Bilangan 21:13

21:13 From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the regions ¹  of the Amorites, for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

Bilangan 22:3

22:3 And the Moabites were greatly afraid of the people, because they were so numerous. The Moabites were sick with fear because of the Israelites.

Bilangan 33:44

33:44 They traveled from Oboth and camped in Iye-abarim, on the border of Moab.

Bilangan 21:11

21:11 Then they traveled on from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, ²  in the wilderness that is before Moab, on the eastern side. ³ 

Bilangan 21:15

21:15 and the slope of the valleys ⁴ 

that extends to the dwelling of Ar, ⁵ 

and falls off at the border of Moab.”

Bilangan 21:20

21:20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, near the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the wilderness. ⁶ 

Bilangan 22:1

Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel

22:1 ⁷ The Israelites traveled on ⁸  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ⁹  across from Jericho. ¹⁰ 

Bilangan 22:10

22:10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying,

Bilangan 22:14

22:14 So the princes of Moab departed ¹¹  and went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

Bilangan 22:21

22:21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Bilangan 23:6

23:6 So he returned to him, and he was still ¹²  standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

Bilangan 25:1

Israel’s Sin with the Moabite Women

25:1 ¹³ When ¹⁴  Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality ¹⁵  with the daughters of Moab.

Bilangan 26:3

26:3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River ¹⁶  across from Jericho. ¹⁷  They said,

Bilangan 33:48-50

33:48 They traveled from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River ¹⁸  across from Jericho. ¹⁹  33:49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

At the Border of Canaan

33:50 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. He said:

Bilangan 35:1

The Levitical Cities

35:1 ²⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the Moabite plains by the Jordan near Jericho. ²¹  He said:

Bilangan 22:4

22:4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “Now this mass of people ²²  will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field. Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time.

Bilangan 21:28-29

21:28 For fire went out from Heshbon,

a flame from the city of Sihon.

It has consumed Ar of Moab

and the lords ²³  of the high places of Arnon.

21:29 Woe to you, Moab.

You are ruined, O people of Chemosh! ²⁴ 

He has made his sons fugitives,

and his daughters the prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites.

Bilangan 22:7-8

22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported ²⁵  to him the words of Balak. 22:8 He replied to them, “Stay ²⁶  here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

Bilangan 22:36

Balaam Meets Balak

22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at a city of Moab which was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary of his territory.

Bilangan 23:7

23:7 Then Balaam ²⁷  uttered ²⁸  his oracle, saying,

“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me ²⁹  from Aram,

out of the mountains of the east, saying,

‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;

come, denounce Israel.’ ³⁰ 

Bilangan 23:17

23:17 When Balaam ³¹  came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

Bilangan 26:63

26:63 These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the Israelites in the plains of Moab along the Jordan River opposite Jericho. ³² 

Bilangan 36:13

36:13 These are the commandments and the decisions that the Lord commanded the Israelites through the authority ³³  of Moses, on the plains of Moab by the Jordan River ³⁴  opposite Jericho. ³⁵ 

Bilangan 21:26

21:26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. Now he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all of his land from his control, ³⁶  as far as the Arnon.

Bilangan 24:17

24:17 ‘I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not close at hand. ³⁷ 

A star ³⁸  will march forth ³⁹  out of Jacob,

and a scepter ⁴⁰  will rise out of Israel.

He will crush the skulls ⁴¹  of Moab,

and the heads ⁴²  of all the sons of Sheth. ⁴³ 

Bilangan 31:12

31:12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the plains ⁴⁴  of Moab, along the Jordan River ⁴⁵  across from Jericho. ⁴⁶ 

[21:13]  ¹ tn Or “border.”

[21:11]  ² sn These places are uncertain. Oboth may be some 15 miles (25 km) from the south end of the Dead Sea at a place called ‘Ain el-Weiba. Iye Abarim may be the modern Mahay at the southeastern corner of Moab. See J. Simons, The Geographical and Topographical Texts of the Old Testament.

[21:11]  ³ tn Heb “the rising of the sun.”

[21:15]  ⁴ tc There are many variations in this text, but the MT reading of something like “the descent of the torrents/valleys” is preferable, since it is describing the topography.

[21:15]  ⁵ sn The place is unknown; it is apparently an important city in the region.

[21:20]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps as a place name, “Jeshimon.”

[22:1]  ⁷ sn The fifth section of the book (22:1-33:56) traces the Israelite activities in Transjordan. It is hard to determine how long they were in Transjordan, but a good amount of time must have elapsed for the number of moves they made and the wars they fought. There is a considerable amount of information available on this section of the book. Some of the most helpful works include: H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS); E. Burrows, The Oracles of Jacob and Balaam; G. W. Coats, “Balaam, Sinner or Saint?” BR 18 (1973): 21-29; P. C. Craigie, “The Conquest and Early Hebrew Poetry,” TynBul 20 (1969): 76-94; I. Parker, “The Way of God and the Way of Balaam,” ExpTim 17 (1905): 45; and J. A. Wharton, “The Command to Bless: An Exposition of Numbers 22:41–23:25,” Int 13 (1959): 37-48. This first part introduces the characters and sets the stage for the oracles. It can be divided into four sections: the invitation declined (vv. 1-14), the second invitation extended (vv. 15-21), God opposes Balaam (vv. 22-35), and Balaam meets Balak (vv. 36-41).

[22:1]  ⁸ tn The verse begins with the vav (ו) consecutive.

[22:1]  ⁹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ¹⁰ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[22:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “rose up.”

[23:6]  ¹² tn The Hebrew text draws the vividness of the scene with the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) – Balaam returned, and there he was, standing there.

[25:1]  ¹³ sn Chapter 25 tells of Israel’s sins on the steppes of Moab, and God’s punishment. In the overall plan of the book, here we have another possible threat to God’s program, although here it comes from within the camp (Balaam was the threat from without). If the Moabites could not defeat them one way, they would try another. The chapter has three parts: fornication (vv. 1-3), God’s punishment (vv. 4-9), and aftermath (vv. 10-18). See further G. E. Mendenhall, The Tenth Generation, 105-21; and S. C. Reif, “What Enraged Phinehas? A Study of Numbers 25:8,” JBL 90 (1971): 200-206.

[25:1]  ¹⁴ tn This first preterite is subordinated to the next as a temporal clause; it is not giving a parallel action, but the setting for the event.

[25:1]  ¹⁵ sn The account apparently means that the men were having sex with the Moabite women. Why the men submitted to such a temptation at this point is hard to say. It may be that as military heroes the men took liberties with the women of occupied territories.

[26:3]  ¹⁶ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in v. 62).

[26:3]  ¹⁷ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[33:48]  ¹⁸ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[33:48]  ¹⁹ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[35:1]  ²⁰ sn This section has two main parts, the Levitical cities (vv. 1-8) and the Cities of Refuge (vv. 9-34).

[35:1]  ²¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[22:4]  ²² tn The word is simply “company,” but in the context he must mean a vast company – a horde of people.

[21:28]  ²³ tc Some scholars emend to בָּלְעָה (bal’ah), reading “and devoured,” instead of בַּעֲלֵי (ba’aley, “its lords”); cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV. This emendation is closer to the Greek and makes a better parallelism, but the MT makes good sense as it stands.

[21:29]  ²⁴ sn The note of holy war emerges here as the victory is a victory over the local gods as well as over the people.

[22:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “spoke.”

[22:8]  ²⁶ tn The verb לִין (lin) means “to lodge, spend the night.” The related noun is “a lodge” – a hotel of sorts. Balaam needed to consider the offer. And after darkness was considered the best time for diviners to consult with their deities. Balaam apparently knows of the Lord; he testifies to this effect in 22:18.

[23:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “took up.”

[23:7]  ²⁹ tn The passage calls for a past tense translation; since the verb form is a prefixed conjugation, this tense should be classified as a preterite without the vav (ו). Such forms do occur, especially in the ancient poetic passages.

[23:7]  ³⁰ sn The opening lines seem to be a formula for the seer to identify himself and the occasion for the oracle. The tension is laid out early; Balaam knows that God has intended to bless Israel, but he has been paid to curse them.

[23:17]  ³¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:63]  ³² map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[36:13]  ³³ tn Heb “by the hand.”

[36:13]  ³⁴ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[36:13]  ³⁵ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[21:26]  ³⁶ sn There is a justice, always, in the divine plan for the conquest of the land. Modern students of the Bible often think that the conquest passages are crude and unjust. But an understanding of the ancient Near East is critical here. This Sihon was not a part of the original population of the land. He himself invaded the territory and destroyed the population of Moab that was indigenous there and established his own kingdom. The ancient history is filled with such events; it is the way of life they chose – conquer or be conquered. For Israel to defeat them was in part a turning of their own devices back on their heads – “those that live by the sword will die by the sword.” Sihon knew this, and he did not wait, but took the war to Israel. Israel wanted to pass through, not fight. But now they would either fight or be pushed into the gorge. So God used Israel to defeat Sihon, who had no claim to the land, as part of divine judgment.

[24:17]  ³⁷ tn Heb “near.”

[24:17]  ³⁸ sn This is a figure for a king (see also Isa 14:12) not only in the Bible but in the ancient Near Eastern literature as a whole. The immediate reference of the prophecy seems to be to David, but the eschatological theme goes beyond him. There is to be a connection made between this passage and the sighting of a star in its ascendancy by the magi, who then traveled to Bethlehem to see the one born King of the Jews (Matt 2:2). The expression “son of a star” (Aram Bar Kochba) became a title for a later claimant to kingship, but he was doomed by the Romans in a.d. 135.

[24:17]  ³⁹ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is equal to the imperfect expressing the future. The verb דָּרַךְ (darakh), related to the noun “way, road,” seems to mean something like tread on, walk, march.”

[24:17]  ⁴⁰ sn The “scepter” is metonymical for a king who will rise to power. NEB strangely rendered this as “comet” to make a parallel with “star.”

[24:17]  ⁴¹ tn The word is literally “corners,” but may refer to the corners of the head, and so “skull.”

[24:17]  ⁴² tc The MT reads “shatter, devastate.” Smr reads קֹדְקֹד (qodqod, “head; crown; pate”). Smr follows Jer 48:45 which appears to reflect Num 24:17.

[24:17]  ⁴³ sn The prophecy begins to be fulfilled when David defeated Moab and Edom and established an empire including them. But the Messianic promise extends far beyond that to the end of the age and the inclusion of these defeated people in the program of the coming King.

[31:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “steppes.”

[31:12]  ⁴⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Again this expression, “the Jordan of Jericho,” is used. It describes the intended location along the Jordan River, the Jordan next to or across from Jericho.

[31:12]  map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.