NUMBERS CHAPTER 21 The Canaanites fight against Israel, and take some of them prisoners, NUMBERS 21:1. Through God's assistance they overcome them, and destroy their cities, NUMBERS 21:2,3. The people murmur, NUMBERS 21:4,5; are plagued with fiery serpents, NUMBERS 21:6. They repent, NUMBERS 21:7. A... [ Continue Reading ]
Being sensible of their own weakness, they endeavour to engage God to help them in the war, which they intended to renew. I WILL UTTERLY DESTROY THEIR CITIES; I will reserve no person nor thing for my own use, but devote them all to total destruction, which was the consequent of such vows. See LEVIT... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY UTTERLY DESTROYED THEM: when? ANSW. Either, 1. Some time after this, under Joshua, who subdued, among others, _the king of Arad_, JOSHUA 12:14. And so this is mentioned here by anticipation, that the vow being now made and mentioned, the effect or performance of it might be recorded, though ou... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THE WAY OF THE RED SEA, i.e. 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 preposterous, (for they were now going towards Egypt,) and unexpected, either because they doubted not... [ Continue Reading ]
AGAINST GOD; against Christ, their chief Conductor, whom they tempted, 1 CORINTHIANS 10:9. THIS LIGHT BREAD, i.e. of small substance and virtue. Thus contemptuously do they speak of manna, whereas it appears it yielded excellent nourishment, because in the strength of it they were able to go so many... [ Continue Reading ]
Such there were many in this wilderness, DEUTERONOMY 8:15, 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 in the bodies of the Israelites, which... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
A FIERY SERPENT, i.e. 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 thoroughly humbled. SET IT ON A POLE, that the people might see it from all parts of the camp; and therefore th... [ Continue Reading ]
He was delivered from death, and cured of his disease.... [ Continue Reading ]
Not immediately, but after two other stations, mentioned NUM 33.... [ Continue Reading ]
MOAB is called _the wilderness of Moab_, DEUTERONOMY 2:8.... [ Continue Reading ]
Or rather, _by the torrent or brook of Zared_, as we render it, DEUTERONOMY 2:13; which ran into the Dead Sea, and from which the valley also might be so called.... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ARNON, or rather, _on this side of Arnon_, for so it now was to the Israelites, who had not yet passed over it, as appears from DEUTERONOMY 2:24. But the same words, JUDGES 11:18, are to be rendered _on the other side of Arnon_, for so it was to Jephthah; and the same prepositio... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BOOK OF THE WARS OF THE LORD 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 written by a p... [ Continue Reading ]
AR; a chief city in Moab, as appears from _ ISAIAH 15:1_, of which NUMBERS 21:28.... [ Continue Reading ]
BEER, and _Mattanah, Nahaliel, and Bamoth_ named here, NUMBERS 21:19, are not mentioned among those places where they pitched or encamped, NUM 33. Either therefore they did not pitch or encamp in these places, but only pass by or through them, nor indeed is it here said they pitched or encamped in t... [ Continue Reading ]
ISRAEL SANG THIS SONG, to praise God for giving them such a seasonable blessing, before they asked it, or complained for the want of it. SPRING UP; give forth thy waters that we may drink. Heb. _Ascend_, i.e. let thy waters, which now lie hid below in the earth, ascend for thy use. It is either a pr... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRINCES DIGGED; either by themselves, or by others whom they commanded to do it. _By the direction of the lawgiver_, or, _with the lawgiver_, i.e. Moses; they together with Moses, or they by Moses's direction and appointment, which is signified NUMBERS 21:16. THEIR STAVES are here mentioned, eit... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE POOLE ON "NUMBERS 21:16".... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE VALLEY; or, _the valley_, which might be called _Bamoth_, not because it was a place naturally high, but from divers other reasons, which may be easily guessed. Or, _to the valley_, or _to that valley_, that famous or rather infamous valley, to wit, of _Abel-shittim_, NUMBERS 33:49, where the... [ Continue Reading ]
By God's allowance, that so Sihon's malice might be the more evident and inexcusable, and that their title to his country more clear in the judgments of all men, as being gotten by a just war, into which they were forced for their own defence.... [ Continue Reading ]
They spoke what they seriously intended and would have done, if he had given them quiet passage; but withal they knew that Sihon would not do it, and that he would withstand them, and that they should subdue him and take his land, as God had told them before they sent this message, as appears from D... [ Continue Reading ]
JAHAZ, a city, of which see DEUTERONOMY 2:32 JEREMIAH 48:21.... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM ARNON; or which reached from Arnon, &c. such supplements being very usual; and so here is contained a description or limitation of Sihon's conquest and kingdom, that it extended only _from Arnon unto the children of Ammon_; and then the following words, _for the border of the children of Ammon... [ Continue Reading ]
Having destroyed the ancient inhabitants, DEUTERONOMY 2:34.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CITY OF SIHON: this is added as a reason why Israel took possession of this land, notwithstanding God's prohibition of meddling with them or their land, DEUTERONOMY 2:9, because it was not now the land of the Moabites, but had been some time since taken from them, and in the possession of the Am... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT SPEAK IN PROVERBS; the poets, or other ingenious persons, to wit, of the Amorites or Canaanites, who made this following song of triumph over the vanquished Moabites; which is here brought in partly as a proof that this was now Sihon's land, and partly as an evidence of the just judgment of God... [ Continue Reading ]
A FIRE, i.e. the fury of war, which is oft and fitly compared to fire here, as ISAIAH 47:14 AMOS 1:7,10,12,14 2:2,5; HESHBON; that city which before was a refuge and defence to all the country, now is turned into a great annoyance and a public mischief. AR OF MOAB. QUEST. How can this be, since Ar w... [ Continue Reading ]
Alas, poor Moab! thou couldst not save thyself from Sihon's sword. PEOPLE OF CHEMOSH, i.e. the worshippers of Chemosh: so the god of the Moabites was called, 1 KINGS 11:7,33 2 KINGS 23:13 JEREMIAH 48:46. HE, i.e. their god, hath delivered up his own people to his and their enemies; he could not defe... [ Continue Reading ]
Though you feeble Moabites, and your god too, could not resist Sihon, we Israelites, by the help of our God, HAVE SHOT, to wit, with success and victory, as the following words show, at them, to wit, at Sihon and his Amorites; which is easily and plainly understood, both from the foregoing and follo... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
JAAZER; one of the cities of Moab, formerly taken from them by Sihon, and now taken from him by the Israelites, NUMBERS 32:1,3,35; and after the decay or destruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes, repossessed by the Moabites, JEREMIAH 48:32.... [ Continue Reading ]
OG also was a king of the Amorites, of whom see DEUTERONOMY 3:1,11. 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... [ Continue Reading ]
FEAR HIM NOT; a necessary caution, for he was a great giant, DEUTERONOMY 3:11, likely to strike them with terror.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]