King Arad — Or rather, the Canaanite King of Arad: for Arad is not the name of a man, but of a city or territory. And he seems to be called a Canaanite in a general sense, as the Amorites and others. The south — Of Canaan, towards the east, and near the dead sea. Of the spies — Not of those spies wh... [ Continue Reading ]
I will utterly destroy them — I will reserve no person or thing for my own use, but devote them all to total destruction.... [ Continue Reading ]
They utterly destroyed them — Neither Moses nor the whole body of the people did this but a select number sent out to punish that king and people, who were so fierce and malicious that they came out of their own country to fight with the Israelites in the wilderness; and these, when they had done th... [ Continue Reading ]
By way of the Red — sea — Which leadeth to the Red — sea, as they must needs do to compass the land of Edom. Because of the way — By reason of this journey, which was long and troublesome, and unexpected, because the successful entrance and victorious progress which some of them had made in the bord... [ Continue Reading ]
Against God — Against Christ, their chief conductor, whom they tempted, 1 Corinthians 10:19. Thus contemptuously did they speak of Manna, whereas it appears it yielded excellent nourishment, because in the strength of it they were able to go so many and such tedious journeys.... [ Continue Reading ]
Fiery serpents — There were many such in this wilderness, which having been hitherto restrained by God, are now let loose and sent among them. They are called fiery from their effects, because their poison caused an intolerable heat and burning and thirst, which was aggravated with this circumstance... [ Continue Reading ]
A fiery serpent — That is, the figure of a serpent in brass, which is of a fiery colour. This would require some time: God would not speedily take off the judgment, because he saw they were not throughly humbled. Upon a pole — That the people might see it from all parts of the camp, and therefore th... [ Continue Reading ]
He lived — He was delivered from death, and cured of his disease.... [ Continue Reading ]
In Oboth — Not immediately, but after two other stations mentioned, Numbers 33:43.... [ Continue Reading ]
The valley of Zared — Or rather, by the brook of Zared, which ran into the dead sea.... [ Continue Reading ]
On the other side — Or rather, on this side of Arnon, for so it now was to the Israelites, who had not yet passed over it. Between Moab and the Amorites — Though formerly it and the land beyond it belonged to Moab, yet afterwards it had been taken from them by Sihon. This is added to reconcile two s... [ Continue Reading ]
The book of the wars of the Lord — This seems to have been some poem or narration of the wars and victories of the Lord, either by: or relating to the Israelites: which may be asserted without any prejudice to the integrity of the holy scripture, because this book doth not appear to have been writte... [ Continue Reading ]
Ar — A chief city in Moab.... [ Continue Reading ]
Beer — This place and Mattanah, Nahaliel, and Bamoth named here, Numbers 21:19, are not mentioned among those places where they pitched or encamped, Numbers 33:1. Probably they did not pitch or encamp in these places, but only pass by or through them. I will give them water — In a miraculous manner.... [ Continue Reading ]
Spring up — Heb. ascend, that is, let thy waters, which now lie hid below in the earth, ascend for our use. It is either a prediction that it should spring up, or a prayer that it might.... [ Continue Reading ]
With their staves — Probably as Moses smote the rock with his rod, so they struck the earth with their staves, as a sign that God would cause the water to flow out of the earth where they smote it, as he did before out of the rock. Perhaps they made holes with their staves in the sandy ground, and G... [ Continue Reading ]
Pisgah — This was the top of those high hills of Abarim.... [ Continue Reading ]
Sent messengers — By God's allowance, that so Sihon's malice might be the more evident and inexcusable, and their title to his country more clear in the judgment of all men, as being gotten by a just war, into which they were forced for their own defence.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let me pass — They spoke what they seriously intended and would have done, if he had given them quiet passage.... [ Continue Reading ]
From Arnon — Or, which reached from Arnon; and so here is a description or limitation of Sihon's conquest and kingdom, that is, extended only from Arnon, unto the children of Ammon; and then the following words, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong, come in very fitly, not as a reason... [ Continue Reading ]
Was the city of Sihon — This is added as a reason why Israel took possession of this land, because it was not now the land of the Moabites, but in the possession of the Amorites. The former king — The predecessor of Balak, who was the present king. See the wisdom of providence, which prepares long b... [ Continue Reading ]
In proverbs — The poets or other ingenious persons, of the Amorites or Canaanites, who made this following song of triumph over the vanquished Moabites: which is here brought in, as a proof that this was now Sihon's land, and as an evidence of the just judgment of God in spoiling the spoilers, and s... [ Continue Reading ]
A fire — The fury of war, which is fitly compared to fire. Out of Heshbon — That city which before was a refuge and defence to all the country, now is turned into a great annoyance. It hath consumed Ar — This may be understood not of the city Ar, but of the people or the country subject or belonging... [ Continue Reading ]
People of Chemosh — The worshippers of Chemosh: so the God of the Moabites was called. He, that is, their God, hath delivered up his own people to his and their enemies; nor could he secure even those that had escaped the sword, but suffered them to be carried into captivity. The words of this and t... [ Continue Reading ]
Though you feeble Moabites, and your God too, could not resist Sihon, we Israelites, by the help of our God, have shot, with success and victory, at them, at Sihon and his Amorites. Heshbon — The royal city of Sihon, and by him lately repaired, Is perished — Is taken away from Sihon, and so is all h... [ Continue Reading ]
Jaazer — One of the cities of Moab formerly taken from them by Sihon, and now taken from him by the Israelites.... [ Continue Reading ]
Og — Who also was a king of the Amorites. And it may seem that Sihon and Og were the leaders or captains of two great colonies which came out of Canaan, and drove out the former inhabitants of these places. Bashan — A rich country, famous for its pastures and breed of cattle, and for its oaks.... [ Continue Reading ]