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Texts -- Numbers 21:17-35 (NET)

Context
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 .

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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...
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