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| 1 And the Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelt in the south, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim, and he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. |
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| 2 Then Israel vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If thou give this people wholly into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. |
Vowed a vow – Because of a pre-emptory attack by the Canaanites. R3101:2
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| 3 And Jehovah listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them, and their cities. And they called the name of the place Hormah. |
The Canaanites – Representing sin, its enticements and blandishments in the weaknesses of the flesh. R3101: 3
Utterly destroyed – Not then, but a parenthesis showing that they later kept their vow. R3101:2
Hormah – So called, meaning "utter destruction," because of their vow. R3101:2
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| 4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to go round the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient on the way; |
Compass the land – To take a shortcut through Edom, typical of taking in the pleasures of this life and the fellowship of the world as part of the Christian life. R5267:5 *
Of Edom – Type of Christendom. D15
Much discouraged – Type of how in the nominal churches there is an opposition to the narrow way of self-sacrifice. R5267:6
Because of the detour around Edom. R5316:1
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| 5 and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have ye brought us up out of Egypt that we should die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and no water, and our soul loathes this light bread. |
Spake against God – Against the voice of the Lord through the Scriptures and against all those who walk in the wilderness way. R5267:6*
Loatheth this light bread – Representing a tendency of spiritual Israelites to lose their appreciation for spiritual food and go hungering after the pleasures of the world. Such a yielding to worldly appetites will surely expose them to the bite of the serpent of sin. R2300:2
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| 6 Then Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, which bit the people; and much people of Israel died. |
Fiery – Supposed to have been thus called because of red streaks upon the head. Their bite so inflames the nervous system as to cause the feeling of fire throughout the entire body, often resulting in death in a few hours. R4048:2
In India several thousand people die annually from the bite of the cobra. R3101:4
Serpents – Representing sin. "The sting of death is sin." (1 Cor. 15:56) R5239:1, R4037:5, R4048:4, R5316:4; PD34/45
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| 7 And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, in that we have spoken against Jehovah, and against thee: pray to Jehovah that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. |
Pray unto the LORD – On such occasions they understood that it was a punishment and made no effort to use medicines. R2029:2
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| 8 And Jehovah said to Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live. |
When he looketh – Our mission has been during the reign of sin and death to point the sin-bitten to the Savior. R5316:4; SM767:1
Not when Jesus was made flesh, nor when exalted, but only when looked upon does he give life; looking by the eyes of understanding is expressed by the word believing. R1328:5*
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| 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, if a serpent had bitten any man, and he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. |
Made a serpent – Primarily representing sin, Satan's agent in alluring our first parents into condemnation hence our Lord Jesus, who took the sinner's place. "He made him who knew no sin to be a sin-offering for us." (2 Cor. 5:21 Diaglott) R4049:4, R4970:1, R5847:1; Q498:T
Of brass – Copper, symbolizing the perfect humanity of our Lord. T18; R3101:6
Upon a pole – Type of the cross. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14) R5239:1, R4037:5, R4049:1
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| 10 And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in Oboth. |
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| 11 And they removed from Oboth, and encamped at Ijim-Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, toward the sun-rising. |
Moab – The Moabites were children of Lot, Abraham's nephew. R5316:1
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| 12 From thence they removed, and encamped at the torrent Zered. |
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| 13 From thence they removed, 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. |
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| 14 Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of Jehovah, Vaheb in Suphah, and the brooks of Arnon; |
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| 15 And the stream of the brooks which turneth to the dwelling of Ar, And inclineth toward the border of Moab. |
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| 16 And from thence to Beer: that is the well of which Jehovah spoke to Moses, Assemble the people, and I will give them water. |
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| 17 Then Israel sang this song, Rise up, well! sing unto it: |
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| 18 Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at the word of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah; |
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| 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; |
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| 20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the fields of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks over the surface of the waste. |
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| 21 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, |
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| 22 Let us pass through thy land; we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink water out of the wells; on the king's road will we go until we have passed thy border. |
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| 23 But Sihon would not suffer Israel to go through his border; and Sihon gathered all his people, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. |
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| 24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. |
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| 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, at Heshbon, and in all its dependent villages. |
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| 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites; and he had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon. |
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| 27 Therefore the poets say, Come to Heshbon; let the city of Sihon be built and established. |
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| 28 For there went forth fire from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; It consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of the Arnon. |
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| 29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, people of Chemosh: He gave his sons that had escaped, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the king of the Amorites. |
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| 30 And we have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon; and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba. |
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| 31 And Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. |
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| 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took its dependent villages, and he dispossessed the Amorites that were there. |
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| 33 And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, for battle to Edrei. |
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| 34 And Jehovah said to Moses, Fear him not! for into thy hand have I given him, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon. |
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| 35 And they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, so that they left him none remaining, and took possession of his land. |
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