New King James Version
Numbers 20:21
21Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
Numbers 20:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
- New International Version (NIV)Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel was forced to turn around.
Context of Numbers 20:21
19So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him. 22Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying:
Read all of Numbers 20Numbers 20:21 word by word
וַיְמָאֵ֣ן׀ אֱד֗וֹם נְתֹן֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עֲבֹ֖ר בִּגְבֻל֑וֹ וַיֵּ֥ט יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵעָלָֽיו׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Numbers 20:21
- Deuteronomy 2:27‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left.
- Deuteronomy 2:4And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.
- Deuteronomy 23:7“You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.
- Judges 11:18And they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
Commentaries on Numbers 20:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border - Though every king has a right to refuse passage through his territories to any strangers; yet in a case like this, and in a time also in which emigrations were frequent and universally allowed, it was both cruelty and oppression in Edom to refuse a passage to a comparatively unarmed and inoffensive multitude, who were all their own near kinsmen. It appears however that it was only the Edomites…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 The nearest way to Canaan from the place where Israel encamped, was through the country of Edom. The ambassadors who were sent returned with a denial. The Edomites feared to receive damage by the Israelites. And had this numerous army been under any other discipline than that of the righteous God himself, there might have been cause for this jealousy. But Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing; and now the hatred revived, when the blessing…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-21You may not travel through our land: Just as their ancestor Esau did not trust Jacob, the Edomites now did not trust Jacob’s descendants (Genesis 27:36). Therefore, Israel had to turn around and find another way to approach Canaan (compare Deuteronomy 2:4–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, &c.--A churlish refusal obliged them to take another route. (See on Nu 21:4; De 2:4; and Jud 11:18; see also 1Sa 14:47; 2Sa 8:14, which describe the retribution that was taken.)Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 20:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 20
- 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries