moab’s supreme god Chemosh suffered defeat at the hands of the Amorite conquerors, while the people of Moab became refugees and captives.
21:30 ^bz The area described here is the one that Israel had just conquered (21:24 ^ca), making the ballad celebrating Sihon a fitting tribute to Israel’s victory.
Summary for Num 21:33-35: 21:33-35 ^cb Ancient Bashan was located east of the Sea of Galilee.

• King Og, like Sihon, was an Amorite (see study note on 21:13). This brief account of Israel’s defeat of Og is expanded in Deut 3:1-11 ^cc.
21:35 ^cd Then Israel occupied their land: See ch 32 ^ce.