English Standard Version
Numbers 21:2
2And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, "If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction."
Numbers 21:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.”
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then the people of Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will hand these people over to us, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
Context of Numbers 21:2
1When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, "If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction." 3And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called Hormah. 4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.
Read all of Numbers 21Numbers 21:2 word by word
וַיִּדַּ֨ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל נֶ֛דֶר לַֽיהוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אִם־נָתֹ֨ן תִּתֵּ֜ן אֶת־הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ בְּיָדִ֔י וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י אֶת־עָרֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- vowedנָדַרnâdar · to vowH5087
- a vowנֶ֫דֶרneder nêder · vowH5088
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- If thou wilt indeedנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- this peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- into my handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- then I will utterly destroyחָרַםchâram · to devote/destroyH2763
- their citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
Cross-references for Numbers 21:2
- Genesis 28:20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,
- Judges 11:30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,
- 1 Samuel 1:11And she vowed a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."
- 2 Samuel 15:7And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.
- Psalms 56:12I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.
- Psalms 116:18I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
- Psalms 132:2how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
- Leviticus 27:28"But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 13:15you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword.
- Joshua 6:17And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.
- 1 Corinthians 16:22If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!
Commentaries on Numbers 21:2
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3devote … to destruction: This phrase translates the Hebrew word kharam. This word means to devote something fully to God by destroying it. Israel was told to completely destroy their enemies and their property in certain cases (see Leviticus 27:28–29; Deuteronomy 7:2; 20:17; Joshua 6–7; 10:1–11:23). This battle also includes wordplay between kharam and Hormah (Hebrew khormah, Numbers 21:3). The similar sounds connect the action of destroying with the name…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord--Made to feel their own weakness, they implored the aid of Heaven, and, in anticipation of it, devoted the cities of this king to future destruction. The nature and consequence of such anathemas are described (Le 27:1-34; De 13:1-18). This vow of extermination against Arad [Nu 21:2] gave name to the place Hormah (slaughter and destruction) though it was not accomplished till after the passage of the Jordan. Others…Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 21:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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