Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 21:30
We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which [reacheth] unto Medeba.
30. And we shot at them ] So the Heb. text. An extremely doubtful clause, which represents a single word in the Heb. ( ). If it is correct, the taunt has now ceased, and the words are those of the Israelites who triumph over the Amorites. But the sudden introduction of the first person is strange, the form of the Heb. verb is unusual, and the rhythmical division of the line is disturbed.
Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon ] A very awkward expression, if it means that the people of all the towns from Heshbon to Dibon perished. Both these clauses require emendation. LXX. has , , which may preserve the true reading, ‘ and their posterity ( ) perished ( from) Heshbon to Dibon.’
And we have laid waste Medeba ] This latter half of the verse is even more corrupt, and no very satisfactory solution has been proposed. A variety of emendations is possible, as may be seen in Dillmann’s note on the passage1 [Note: Pesh. reads the last three words as ‘which is on the desert.’ This is adopted by G. A. Smith (H. G. 560). The LXX. translators found the passage hopeless.] . Nothing more can be said with certainty than that the verse describes the destruction of Moabite towns.
Dibon ] The modern Dhibn, which lies in the south of what was the Amorite district, half-an-hour’s walk N.W. of Aroer, and 1 hours from the Arnon (Baedeker’s Palestine).
Nophah ] is unknown, and the name is probably only the result of the corruption of the text. G. A. Smith and others suggest Noba, which is mentioned with Jogbehah in Jdg 8:11; this lay to the east of Moab near the desert.
Medeba ] spelt Mehedeba in Mesha’s inscription. It is the modern Mdeb, two hours to the south of Heshbon.
Another explanation of the song, adopted by several writers, is that it celebrates a conquest of Moab by Israel. The verbs in Num 21:28 f. can, in this case, be rendered as perfects, as in R.V. But nothing has been said of any conquest of the Moabites by Israel; indeed in the tradition preserved in Deu 2:9 the Israelites were forbidden to attack Moab. Hence the supporters of this interpretation understand the song to refer to a later victory over Moab, e.g. that in the 9th century which reduced Moab to pay tribute to Israel (see 2Ki 3:4 f., and Mesha’s inscription), and suppose that the compiler inserted it at this point with no regard to the context. But even if that were possible it would leave ‘wherefore’ ( Num 21:27) unexplained. If the words ‘unto an Amorite king Sihon’ ( Num 21:29) are genuine, they definitely exclude this interpretation; but see note above. Cf. also G. A. Smith, H. G. [Note: . G. Historical Geography of the Holy Land.] 560 f. and Appendix III.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Though you feeble Moabites, and your god too, could not resist Sihon, we Israelites, by the help of our God,
have shot, to wit, with success and victory, as the following words show, at them, to wit, at Sihon and his Amorites; which is easily and plainly understood, both from the foregoing and following words.
Heshbon, the royal city of Sihon, and by him lately repaired,
is perished, is taken away from Sihon, and so is all his territory or country, even as far as
Dibon, which, as some think is called Dibon-gad, Num 33:45.
Which reached unto Medeba, i.e. whose territory extendeth to Medeba. Or, yea, even to Medeba; for the Hebrew word asher is sometimes used for yea, or moreover, as 1Sa 15:20; Psa 10:6; 95:11. The sense is, the whole country of Sihon, taken by him from the Moabites, is wasted and perished.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27-30. Wherefore they that speak inproverbsHere is given an extract from an Amorite songexultingly anticipating an extension of their conquests to Arnon. Thequotation from the poem of the Amorite bard ends at Nu21:28. The Num 21:29; Num 21:30appear to be the strains in which the Israelites expose the impotenceof the usurpers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
We have shot at them,…. Either the Amorites at the Moabites, or else the Israelites at the Amorites; for, according to Aben Ezra, these are the words of Moses, though they, with Nu 21:29, seem rather to be a continuation of the song of the old Amorite bards, describing the ruin of the country of Moab by them; and this clause may be rendered with the next, “their light, or lamp, is perished from Heshbon” r; or their yoke, as Jarchi, and so the Vulgate Latin version; that is, their kingdom, and the glory of it, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan interpret it, and so Jarchi:
even unto Dibon; which was another city in the land of Moab; see Isa 15:2:
and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which [reached] unto Medeba; Nophah perhaps is the same with Nebo, mentioned along with Medeba, Isa 15:2, however, they were both places in Moab, and are mentioned to show how far the desolation had or would spread; and the whole is observed to prove, that this part of the country of Moab, now possessed by the Israelites, was taken from them, not by them, but by the Amorites, a people Israel now conquered, and so had a right to what they found them in the possession of.
r “lucerna eorum, Heshbon (seilicet) periit”, Tigurine version; “regnum eorum periit a Chesbon”, Pagninus, Vatablus; “imperium eorum”, Munster.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
30. Dibon See Jos 13:17, note.
Which reacheth Here there is supposed to be an error in the Hebrew , which, being written for , with fire unto. Thus the Masoretic mark. The Seventy render it , fire upon.
Medeba “Here,” says Dr. Ridgaway, “are some of the most remarkable ruins of the country.” See Jos 13:16, note.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Israel’s Taunt Song Against the Amorites ( Num 21:30 ).
We have shot at them;
Heshbon is perished even to Dibon,
And we have laid waste even to Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”
In an addition to the poem, which does not compare as literature with the original, Israel then taunt Sihon and the Amorites with their loss. Israel had in turn shot at them and captured all their cities and territory. Apart from Nophah the cites are all well testified to. It may be significant that Sihon’s gods are not mentioned. The Pentateuch appears to deliberately avoid any mention of Baal apart from Baalpeor (22:41; 25:3, 5; Deu 4:3) and in place names (32:38; 33:7; Exo 14:2; Exo 14:9), possibly because of the danger at this early stage of ‘baal’ (lord) being linked with Yahweh. In the early days in the land ‘baal’ was even included in Israelite names (e.g Ish-baal, Meri-baal, which were changed into Ish-bosheth, Mephi-bosheth where bosheth means ‘shame’). We too must beware of false terminology. By astute use of language what is displeasing to God can easily be presented as being the real thing. The only way to prevent ourselves from being ensnared is to avoid sin and test everything by the word of God.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Num 21:30. We have shot at them The Hebrew here is vaniram abad, which Le Clerc and others render, and their light is perished: i.e. their valiant youth, who are the lights and ornaments of the state, and who are the light, i.e. the joy, of their parents: others, of whom Houbigant is one, render it their yoke; i.e. their oppressive power is perished; which appears most agreeable to the Hebrew. We only remark further, that, in all probability, this piece of Amoritish poetry made part of the ancient chronicle of the country. In the most distant times, the language of poetry was that of the historian, of the rhetorician, and in general of all who undertook to write. Whatever was composed for the instruction of the people, was composed in verse. “The Ancients,” says Strabo, “considered poetry as a kind of first philosophy, proper to regulate the life from the tenderest infancy, to inculcate good manners, and to govern the human passions and actions in the most agreeable way. Thus,” adds he, “the Greeks afterwards made use of poetry in their public academies for the instruction of the youth; not merely because this method was entertaining, but because they thought it proper to form their children to modesty.” See Patrick.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Num 21:30 We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which [reacheth] unto Medeba.
Ver. 30. We have shot at them. ] Great swelling words of vanity, uttered by the conquering Amorites. How much better our Henry V, who, after his victory at Agincourt, gave strait order, that no ballad or song should be made or sung, more than of thanksgiving to God for his happy victory; and that nothing that might tend to ostentation or boasting of the valiant, or cowardly act of any, should be set forth. a
a Dan., Hist., p. 101.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
We = Israel.
we have laid, &c, to end of verse. These two clauses are affected by the “extraordinary points” (see App-31), which necessitates the following rendering of Num 21:30, “We have shot them down: Heshbon is destroyed even unto Dibon, The women also even unto Nopha, And the men even unto Medeba. “
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
have shot: Gen 49:23, 2Sa 11:24, Psa 18:14
Dibon: Num 32:34, Jos 13:17, Isa 15:2, Isa 15:9, Jer 48:18, Jer 48:22
Reciprocal: Jos 13:9 – all the plain 1Ch 19:7 – Medeba
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Num 21:30. Though you, feeble Moabites, and your god too, could not resist Sihon, we Israelites, by the help of our God, have shot With success and victory; at them At Sihon and his Amorites. Heshbon The royal city of Sihon, and by him lately repaired; is perished Is taken away from Sihon, and so is all his country, even as far as Dibon.