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Texts -- Numbers 21:15-35 (NET)

Context
21:15 and the slope of the valleys that extends to the dwelling of Ar , and falls off at the border of Moab .” 21:16 And from there they traveled to Beer ; that is the well where the Lord spoke to Moses , “Gather the people and I will give them water .” 21:17 Then Israel sang this song : “Spring up , O well , sing to it! 21:18 The well which the princes dug , which the leaders of the people opened with their scepters and their staffs .” And from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah ; 21:19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel ; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth ; 21:20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab , near the top of Pisgah , which overlooks the wilderness .
The Victory over Sihon and Og
21:21 Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites , saying , 21:22 “Let us pass through your land ; we will not turn aside into the fields or into the vineyards , nor will we drink water from any well , but we will go along the King’s Highway until we pass your borders .” 21:23 But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his border ; he gathered all his forces together and went out against Israel into the wilderness . When he came to Jahaz , he fought against Israel . 21:24 But the Israelites defeated him in battle and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok , as far as the Ammonites , for the border of the Ammonites was strongly defended. 21:25 So Israel took all these cities ; and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites , in Heshbon , and in all its villages . 21:26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites . Now he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all of his land from his control , as far as the Arnon . 21:27 That is why those who speak in proverbs say , “Come to Heshbon , let it be built . Let the city of Sihon be established ! 21:28 For fire went out from Heshbon , a flame from the city of Sihon . It has consumed Ar of Moab and the lords of the high places of Arnon . 21:29 Woe to you, Moab . You are ruined , O people of Chemosh ! He has made his sons fugitives , and his daughters the prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites . 21:30 We have overpowered them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon . We have shattered them as far as Nophah , which reaches to Medeba .” 21:31 So the Israelites lived in the land of the Amorites . 21:32 Moses sent spies to reconnoiter Jaazer , and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there . 21:33 Then they turned and went up by the road to Bashan . And King Og of Bashan and all his forces marched out against them to do battle at Edrei . 21:34 And the Lord said to Moses , “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand . You will do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites , who lived in Heshbon . 21:35 So they defeated Og, his sons , and all his people , until there were no survivors , and they possessed his land .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • MOSES

    [isbe] MOSES - mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet. I. LIFE 1. Son of Levi 2. Foundling Prince 3. Friend of the Pe...
    [smith] (Heb. Mosheh , "drawn," i.e. from the water; in the Coptic it means "saved from the water"), the legislator of the Jewish people, and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion. The immediate pedigree of Moses is a...

  • Sihon

    [ebd] striking down. The whole country on the east of Jordan, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, was possessed by the Amorites, whose king, Sihon, refused to permit the Israelites to pass through his territory, and put his army in arra...
    [isbe] SIHON - si'-hon (cichon): King of the Amorites, who vainly opposed Israel on their journey from Egypt to Palestine, and who is frequently mentioned in the historical books and in the Psalms because of his prominence and as a...
    [smith] (warrior) king of the Amorites when Israel arrived on the borders of the promised land. (Numbers 21:21) (B.C. 1451.) Shortly before the time of Israel?s arrival he had dispossessed the Moabites of a splendid territory, drivin...
    [nave] SIHON, king of the Amorites. His seat of government at Heshbon, Num. 21:26. The proverbial chant celebrating the victory of Sihon over the Moabites, Num. 21:26-30. Conquest of his kingdom by the Israelites, Num. 21:21-25; D...

  • BIBLE, THE, IV CANONICITY

    [isbe] BIBLE, THE, IV CANONICITY - IV. Literary Growth and Origin--Canonicity. Thus far the books of the Old Testament and New Testament have been taken simply as given, and no attempt has been made to inquire how or when they were...

  • Amorites

    [isbe] AMORITES - am'-o-rits; Amorites ('emori, always in the singular like the Babylonian Amurru from which it is taken; Amorraioi): 1. Varying Use of the Name Explained 2. The Amorite Kingdom 3. Sihon's Conquest 4. Disappearance ...
    [nave] AMORITES Descendants of Canaan, Gen. 10:15, 16; 1 Chr. 1:13, 14. Were giants, Amos 2:9. Struck by Chedorlaomer and rescued by Abraham, Gen. 14. Territory of, Gen. 14:7; Num. 13:29; 21:13; Deut. 1:4, 7, 19; 3:8, 9; Josh. 5...

  • IMAGES

    [isbe] IMAGES - im'-aj-iz (tselem; eikon): 1. Definition 2. Origin 3. Historical Beginnings and Early Developments 4. Bible References and Palestinian Customs 5. Most Important Technical Terms (1) Matstsebhah ("pillar") (2) 'Ashera...

  • Heshbon

    [ebd] intelligence, a city ruled over by Sihon, king of the Amorites (Josh. 3:10; 13:17). It was taken by Moses (Num. 21:23-26), and became afterwards a Levitical city (Josh. 21:39) in the tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:37). After the E...
    [isbe] HESHBON - hesh'-bon (cheshbon; Hesebon): The royal city of Sihon king of the Amorites, taken and occupied by the Israelites under Moses (Nu 21:25 f, etc.). It lay on the southern border of Gad (Josh 13:26), and was one of th...
    [smith] (stronghold), the capital city of Sihon king of the Amorites. (Numbers 21:26) It stood on the western border of the high plain --Mishor, (Joshua 13:17) --and on the boundary line between the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The ruin...
    [nave] HESHBON A city of the Amorites, Num. 21:25-35; Deut. 1:4. Built by Reuben, Num. 32:37. Allotted to Gad, Josh. 21:38, 39. Fish-pools at, Song 7:4. Prophecy concerning, Isa. 16:8; Jer. 48:2, 34, 35; 49:1-3.

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Canaan

    [nave] CANAAN 1. Son of Ham, Gen. 9:18, 22, 25-27. Descendants of, Gen. 10:6, 15; 1 Chr. 1:8, 13. 2. Land of (The history of this region is involved in that of the Israelites. The student is therefore referred to Israel, History ...

  • MOAB; MOABITES

    [isbe] MOAB; MOABITES - mo'-ab, mo'-ab-its (Moab, mo'abh, Moabite Stone, M-'-B; Greek (Septuagint) Moab, he Moabeitis, Moabitis; Moabite, mo'abhi; Moabites, bene mo'abh): 1. The Land: Moab was the district East of the Dead Sea, ext...

  • WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL

    [isbe] WANDERINGS OF ISRAEL - won'-der-ingz: I. CONDITIONS 1. The Wilderness 2. Four Separate Regions Included 3. "The Sandy Tract" 4. Description of the Arabah 5. Physical Condition of the Wilderness 6. Difficulties Regarding the ...

  • AMMON; AMMONITES

    [isbe] AMMON; AMMONITES - am'-on, am'-on-its (`ammon; `ammonim): The Hebrew tradition makes this tribe descendants of Lot and hence related to the Israelites (Gen 19:38). This is reflected in the name usually employed in Old Testam...

  • Og

    [ebd] gigantic, the king of Bashan, who was defeated by Moses in a pitched battle at Edrei, and was slain along with his sons (Deut. 1:4), and whose kingdom was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh ...
    [isbe] OG - (`ogh; Og): King of Bashan, whose territory, embracing 60 cities, was conquered by Moses and the Israelites immediately after the conquest of Sihon, king of the Amorites (Nu 21:33-35; Dt 3:1-12). The defeat took place a...
    [nave] OG, king of Bashan. A man of gigantic stature, Num. 21:33; Deut. 3:11; Josh. 12:4; 13:12. Defeated and slain by Moses, Num. 21:33-35; Deut. 1:4; 3:1-7; 29:7; 31:4; Josh. 2:10; 9:10; Psa. 135:10, 11; 136:18-20. Land of, give...

  • Wars of the Lord, The Book of the

    [ebd] (Num. 21:14, 15), some unknown book so called (comp. Gen. 14:14-16; Ex. 17:8-16; Num. 14:40-45; 21:1-3, 21-25, 33-35; 31. The wars here recorded might be thus designated).

  • Edrei

    [ebd] mighty; strength. (1.) One of the chief towns of the kingdom of Bashan (Josh. 12:4, 5). Here Og was defeated by the Israelites, and the strength of the Amorites broken (Num. 21:33-35). It subsequently belonged to Manasseh, f...
    [isbe] EDREI - ed'-re-i ('edhre`i; Edra-ein): (1) One of the cities of Og, not far from Ashtaroth, where the power of his kingdom received its deathblow from the invading Israelites (Josh 12:4; Nu 21:33 ff, etc.). It seems to mark ...
    [smith] (stronghold). One of the two capital cities of Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh east of the Jordan. (Numbers 21:33; 1:4; 3:10; Joshua 12:4) In Scripture it is only mentioned in connection with the victory gained by the I...
    [nave] EDREI, a town of Bashan. Allotted to Manasseh, Josh. 13:31. Joshua defeats Og at, Num. 21:33-35; Deut. 1:4; 3:1-3.

  • Beer

    [isbe] BEER - be'-er (be'er; phrear; Latin puteus = "well"): (1) A station on the march of the Israelites to the North of the Arnon (Nu 21:16). Here it was that they sang round the well this song: `Spring up O well; greet it with s...
    [smith] (a well). One of the latest halting-places of the Israelites, lying beyond the Arnon. (Numbers 21:16-18) This is possibly the BEER-ELIM of (Isaiah 15:8) A place to which Jotham, the son of Gideon, fled for fear of his brothe...
    [nave] BEER 1. A station of the Israelites, Num. 21:16-18. 2. A town in the tribe of Judah, Judg. 9:21.

  • Ar

    [smith] (a city), or Ar of Moab, one of the chief places of Moab. (Numbers 21:28; Isaiah 15:1) In later times the place known as Areopolis and Rabbath-Moab. The site still called Rabba . It lies about halfway between Kerak and the Wa...
    [nave] AR, a city of Moab, Num. 21:15; Deut. 2:9, 18, 24, 29. Destruction of, Num. 21:26-30; Isa. 15:1.

  • Mattanah

    [ebd] a gift, a station of the Israelites (Num. 21:18, 19) between the desert and the borders of Moab, in the Wady Waleh.
    [isbe] MATTANAH - mat'-a-na (mattanah; Codex Vaticanus, Manthanaein; Codex Alexandrinus, Manthanein): A station of the Israelites which seems to have lain between Beer and Nahaliel (Nu 21:18 f). The name means "gift," and might not...
    [smith] (gift of Jehovah), a station the latter part of the wandering of the Israelites. (Numbers 21:18,19) It was probably situated to the southeast of the Dead Sea.
    [nave] MATTANAH, a station of Israel, Num. 21:18, 19.

  • Suphah

    [ebd] (Num. 21:14, marg.; also R.V.), a place at the south-eastern corner of the Dead Sea, the Ghor es-Safieh. This name is found in an ode quoted from the "Book of the Wars of the Lord," probably a collection of odes commemoratin...

  • Moabite

    [ebd] the designation of a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot (Gen. 19:37). From Zoar, the cradle of this tribe, on the south-eastern border of the Dead Sea, they gradually spread over the region on the east of Jordan. Rame...

  • Song

    [isbe] SONG - (shir, shirah): Besides the great collection of sacred songs contained in the Psalter, as well as the lyric outbursts, marked by strong religious feeling, on great national occasions, it is natural to believe, and we ...
    [nave] SONG Sung at the passover, Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26. Didactic, Deut. 32. See: Psalms, Didactic. Impersonation of the church, Song 1-8. Of Moses and the Lamb, Rev. 15:3, 4. New, Psa. 33:3; 40:3. Prophetic, See: Psalms, P...
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Arts

Questions

  • The great songs of the Old Testament, besides the Psalms and certain metrical passages in Job, are: Lantech's Sword Song, Gen. 4:23,24; Noah's Song, Gen. 9:25-27; Moses' and Miriam's Song, Ex. 15:1-19,21; War Songs, etc., Num...
  • They were the descendants of Lot and were neighbors of the Amorites on the opposite side of the River Arnon (Num. 21:13). They were governed by kings and possessed many great cities (Num. 21:28-30; Is. 15:1; Num. 23:7). They ...
  • They were one of the seven nations of Canaan and were governed by many independent kings (Josh. 5:1; Josh. 9:10). They originally inhabited a mountain district in the south (Num. 13:29), but later acquired an extensive tract ...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Whereas the Israelites had feared the possibility of having to battle the Egyptians (14:10) they now did engage in battle with the Amalekites."The primary function of this section in its present location is the demonstration ...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
  • "Arad was a large town in the northern Negeb, about 17 miles . . . south of Hebron."179"Atharim"means "the spies"(v. 1). Evidently this is the route the Israelite spies had taken into Canaan.The Canaanites of Arad took the of...
  • The list of stopping places Moses recorded here differs from the one in 33:41-49. Apparently neither list is complete but both are selective. Archaeologists have not yet identified most of the sites Moses mentioned here. The ...
  • This account fits chronologically after 21:13. It records two great victories that God gave His people over two of the mighty Amorite kings."The term Amorite has various meanings in the OT: Canaanites generally (e.g., Gen. 15...
  • Heshbon was a city, but Bashan was a territory. Bashan lay north of the Yarmuk Wadi. Evidently at the time of Israel's conquest Og controlled the territory south of the Yarmuk as far as the Jabbok, the area known as Gilead.19...
  • 22:1-20 Moab had not attacked Israel as the people of God had moved north along Moab's eastern border. In fact the Moabites sold the Israelites bread and water (Deut. 2:29). The Moabites probably counted on Sihon, who had for...
  • Another preparation for entering Canaan involved appointing a new leader to take Moses' place.God foretold that Moses would die without entering the land (cf. 20:1-13). Graciously He allowed His servant to see the Promised La...
  • Forty-two stations appear in the list. Eighteen do not appear elsewhere in the record of the journey (vv. 13, 19-29), and four mentioned previously are absent in this chapter (cf. 11:3; 21:19). Obviously this is a selective l...
  • The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
  • This narrative closely parallels the one in Numbers 21:21-32. In this account Moses emphasized for the people God's faithfulness to them. Note especially verses 25, 29, 30, 31, 33, and 36."All the nations under heaven' (v. 25...
  • This record is also very similar to the previous account of this conquest in Numbers 21:33-35, though Moses provided more information here. Again Moses interpreted Israel's history to emphasize God's faithfulness. The land of...
  • The Israelites' return to apostasy brought discipline from two different directions at the same time. In the east the Ammonites oppressed Israel while in the west God raised up the Philistines."The acuter pressure at this sta...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • 135:4-7 The sovereignty of God is what called forth the poet's praise in this psalm. The Lord chose Israel as His special treasure (cf. Deut. 7:6). He is also greater than all the pagan gods because He does whatever pleases H...
  • 1:4 The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf....
  • This oracle is similar to the one in Isaiah 15 and 16.555Other oracles against Moab appear in Ezekiel 25:8-11, Amos 2:1-3, and Zephaniah 2:9, but this is the longest one. It is very difficult to say when Jeremiah gave this or...
  • v. 10 The things the false teachers did not understand but reviled probably refer to aspects of God's revealed will that they chose to reject (cf. 1 Cor. 2:7-16)."Jude, like his brother James, denounces the sins of the tongue...
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