Numbers-Chapter-20
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL
YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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“Numbers Chapter 21”
With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Numbers 21 serves as a bridge between the wandering and the
inheritance. This chapter is marked by three distinct movements: victory over
the Canaanites of Arad, the internal spiritual crisis of the "fiery
serpents," and the decisive territorial gains against the Amorites (Sihon) and Bashan (Og). It illustrates a maturing
nation that is learning to pair prayerful vows with military action, while
still struggling with the psychological remnants of their long journey.
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Let us read Numbers
Chapter 21, verses 1 to 35: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
Below this chapter you will find my commentary for this study.
1 “And the Canaanite, the king of
Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of
them captive. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto יְהוָה -
the LORD, and said: ‘If Thou wilt indeed deliver this people
into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities’. 3 And יְהוָה -
the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the
Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and the name of
the place was called Hormah. 4 And
they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red
Sea, to compass the land
of Edom; and the soul of
the people became impatient because of the way. 5 And
the people spoke against אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God), and against Moses:
‘Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread’. 6 And
יְהוָה -
the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit
the people; and much people of Israel
died. 7 And the people came to Moses, and said: ‘We
have sinned, because we have spoken against יְהוָה -
the LORD, and against thee; pray unto יְהוָה -
the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us’. And Moses
prayed for the people. 8 And יְהוָה -
the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Make thee a fiery serpent, and set
it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when
he seeth it, shall live’. 9 And
Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass,
that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass,
he lived. 10 And the children of Israel
journeyed, and pitched in Oboth. 11 And
they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is in front of Moab, toward
the sun-rising. 12 From thence they journeyed, and
pitched in the valley
of Zered. 13 From thence they journeyed, and pitched on the other
side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that
cometh out of the border of the Amorites. For Arnon
is the border of Moab, between
Moab and the Amorites; 14 wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of יְהוָה -
the LORD: Vaheb in Suphah, and the valleys of Arnon, 15 And the slope of the
valleys that inclineth toward the seat of Ar, and leaneth upon the border of
Moab. 16 And from thence to Beer; that is the well whereof יְהוָה -
the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Gather the people together, and I
will give them water. 17 Then sang Israel this
song: Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it 18 The well’, which the princes digged,
which the nobles of the people delved, with the sceptre, and with their staves.
And from the wilderness to Mattanah; 19 and
from Mattanah to Nahaliel;
and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; 20 and from Bamoth to the
valley that is in the field of Moab,
by the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the
desert. 21 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon
king of the Amorites, saying: 22 ‘Let me pass
through thy land; we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will
not drink of the water of the wells; we will go by the king’s highway, until we
have passed thy border’. 23 And Sihon would not
suffer Israel to pass
through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out
against Israel into the
wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel. 24 And Israel
smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto
the children of Ammon; for the border of the children
of Ammon was strong. 25 And
Israel took all these
cities; and Israel
dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon,
and in all the towns thereof. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who
had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his
hand, even unto the Arnon. 27 Wherefore
they that speak in parables say: Come ye to Heshbon! let the city of Sihon
be built and established! 28 For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, a flame
from the city of Sihon;
it hath devoured Ar of Moab, the lords of the high
places of Arnon. 29 Woe
to thee, Moab!
thou art undone, O people of Chemosh;
he hath given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, unto
Sihon king of the Amorites. 30 We have shot at
them Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid waste even unto Nophah,
which reacheth unto Medeba. 31 Thus Israel
dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses
sent to spy out Jazer, and they took the towns
thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. 33 And
they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan
went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 And יְהוָה -
the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Fear him not; for I have delivered
him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him
as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon’. 35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people,
until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land”.
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Below is my Commentary
on Numbers Chapter 21:
Verses
1-3: (The Vow at Hormah).
The chapter begins with an attack by the King of Arad. Unlike previous
instances where the people might have simply despaired, here they make a
collective vow (neder) to the Almighty. This marks a
significant shift in the national character: they are now taking responsibility
for their destiny by inviting Divine partnership through specific commitments.
The term Hormah (Destruction) signifies that the victory was
not for personal gain but was “devoted” or consecrated, indicating that this
generation understands their battles as part of a larger, sacred purpose.
Verses
4-9: (The Copper Serpent [Nechushtan]).
As the journey detours around Edom,
the people’s souls become “shortened” or impatient. They speak against אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and Moses,
dismissing the Manna as being “miserable food”. The resulting “fiery serpents” (ha-nechashim
ha-seraphim) represent the externalisation of their internal “burning” discontent. When they
repent, the remedy is striking: a copper serpent on a pole. The Hebrew words
for serpent (nachash) and copper (nechoshet) share
a linguistic root, creating a symbolic mirror. Modern analysis emphasizes that
the object itself had no power; rather, the healing occurred only when a person
looked upward literally and metaphorically redirecting their focus from their physical
wounds to their spiritual source. It was a lesson in mental and spiritual
alignment.
Verses
10-20: (The Song of the Well). The
text shifts to a poetic itinerary. The “Song of the Well” (verses 17-18) is a
beautiful contrast to earlier complaints about water. Here, the princes and
nobles dig the well with their own “staves”, showing a new level of cooperation
and leadership. They are no longer waiting for Moses to strike a rock; they are
actively participating in the miracle of their own sustenance.
Verses
21-35: (The Conquest of the East Bank).
The final section details the defeat of ‘Sihon’,
King of the Amorites, and ‘Og’,
King of Bashan. These were not just local chieftains but formidable powers. By
conquering these lands, Israel
gains its first significant territory.
1. Sihon (verses 21-32): Israel first
attempts diplomacy, asking for peaceful passage. Only after being attacked do
they engage in war.
2. Og (verses 33-35): The victory over ‘Og’ is particularly significant
as he was the last of the “giants” (Rephaim). The
conquest of the Transjordan (the land east of the Jordan
River) becomes the foundation for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and
half of Manasseh, setting the stage for the final entry into the Land.
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My Closing Message:
Numbers 21 reminds us that the road to our “Promised Land” whatever
that may be, is rarely a straight line. It involves detours that test our
patience and battles that require our active participation. When we feel the “bite”
of life’s challenges, the solution is rarely found in looking at the wound
itself, but in looking up and remembering our higher purpose and the Source of
our strength. May we, like the generation of the well, learn to dig deep with
our own staves to find the living waters that sustain us on the journey!
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עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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