Bilangan 21:31--22:1

21:31 So the Israelites ¹  lived in the land of the Amorites. 21:32 Moses sent spies to reconnoiter ²  Jaazer, and they captured its villages ³  and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

21:33 Then they turned and went up by the road to Bashan. And King Og of Bashan and all his forces ⁴  marched out against them to do battle at Edrei. 21:34 And the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand. You will do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. 21:35 So they defeated Og, ⁵  his sons, and all his people, until there were no survivors, ⁶  and they possessed his land.

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 

[21:31]  ¹ tn Heb “Israel.”

[21:32]  ² tn Heb “Moses sent to spy out.”

[21:32]  ³ tn Heb “daughters.”

[21:33]  ⁴ tn Heb “people.”

[21:35]  ⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Og) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “no remnant.”

[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.