Numbers 21:14-21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
14 Hence it is said in the “Book of the Wars of the Lord”:[a]
“Waheb in Suphah and the wadies,
15 Arnon and the wadi gorges
That reach back toward the site of Ar[b]
and lean against the border of Moab.”
16 From there they went to Beer,[c] which is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, Gather the people together so that I may give them water. 17 Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well!—so sing to it—
18 The well that the princes sank,
that the nobles of the people dug,
With their scepters and their staffs—
from the wilderness, a gift.
19 From Beer to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 from Bamoth to the valley in the country of Moab at the headland of Pisgah that overlooks Jeshimon.[d]
Victory over Sihon. 21 Now Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, with the message,
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 21:14 The “Book of the Wars of the Lord”: an ancient collection of Israelite songs, now lost. Waheb in Suphah: since neither place is mentioned elsewhere, it is uncertain whether these Hebrew words are to be considered as place names; some Hebrew words, now lost, must have preceded this phrase.
- 21:15 Ar: a city or district in Moab, located on the Arnon; see v. 28; Dt 2:18.
- 21:16 Beer: “a well,” here used as a place name.
- 21:20 Jeshimon: “the wasteland”; in 1 Sm 23:19, 24 and 26:1, 3, this is the wilderness of Judah on the western side of the Dead Sea, but here and in Nm 23:28, it seems to refer to the southern end of the Jordan valley where Beth-jeshimoth was situated.
Numbers 21:14-21
New International Version
14 That is why the Book of the Wars(A) of the Lord says:
“. . . Zahab[a] in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15 and[b] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar(B)
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they continued on to Beer,(C) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:(D)
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.”
Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah(E) overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers(F) to say to Sihon(G) king of the Amorites:(H)
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb
- Numbers 21:15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.