Numbers 21

Numbers · Chapter 21

Numbers 21:18

1And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.2And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.3And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.8And 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 looketh upon it, shall live.9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.10And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.11And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.12From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.13From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.14Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,15And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.16And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.17Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:18The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:19And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:20And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.21And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,22Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s high way, until we be past thy borders.23And 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 he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.24And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.25And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.26For 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 Arnon.27Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:28For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.29Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.30We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.31Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.32And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.33And 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 the battle at Edrei.34And 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, which dwelt at Heshbon.35So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
18The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with their staffs.” From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah,The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah;

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Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
a wellבְּאֵ֞רbe-'ERH0875
well

בְּאֵר (be.er) well, pit, spring

[which] they dug itחֲפָר֣וּהָcha-fa-RU-haH2658
to search

חָפַר (cha.phar) 1) to dig, search for 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to dig 1a2) to search, search out, explore

[the] leadersשָׂרִ֗יםsa-RIMH8269
ruler

שַׂר (sar) 1) prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain 1a) chieftain, leader 1b) vassal, noble, official (under king) 1c) captain, general, commander (military) 1d) chief, head, overseer (of other official classes) 1e) heads, princes (of religious office) 1f) elders (of representative leaders of people) 1g) merchant-princes (of rank and dignity) 1h) patron-angel 1i) Ruler of rulers (of God) 1j) warden

[which] they dug itכָּר֙וּהָ֙ka-RU-haH3738B
to pierce

כָּרָה (ka.rah) 1) to pierce, excavate, dig through 1a) (Qal) to dig 1b) (Niphal) to be dug

[the] noble [people] ofנְדִיבֵ֣יne-di-VEIH5081H
noble: willing

נָדִיב (na.div) : willing n m 1) noble one adj 2) inclined, willing, noble, generous 1a) incited, inclined, willing 1b) noble, princely (in rank) 1c) noble (in mind and character) Also means: na.div (נָדִיב ": noble" H5081H) § A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at Sng.6.12

the peopleהָעָ֔םha-'AMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

with a ruler's staffבִּמְחֹקֵ֖קbim-cho-KEKH2710
to decree

חָקַק (cha.qaq) 1) to cut out, decree, inscribe, set, engrave, portray, govern 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to cut in 1a2) to cut in or on, cut upon, engrave, inscribe 1a3) to trace, mark out 1a4) to engrave, inscribe (of a law) 1b) (Poel) 1b1) to inscribe, enact, decree 1b2) one who decrees, lawgiver (participle) 1c) (Pual) something decreed, the law (participle) 1d) (Hophal) to be inscribed

with staffs theirבְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑םbe-mish-'a-no-TAMH4938B
staff

מִשְׁעֶ֫נֶת (mish.e.net) staff

and from [the] wildernessוּמִמִּדְבָּ֖רu-mi-mid-BARH4057B
wilderness

מִדְבָּר (mid.bar) 1) wilderness 1a) pasture 1b) uninhabited land, wilderness 1c) large tracts of wilderness (around cities) 1d) wilderness (fig.)

Mattanahמַתָּנָֽה׃ma-ta-NAHH4980
Mattanah

מַתָּנָה (mat.ta.nah) § Mattanah = "gift of Jehovah" a station of the Israelites in the latter part of their wanderings located east of the Jordan and probably to the southeast of the Dead Sea

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.