And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
verse value 4224
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Canaanite" (הַכְּנַעֲנִ֤י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 312: who·dwells, captives. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "king-of·Arad" (מֶֽלֶךְ־עֲרָד֙), "Atharim" (הָאֲתָרִ֑ים), "captives" (שֶֽׁבִי). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "was·coming" (root בוא, 89x in Numbers); "that" (root כי, 79x in Numbers). First appearance of the root שבה ("and·he·took·captive") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Atharim', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Onkelos
The Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelled in the south, heard that Israel had come by the way of the spies; and he made war against Israel and took captives from them.
Rashi
וישמע הכנעני AND THE CANAANITE HEARD — He heard that Aaron had died and that the clouds of glory had disappeared and he believed that now he was at liberty to wage war against Israel, as it is related in Rosh Hashana 3a; Amalek was from olden times a whip for chastising Israel — always held in readiness to be God's agent for Israels punishment (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 18). ישב הנגב THE INHABITANT OF THE SOUTH COUNTRY — This was Amalek,as it is said, (Numbers 13:29), “Amalek was the inhabitant of the south country”. But he purposely changed his speech, talking in the “Canaanite” tongue, so that Israel might thereby be misled and would pray to the Holy One, blessed be He, that he should give the Canaanites into their power, whilst really they were not Canaanites, and their prayer would be ineffectual against the Amalakites. But Israel perceived that their clothing was as the clothing of Amalakites whilst their language was the language of Canaan; they thereupon said, “Let us pray against our enemies in general terms (without mention of any name), as it is stated (v. 2) that they said, “if Thou wilt indeed give this people into my hand”. דרך האתרים BY WAY OF ATHARIM — by way of the south country by which the spies (תרים) had gone, as it is said, (Numbers 13:22) “and they went up by the south country”. Another explanation of דרך האתרים is: By the way of the Great Searcher (the Ark) which used to journey in front of them, as it is said, (Numbers 10:33) “[and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord went before them] in the three days’ journey to search out (לתור) a resting-place for them” (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 14). וישב ממנו שבי (more lit.,) AND CAPTURED FROM THEM A CAPTIVE — it was only one maid servant (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 764).
Ramban
AND THE CANAANITE, THE KING OF ARAD, HEARD. We find [mentioned] amongst the conquests of Joshua: the king of Arad, one. Moreover, in the section dealing with the [stages of the Israelites’] journeyings [in the wilderness], it is written, And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, and Scripture does not refer to [that land which is] on the eastern side of the Jordan as “the land of Canaan” without qualification, just as He said, the land of Canaan according to the borders thereof. Furthermore, [if Arad was to the east of the river Jordan], Moses should have given the land of the king of Arad to one of the tribes of Israel [as their inheritance, in the same way that he divided up the other lands which he conquered]; but Scripture always tells that it was the land of Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings, which Moses gave to the two tribes [Reuben and Gad] and to the half-tribe [of Menasheh], whereas the nine tribes and the [other] half-tribe [of Menasheh] received their inheritance after they crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan. Perhaps we may explain [that the reason for this is] that Israel utterly destroyed their land, and did not settle therein at all. But that is not [the] correct [explanation of the word v’hacharamti in Verse 2]. Similarly Rashi explains [that the expression: And Israel vowed a vow unto the Eternal, and said, If Thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand,] then ‘v’hacharamti’ their cities means that Israel would dedicate the spoils [of those cities] to the Most High [and not that they would destroy the cities themselves].The correct interpretation appears to me to be that this king of Arad dwelt in the south on the western side of the Jordan, in the land of Canaan near the Jordan, bordering onto the land of the children of Judah, near Hebron which is in the south; and he heard from afar of the coming of the children of Israel, so he [the king] came by the way of Atharim to the plains of Moab to fight there against Israel. This is the meaning of the word ‘vayishma’ (and he heard) [i.e., he heard from a distance]. Therefore Scripture relates that he dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, [to point out] that he came from another land, to the place where Israel was [encamped]. Then Israel vowed a vow unto the Eternal that if He would deliver him [the king of Arad] into their hand, they would dedicate all that they had to G-d. And Scripture [further] relates that G-d heard their prayer, and the vow that they had vowed unto G-d, they fulfilled, for they killed them now in the days of Moses, as He had commanded, None devoted, that may be devoted of men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death, and they gave all their spoils into the treasury of the House of the Eternal. Scripture continued by relating here that Israel also laid their cities waste when they came into the land of Canaan, after the death of Joshua, in order to fulfill the vow which they had made, and ...
Ibn Ezra
"The Canaanite, king of Arad, heard." The early authorities said that this was Sihon, and he was called "the Canaanite" because every Amorite is [considered] a Canaanite. Many others said that this passage was written by Joshua, citing as proof: "the king of Arad" [is listed as] one [of the conquered kings], and they found that the men of Judah named that place Hormah. But they say nothing [conclusive], for that place was originally called Zephath, and this king of Arad [is a different matter]. The truth is that there are two places [involved], and many such [pairs of similarly named places] occur in Scripture. And "the king of Arad," according to the plain sense, is [a king of a territory] across the Jordan to the east. This passage is placed adjacent to the death of Aaron because Scripture recounted what occurred at Mount Hor before they departed from there — and the proof is: "The Canaanite, king of Arad, heard," followed by "They journeyed from Mount Hor." If you seek what he heard, it is stated explicitly [in the text]. — "Via the road of the Atarim." Some say that the alef is an additional letter, and the meaning is [from the same root as] "the spies" (ha-tarim) of the land; similarly [an additional alef appears in] "your arm" (ezro'eka).
Sforno
וישב ממנו, without killing a single Israelite.
Or HaChaim
וילחם בישראל. He fought against Israel. The reason the Torah had to write the words בישראל, instead of עם ישראל as it did in Exodus 17,8 when Amalek is reported as attacking Israel, may be that in this instance the Israelites themselves were the cause that the Canaanites attacked them. They had sinned. The words: וישב ממנו שבי, "he took a prisoner from among them," the word ממנו suggesting that the reason Israel was attacked at this time was Israel itself. Israel's sin at this time was their share in causing the premature death of their High Priest Aaron on account of the events at "the waters of strife." Psalms 106,32 attributes G'd's anger to the people when the Psalmist exclaims: "they angered the Lord at the waters of Merivah and Moses suffered on their account." Naturally, David did not only refer to Moses but also to Aaron who shared in that mission. He singled out Moses by name as he was the principal involved. וישב ממנו שבי, "and took a captive from amongst them." We need to explain why the Israelites did not appear troubled by the fact that they suffered a defeat at the hands of a single Canaanite nation. We could have expected them to extrapolate that if a single Canaanite nation could inflict a defeat upon them, what would happen when they would face all seven Canaanite nations? After all, we find precisely such a reaction by Joshua when he suffered a defeat at the hands of the inhabitants of the town of Ai (Joshua 7,5-9). According to our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 19,20 the people described here as "the Canaanite" were in reality the Amalekites. The reason they were described as Canaanites was that they dressed up as Canaanites in order to confuse the Israelites. This is the reason that when the Israelites had prayed to G'd to deliver the attacker into their hands they had referred to the wrong nation in their prayer. When they found out that the attackers had not belonged to the seven Canaanite nations they were not overly concerned at the minor victory enjoyed by the Aamalekite at that time. Their losses had been negligible [a single maidservant according to tradition. Ed.]. Another reason they were not overly concerned was the fact that as long as they did not try and enter the Holy Land, i.e. at a time when the measure of sin of its inhabitants was full, they did not worry that G'd would deliver them into their hands when the time was ripe. Our sages offer a variety of reasons for all this.
Chizkuni
יושב הנגב, “who resided in the southern part of the Land of Canaan;” in other words, Amalek; we have proof that Amalek resided in that part of the land from Numbers 13,29, from the report of the spies. If these people were indeed Amalek, why did the Torah not call these people by their real name but called them Canaanites? [Amalek is descended from Esau, i.e. is a Semitic tribe. Ed.] When G-d saw that Amalek attacked the Jewish people a second time, He said to Israel: “they are not out of bounds to you as are the Edomites, although genetically they are as close to you or even closer than the Edomites, Amalek having been a grandson of Esau. You may, or even must destroy them, in due course. What applies to the Canaanites, i.e. that any of them who do not voluntarily leave their land you have to kill, men women and children, applies to them also. (Compare Rashi, who says that the Israelites mistook these attackers for Canaanites as they had dressed as such. They had done so in order to cause the Israelites to pray to G-d to help them against the Canaanites, not against the Amalekites.) Rashi apparently did not accept the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer hakalir, in his liturgical prayer recited on Parshat Zachor, according to whom, on the contrary, the King of Arad (Canaanite) and his soldiers wore the uniforms of Amalekites. Some commentators on this paragraph understand our verse as having omitted a word, i.e. “and Amalek,” after the word “Arad,” in our verse. We have indeed found elsewhere that the tribe of Canaanites under the control of the I King of Arad, lived in close proximity to the Amalekites. (Compare (Numbers 14,25) Compare also verse 45 there. דרך האתרים, the correct spelling ought to be התארים, the letters having been inverted similar to when we find כבשים spelled as כשבים, (sheep) or שמלה as שלמה (garment). Compare Joshua 15,9: ותאר הגבול, “and the boundary curved, i.e. was inverted;” When the Amalekites heard that the Israelites had marched around the territory of Edom from north to south, as stated in Numbers 21,4, they concluded that they would now attack from the southern region of Edom. They used this as an opportunity to attack them as they had displayed fear of the Edomites.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וישמע הכנעני מלך ערד יושב הנגב, The Canaanite, i.e. the King of Arad who dwelled in the south heard, etc.” Actually, this was not a Canaanite tribe but Amalek (Tanchuma Chukat 18). The King is described as a Canaanite as he decided to speak the Canaanite dialect in order to deceive the people about his identity. He hoped to thereby make the Israelites pray for deliverance from the Canaanite attack whereas they had not been attacked by Canaanites at all. If G’d would deliver them from the Canaanites he, Amalek, would remain unscathed. Israel were not taking chances as they appealed to G’d to be delivered from the attacker without specifying his nationality. They simply said: “if You will deliver us from this nation, etc.” (verse 2). דרך האתרים, “by the route of the spies.” According to the plain meaning of the text the meaning of this expression is “the spies.” The Torah means that the Amalekites had heard that the Israelites now were moving along the same route that the spies had traveled 38 years earlier. This is also Onkelos’ understanding of these words. A Midrashic approach based on Tanchuma Chukat 18: the word האתרים is an allusion to the “great traveler (spy),” i.e. the Holy Ark which was in the habit of traveling three days’ march ahead of the main body of the people in order to spy out (find a location) for the people to make camp (Numbers 10,33). Some commentators feel that the king described here as the King of Arad was in fact Sichon the King of the Emorites and the reason he is referred to here as “the Canaanite” is that that every Emorite is also a Canaanite by definition. Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 3 say that the news which the Canaanites had heard was that Aaron had died and that the protective clouds above the camp of the Israelites had disappeared. This is the meaning of 20,29: “the whole congregation saw that Aaron had died.” How could they all have seen it? They had not climbed Hor Hahar! They noticed that the cloud had disappeared and they realized that its presence had been due to Aaron’s merit. Up until that time the encampment of the Israelites had not been visible to the other nations at all. Rabbi Avohu said that instead of reading the word ויראו, “they saw,” it could be read וַיֵרָאוּ with the vowels tzeyre and kametz, and the meaning would be: “they had become visible.” Tanchuma also writes in that vein, i.e. the Jewish people now looked like a woman whose head-covering had been removed.
Tur HaArokh
וישמע הכנעני מלך ערד, “When the Canaanite King who dwelled in Arad heard, etc.” According to Rashi the “Canaanite” mentioned here was in fact the Amalekite, as we know from the description of the spies who reported that the Amalekite dwelled in the south of the Land of Canaan. (13,29) However, they had misrepresented themselves to look like Canaanites, and this is why the Torah here describes them as they appeared to the Israelites at that time. Nachmanides writes that Arad was one of the (legitimate) Canaanite kings (Joshua 12,14) Furthermore, in Numbers 33,40 this king is described specifically as dwelling in the south, in the Land of Canaan. It is not customary for the Torah to refer to the “Land of Canaan” without further detail (such as which tribe) except to the areas east of the river Jordan, as in chapter 34,2 later on. If this land had indeed been east of the Jordan, Moses should have included it in the allotment to the tribes of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe. The nine and a half tribes all received their share of the land on the west bank of the river Jordan. Nachmanides therefore explains our verse as referring to a different king by the name of Arad, one whose territory was on the west bank of the Jordan, and this is why the Torah had to add that it was far to the south, not the lands conquered from Sichon and Og. [The whole problem is that if Arad had dwelled on the west bank, how could he have attacked Israel who had not set foot in that region as yet. Ed.] He assumes that this king dwelled between the river Jordan and the mountains of Yehudah, south of Hebron. He invaded the Israelites coming from another country. When this king heard that the Israelites had already reached the plains of Moav close to the river Jordan, the Torah reports that G’d accepted the Israelites’ prayer and delivered the Canaanites into their hands, and they made good on their vow and killed them now while Moses was still alive, who had decreed that none of the loot from that campaign was to be used personally, and it was all donated to the Temple treasury. The Torah added that even the cities belonging to that Canaanite king were placed in ban by the Israelites when they conquered them later in the days after Joshua’s death, and that they named that area Chormah. All of this has been recorded in Judges 1,16 where also the conquest of a town by the name of Tzefat is mentioned. At that time the tribes of Yehudah and Shimon co-operated in that campaign. In that chapter we are told that the sons of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, ascended from the city of palm trees, (the former Jericho) to the desert of Yehudah in the south of Arad etc. It is not surprising that these names surface already in our Parshah, as it is not unusual for the Torah to refer to place names that were known to the reader of the Torah in later years although at the time the Torah was first written, and no one had a chance to read it yet, these places had not been known by these names. An example is that in Parshat Beshalach Moses and Aaron were commanded to preserve a bottle of the manna and they are reported as depositing it near the Holy Ark as a memento for future generations, although in fact this bottle was filled with manna 40 years later, shortly before the Israelites crossed the Jordan and the manna would stop falling from heaven. It is also completely in order to interpret that Israel at that time placed in ban this King of the Canaanites, i.e. defeated him and his people by the sword and commemorated the event by naming the site Chormah, although Joshua defeated that king after having crossed the Jordan at the same period as he defeated the 30 other kings of the Canaanites. To add detail, we are told in the Book of Judges that the tribe of Yehudah and Shimon had performed this feat, not Joshua personally, although he was the commander in chief, and therefore all the conquests during his lifetime are credited to him, also. In fact, this particular battle occurred after Joshua’s death had already been reported in the Book of Joshua. The author of the Book of Joshua even added that there had been military considerations why this part of the Land of Israel had not been conquered earlier. (Judges 1,19) The campaign represented the payment of the vow the Israelites had made to G’d when the events that occurred at the beginning of our chapter took place. By mentioning the name of the site already here, the Torah established the link between these two events in the mind of the reader of the Holy Scriptures.
Rashbam
יושב הנגב..דרך האתרים, the “tourists” who were really spies; Moses had instructed the spies in Numbers 13,17 to enter the land of Canaan from the south, and had described the Amalekites as inhabiting that part of the land. (13,29) האתרים, the letter א at the beginning is similar to the letter א at the beginning of the word אפרוח or in the word אתמול, which is a variant of תמול, meaning “yesterday.” There are many occasions when the letter א serves as the beginning of a word.
And Israel vowed a vow to Hashem, and said: "If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities."
verse value 4673 — בְּיָדִ֔י = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "into·my·hand" (בְּיָדִ֔י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "vow" (נֶ֛דֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "then·I·will·proscribe" (וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, if·indeed·giving. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·he·vowed" (וַיִּדַּ֨ר), "if·indeed·giving" (אִם־נָתֹ֨ן), "then·I·will·proscribe" (וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י). The root נדר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּדַּ֨ר [and·he·vowed] (220) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל [Israel] (541) + נֶ֛דֶר [vow] (254) + לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + אִם־נָתֹ֨ן [if·indeed·giving] (541) + תִּתֵּ֜ן [You·deliver] (850) + אֶת־הָעָ֤ם [the·people] (516) + הַזֶּה֙ [this] (17) + בְּיָדִ֔י [into·my·hand] (26) + וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י [then·I·will·proscribe] (669) + אֶת־עָרֵיהֶֽם [their·towns] (726) = 4673.
Onkelos
Israel made a vow before Hashem and said: If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, I will destroy their cities utterly.
Rashi
והחרמתי means I WILL DEDICATE their spoil (that of the cities) to the Most High.
Or HaChaim
אם נתן תתן, "If You will surely deliver, etc." The reason the Israelites repeated the words נתן תתן, is due to the fact that they were not certain which nation they were talking about. They said "if" i.e. if this nation is one of the seven Canaanite nations, all well and good. If not, Israel asked that G'd should nevertheless תתן, give that people into its hands, etc. There is a comment in the Midrash Lekach Tov according to which the first נתן refers to G'd handing back the prisoner the Amalekites had captured.
Rashbam
והחרמתי, all the portables shall be “holy unto G’d;” Israel vowed not to treat these objects as booty.
And Hashem heeded the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; and the name of the place was called Hormah.
verse value 4746 — יְהֹוָ֜ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·Canaanite" (אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "in·voice-of" (בְּק֣וֹל), "the·Canaanite" (אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י), "and·he·proscribed" (וַיַּחֲרֵ֥ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·he·delivered·up" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·cities', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע [and·he·heeded] (426) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּק֣וֹל [in·voice-of] (138) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [Israel] (541) + וַיִּתֵּן֙ [and·he·delivered·up] (466) + אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י [the·Canaanite] (606) + וַיַּחֲרֵ֥ם [and·he·proscribed] (264) + אֶתְהֶ֖ם [them] (446) + וְאֶת־עָרֵיהֶ֑ם [and·their·cities] (732) + וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·he·named] (317) + שֵׁם־הַמָּק֖וֹם [name-of·the·place] (531) + חׇרְמָֽה [Hormah] (253) = 4746.
Onkelos
Hashem accepted the prayer of Israel and delivered the Canaanites, and they destroyed them and their cities utterly; and the name of that place was called Hormah.
Rashi
ויחרם אתהם AND HE DOOMED THEM by slaughter, ואת עריהם AND THEIR CITIES as things dedicated to the Most High.
Sforno
ויחרם אתהם ואת עריהם. They vowed at that time to make all this loot holy, property of the Temple Treasury, as we know they did from the beginning of the Book of Judges (Judges 1,17) [possibly the author uses the extraneous word הכנעני in that verse as the reason for linking it to the fulfillment of above vow. Clearly, the Safed mentioned there has nothing to do with the Safed in the north of the Land of Israel we are familiar with. Ed.]
Chizkuni
ויקרא שם המקום חרמה, “Israel called the name of the place where this occurred: Chormah, “utter destruction.” It is not to be confused with a place by an identical name referred to in the Torah in Numbers 14,45.
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Sea of Reeds, to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient because of the way.
verse value 3431
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "from·Hor" (מֵהֹ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "soul-of·the·people" (נֶֽפֶשׁ־הָעָ֖ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·skirt" (לִסְבֹ֖ב), "and·it·grew·restive" (וַתִּקְצַ֥ר), "soul-of·the·people" (נֶֽפֶשׁ־הָעָ֖ם). The root דרך appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "land-of" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "and·they·set·out" (root נסע, 89x in Numbers); "soul-of·the·people" (root נפש, 47x in Numbers). First appearance of the root סבב ("to·skirt") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Edom', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסְע֞וּ [and·they·set·out] (152) + מֵהֹ֤ר [from·Hor] (245) + הָהָר֙ [the·mountain] (210) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + יַם־ס֔וּף [Sea-of·Reeds] (196) + לִסְבֹ֖ב [to·skirt] (94) + אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ [land-of] (692) + אֱד֑וֹם [Edom] (51) + וַתִּקְצַ֥ר [and·it·grew·restive] (796) + נֶֽפֶשׁ־הָעָ֖ם [soul-of·the·people] (545) + בַּדָּֽרֶךְ [on·the·journey] (226) = 3431.
Onkelos
They journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Sea of Reeds, to go around the land of Edom; and the spirit of the people grew troubled on the way.
Rashi
דרך ים סוף BY THE WAY OF THE RED SEA — As soon as Aaron died and this war came upon them they turned back on the way to the Red Sea; this was the way on which they had turned back when there had been enacted against them the decree that they must wander in the wilderness in consequence of their murmuring after having received the report of the spies, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 1:40), “And take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea”. Here they went back seven stages, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 10:6), “And the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth-bene-jaakan to Moserah; there Aaron died”. But did he really die at Moserah; was it not at Mount Hor that he died?” But the explanation is, that there (at Moserah) they again mourned and lamented for him just as though he there lay dead before them. Go and examine the list of the stages (Numbers 33:31—37) and you will find that there are seven stages from Moserah to Mount Hor (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 18). לסבב את ארץ אדום TO GO ROUND THE LAND OF EDOM — to go round it, because they would not permit them to pass through their land. ותקצר נפש העם בדרך AND THE SOUL OF THE PEOPLE WAS MUCH DISCOURAGED BECAUSE OF THE WAY — because of the difficulties of the journey which were so hard for them. They said: Now we are close enough to enter the land, and yet we have to turn back. Just so had our fathers to turn back and they stayed in the wilderness thirty eight years until this day. —Consequently their soul became discouraged because of the hardship of the journey. In O. F., En cure del tour. — It would not be correct to say that ותקצר נפש העם בדרך means “[and the soul of the people was discouraged] while they were on the journey” and that it (the text) does not explain what it was discouraged through, for in every passage in Scripture where you find the phrase “the soul being discouraged”, it is there explained through what it became discouraged (the preposition ב being prefixed to the word that expresses the cause of discouragement). For example, (Zechariah 11:8) “And my soul became impatient of them (בהם)”, and, for example, (Judges 10:16): “And His soul became impatient with the enemies on account of the misery (בעמל) they inflicted upon Israel”. To anything that is hard for a man to bear the expression “the shortening of soul” (קצור נפש) is applicable - he is like a person upon whom trouble comes and his mind is not large enough to contain that matter and there is no room in his heart for that worry to abide there. Of the thing that causes the trouble the term “large” is used, denoting that it is too huge and heavy for a person. For example, (Zechariah 11:8) וגם נפשם בחלה בי, which signifies “(And also their souls] were great upon Me”; (Job. 10:16), “And it becomes large (it is a burden to Thee) even that Thou huntest me as though I were a lion”. (See Rashi on these verses and on Niddah 47a). To sum up the explanation: the phrase “shortening of the soul through a thing” signifies...
Ibn Ezra
"To go around the land of Edom" — [that is, via] Zalmonah and Punon, as is written [in the itinerary].
Chizkuni
ויסעו מהר ההר, “they journeyed on from Hor Hahar;” the Torah now returns to the subject which had been interrupted when it described the detour around the territory of Edom. It had been interrupted by the report of the death of Aaron and the battle against Amalek as a result of that. מהר ההר דרך ים סוף, “from Hor Hahar, in the direction of the sea of Reeds, i.e. from north to south in order to detour around Edom. This was not a detour around Mount Seir, of which we are told in Deuteronomy 2,1. Here we are speaking of the twenty first year of the Israelites, immediately after the nineteen years the Israelites had remained in Kadesh Barnea the point from which the spies had been sent out. After that they detoured around the territory of Edom until they came to the Kadesh in the desert of Tzin. The detour around Edom occurred in the fortieth year after the Exodus, and was due to the King of Edom’s refusal to grant the Israelites the right to use his territory as transit toward the Jordan river. They also detoured around the southern part of the Kingdom of Moav, as the Torah had not given them the right to harass that country, as we read in Judges 11,17. When they arrived at a place called Ovot, (verse 10) which was located at the south eastern corner of the Kingdom of Moav, they turned north and turned left in the direction of the river Arnon, as we read in verse Deuteronomy 919. The number of way stations during that period, have not been enumerated, although each has been mentioned in Parshat Massey, but some may have had more than one name. (Numbers 33,4143). ותקצר נפש העם בדרך, “and the people became impatient because of the length of the way.” The root קצר in the sense of impatient, occurs also in Exodus 6,9, when the people did not respond to Moses’ promises, i.e. ומקוצר רוח, “on account of an impatient spirit.” In this instance, the lengthy and strenuous detour around the boundaries of the Kingdom of Edom had tried their patience to breaking point. Rashi explains why the meaning of the word could not possibly be the “shortness of the way,” as after 38 years plus they perceived themselves as getting further away from their destination rather than closer to it. An alternate interpretation: The protective clouds shielding the people from the hot rays of the sun had ceased to function, as a result of Aaron’s death as these had been due to his merit, just as the water supply had been due to Miriam’s merit.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויסעו מהר ההר דרך ים סוף לסבב את ארץ אדם, “They journeyed away from Hor Hahar in the direction of the Sea of Reeds to commence their trip around the land of Edom.” Seeing that the King of Edom did not permit them to cross his territory they were forced to backtrack seven way stations before taking the route around the land of Edom. Our sages in Tanchuma Chukat 18 link this to Deut. 10,6: “the Children of Israel had traveled from Be'erot Yaakon to Mosserot where Aaron died. We know that Aaron had died at Hor Hahar. The meaning therefore is that they backtracked and only eulogized Aaron at Mosserot so that it appeared to them as if Aaron had died then.
Daat Zkenim
ויסעו מהר ההר דרך ים סוף, “they journeyed from Hor Hahar in the direction of the sea of reeds, ...making a long detour around the Land of Edom, and the people’s state of mind became very short tempered.” Their dissatisfaction was not caused by the journey, but by the fact that they traveled in the opposite direction of their objective, i.e. crossing the river Jordan. This was as hard for them to swallow as if they had been sentenced to death. They had felt until recently that they were close to their objective and would soon taste the fruit of the Holy Land and they now saw all their hopes as dissolving like an illusion. To the question what they had to complain about as long as they had manna and water, the answer is that once one has set one’s sights on something that can be enjoyed by the senses, eyes, ears, taste buds, feeling it with one’s hands and one’s sense of smell, the sameness and predictability of the manna, instead of being a sign of how G–d provided for them, became something of insignificance, קלקל, “lightweight” for them. The Torah therefore told us already in Numbers 11,8 that the manna, far from being so insubstantial, lightweight, insignificant, lent itself to grinding between stones, pounding, in a mortar, boiling in a pot, making into cakes. Moreover, it tasted like cream. [It is human nature that familiarity breeds contempt. After forty years of the same diet without getting to the destination they were seeking, the people’s reaction is understandable, although it had been due to their having displayed themselves as not yet worthy to dislodge the Canaanites from their homeland. Ed.] The pleasant taste of treated manna is also described in Numbers 11,8.
And the people spoke against God, and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loathes this light bread."
verse value 3926
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. Verse gematria: 3926 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "did·you·bring·us·up" (הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "against·God" (בֵּֽאלֹהִים֮), "and·against·Moses" (וּבְמֹשֶׁה֒), "and·no" (וְאֵ֣ין). The root אין appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·against·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 149x in Numbers); "did·you·bring·us·up" (root עלה, 96x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Onkelos
The people murmured against the Word of Hashem and contended with Moses, saying: Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread and there is no water, and our soul is troubled by this worthless food.
Rashi
באלהים ובמשה [AND THE PEOPLE SPAKE] AGAINST GOD AND AGAINST MOSES — They placed the servant on a par with his Master (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 19). למה העליתנו WHEREFORE HAVE YE BROUGHT US UP — “ye”: they (God and Moses) were both on a par to them. ונפשנו קצה AND OUR SOUL LOATHETH — This, too, is an expression for “the shortening of soul” and “rejecting” (not being able to bear the trouble). בלחם הקלקל THIS LIGHT BREAD — because the manna was miraculously absorbed into their limbs (and was not execrated) they derisively called it “light”. They said: this manna will at some time or other swell up in our stomachs, for is there any mortal (lit., anyone born of woman) who takes in food and does not eject it? (Yoma 75b; cf. Rashi on Avodah Zarah 5b).
Ibn Ezra
"Ha-kelokel" — like kal ha-kal; the word is a doubled form, and there are many such [forms in Scripture].
Or HaChaim
וידבר העם באלוקים ובמשה, The people spoke out against G'd and against Moses. Although the people were perfectly aware that everything Moses did he did at the command of G'd, this did not prevent them from speaking out against him as they felt he should not have agreed with G'd's route for them but should have pleaded that G'd lead them through a more hospitable country. It would appear that the people's complaints in this instance did not justify G'd decreeing a major punishment as was the case when they had complained after hearing the majority report of the spies in Numbers 14,3. At that time the Israelites had demanded to return to Egypt. This time they "merely" indulged in slander against Moses and G'd. G'd punished them by letting snakes loose against them, seeing snakes symbolise slander ever since the time Eve was tricked by a snake into eating from the tree of knowledge (compare Taanit 8). ונפשנו קצה מלחם הקלקל, "and we loathe the light bread." Perhaps they thought that the reason the arduous detour around the land of Edom bothered them so much was because they did not have the kind of food that would enable them to endure such a march more easily. People who travel on foot prefer to eat "heavy" food which is not easily digested as their very walking helps the digestive process. As soon as food has been digested one feels hungry again. Since the mannah was so easily digested they believed that the feeling of an empty stomach made it more difficult to endure the march. This is the reason the Torah introduced their complaint by mentioning the detour around the territory belonging to the kingdom of Edom. Our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 19,21 say that the people who said all this were the remnants of the earlier generation who had nothing to look forward to but death in the desert during the coming months as they were destined to die before the Israelites would enter the Holy Land. They were fed up with their very lives. The same did not apply to the younger generation who had much to look forward to in the immediate future.
Chizkuni
כי אין לחם....ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלוקל, “for there was no bread (that was the product of the earth) and the insubstantial bread from heaven (the manna) the people had become fed up with.”The expression קצה is familiar to us from when Rivkah experiencing so much tension with her daughters-in-law, the wives of Esau, told her husband that if Yaakov were to marry wives from a similar background she would become fed up with living. (Genesis 27,46, קצתי בחיי.) בלחם, “with the bread;” the letter ב at the beginning of this word has the vowel patach to show that a certain well known “bread” was meant. הקלוקל, as in Ezekiel 21,26: קלקל בחצים, “like flashing arrows,” a simile for the word בדולח, “shining crystal,” a word used by the Torah to describe the appearance of the manna in Numbers 11,7. An alternate interpretation: the word is a variation of קלקול, as in Jeremiah 4,24: וכל הגבעות התקלקלו, “and all the heights, (low hills) are disintegrating.” They are not providing man with strength.
Rabbeinu Bahya
כי אין לחם ואין מים, “for there was neither bread nor water.” The statement that there was no bread seems incomprehensible seeing they received the manna daily! They also must have had plenty of the water which had gushed forth from the rock in great quantities! We must understand the people’s complaint as being a rebellion against their unnatural state of existence. Other nations had abundant supplies of bread and water both of which could be stored whereas the Jewish people wondered from day to day if they would have bread and water on the morrow. Seeing that the continued existence of the people appeared to hinge on immediate reward and punishment they felt themselves in a uniquely disadvantaged position when compared to the Gentiles. Moreover, they claimed, “even the daily manna we receive is an inferior kind of bread as instead of giving our stomachs the feeling that it is full after having eaten it, our stomachs feel quite light, i.e. empty.” They expressed themselves as being fed up with that kind of existence. They knew of no other creature born of a mother that continuously imbibed food without having to excrete any of it (based on Yuma 75). G’d had intended that the daily dependence of the people on that day’s manna would teach them to put their faith in Him so that their dependence on Him should be like that of the slave on his master. He had related to the people as if they were on the level of angels. They now had become guilty of a terrible slander against the heavenly manna. The people now used this fact as something negative, found fault with the heavenly food! Seeing their sin consisted of slander, G’d sent against them the creatures which had invented slander, i.e. snakes. Tanchuma Chukat 19 describes the punishment as fitting the crime seeing that however many different kinds of creature a snake devours they all taste like dust to it, as it had been cursed with: “dust you shall eat all the days of your life!” (Genesis 3,14). The Israelites by comparison had been given a single type of food, which however assumed all kinds of different tastes in accordance with the owner’s wishes. Another reason they were being punished through snake bites was that during the entire 40 years G’d had ensured that the snakes whose natural habitat is the desert would not attack any Israelite. Seeing that the Israelites had not appreciated this G’d simply did not continue to work this miracle and the snakes which now bit the people were not a plague, but merely the inhabitants of that desert. The reason why the Torah does not write: “G’d sent snakes against the people,” i.e. seraphim, but it writes: ”the snakes which are the seraphim,” underlines that these snakes were not a new or different phenomenon at all. When Moses had told Pharaoh that G’d would punish him with an invasion of wild beasts (Exodus 8,17), he did not say הנני משליח בך ערוב, “here I am about to sent against you wild beasts,” but he said את הערוב. By this he meant that the wild beasts which are normally content to stay in their habitat will change their nature and invade the urban areas. Similarly here; the snakes which had suppressed their lifestyle by not harming the Jewish people though biting Gentiles, would now not practice any restraint whatsoever in their habitual confrontation with human beings, Israelite or not. The term לחם הקלוקל, is an insult, as if the Torah had written that the manna was the לחם קל שבקלים, “the least valuable kind of bread there was.”
Kli Yakar
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, etc. It appears that they did not complain only about the manna, but also about the water, as they said, There is no bread and no water. Both the bread and the water were spiritual and light, and all light things are good for those who are at rest, but not for travelers. For heavy food is digested well by those who exert themselves. Therefore, when the people became impatient because of the journey, they said that according to the difficulty of the journey, there is no bread and no water — for both of them seemed as if they were not there at all. And our souls loathe this worthless [kelokel] bread — “light, light” [kal kal] — both of them being light as mentioned. And because they complained about the food, He sent among them snakes, about which it is said, and dust shall be the serpent’s food (Isaiah 65:25). And because they complained about the water, He sent among them the fiery serpents, for there is no water to extinguish the fire. And in Toldot Yitzchak it is written that because they spoke against God and Moses, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “My part I forgive and pardon, but make for yourself a fiery serpent to counter what they did to you.” And Moses said the opposite: “My part is forgiven, but who can forgive the part against the Most High?” Therefore, he made a copper serpent. The root of this matter is also found in the Yalkut Parashat Shemot, an explanation for this interpretation: for evil speech burns and harms a person, Like the sharpened arrows of a warrior, with burning coals of broom wood (Psalms 120:4). Therefore, the fiery serpent came as a response to what they spoke against Moses. But regarding what they said against the Most High, What can He give you, and what can He add to you, O deceitful tongue? (Psalms 120:3). Therefore, He sent the serpents against them because they adopted the craft of the primordial serpent who spoke evil against his Creator, for the tongue falls upon the tongue [there is wordplay], as the serpent who sinned with its tongue falls upon those who misuse their tongues. And he looked at the copper serpent and lived — meaning he would see what happened to the primordial serpent and then not return to folly.
And Hashem sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
verse value 4198 — יְהֹוָ֜ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "against·the·people" (בָּעָ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·serpents" (אֵ֚ת הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·serpents" (אֵ֚ת הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים), "and·they·bit" (וַֽיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּ), "many·people" (עַם־רָ֖ב). The root עם appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "of·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·he·died" (root מות, 87x in Numbers). First appearance of the root נחש ("the·serpents") in Numbers. First appearance of the root נשך ("and·they·bit") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְשַׁלַּ֨ח [and·sent] (354) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + בָּעָ֗ם [against·the·people] (112) + אֵ֚ת הַנְּחָשִׁ֣ים [the·serpents] (814) + הַשְּׂרָפִ֔ים [the·fiery·ones] (635) + וַֽיְנַשְּׁכ֖וּ [and·they·bit] (392) + אֶת־הָעָ֑ם [the·people] (516) + וַיָּ֥מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + עַם־רָ֖ב [many·people] (312) + מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל [of·Israel] (581) = 4198.
Onkelos
Hashem sent among the people burning serpents, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died.
Rashi
את הנחשים השרפים BURNING SERPENTS — so termed because they burn (cause fever in) a person through the poison of their fangs. וינשכו את העם AND THEY BIT THE PEOPLE — God said, as it were: Let the serpent which was punished for slanderous statements come and exact punishment from those who utter slander. — Let the serpent to which all kinds of food have one taste (that of earth; cf. Genesis 3:14 and Yoma 75a) come and exact punishment from these ingrates to whom one thing (the manna) had the taste of many different dainties (see Rashi 11:8) (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 19).
Ibn Ezra
"He sent ... the fiery serpents" — "fiery" (sarafim) is a descriptive name for the serpents. By way of homiletical interpretation: "if the serpent bites without being charmed, there is no advantage to the tongue's owner" (Eccl. 10:11) — and since they had sent forth their tongues to bite [i.e., to speak slander], He sent [serpents] against them accordingly.
Or HaChaim
את הנחשים השרפים, the fiery snakes. It appears that as a result of the continued complaints by the Israelites against G'd and Moses, He sent the very beasts against them which their לשון הרע had given birth to. We have explained on numerous occasions that the מזיקים, destructive forces in our world, are nothing but the creatures we cause to come into being through our sins. The incident of the serpents in this paragraph proves how true the words of our sages in Taanit 8 are when they said that in the messianic future the other wild beasts will ask the serpent why it kills with a poisonous bite seeing it does not even get a physical satisfaction out of the damage it causes; the serpent replies with the verse (Kohelet 10,11)אין יתרון לבעל הלשון, "the slanderer does not get anything out of his slander." It asks: "why not ask the same question of the slanderer? What does he get out of spreading lies against people?" את הנחשים השרפים, the fiery serpents, etc. It seems quite appropriate that seeing the Israelites continued to slander G'd and Moses, that G'd sent the serpents created by these slanderous remarks against those who had caused their existence, against the slanderers themselves as per the Talmud in Taanit. In this instance the complaints of the Israelites gave birth to two kinds of serpents. The one called נחש has a poisonous bite which destroys the body, whereas the bite of the one called שרף burns the soul. The meaning of the word וישלח here is that G'd allowed the evil creations of the people's slanderous remarks to be turned against them. We find a similar use of that word in Job 8,4 וישלחם ביד פשעם, "He expelled them by means of their sin." In this instance the נחשים were the result of their slander against Moses, whereas the שרפים were the result of the Israelites having misrepresented what G'd had done. The Midrash too mentions that the שרפים were the punishment for what they said against G'd, as these serpents burn the soul.
Chizkuni
את הנחשים, “the snakes.” According to Rabbi Yudan, the Torah, by not writing: נחשים, but הנחשים instead, claims that the cloud over the Jewish camp as long as Aaron had been alive, used to burn the snakes, and thus make them harmless, as far as the Jewish people were concerned. Now that Aaron had died there was no remedy against being bitten by snakes. They became frequent sources of harm.
And the people came to Moses, and said: "We have sinned, because we have spoken against Hashem, and against you; pray to Hashem, that He take away the serpents from us." And Moses prayed for the people.
verse value 4135
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֨ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·we·spoke" (כִּֽי־דִבַּ֤רְנוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 115: the·people, the·people. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "for·we·spoke" (כִּֽי־דִבַּ֤רְנוּ), "and·against·you" (וָבָ֔ךְ), "intercede" (הִתְפַּלֵּל֙). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·serpent', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Onkelos
The people came to Moses and said: We have sinned, for we murmured before Hashem and contended with you. Pray before Hashem that He remove the serpent from us. And Moses prayed on behalf of the people.
Rashi
ויתפלל משה AND MOSES PRAYED — From this we may learn that he of whom one seeks forgiveness should not be so cruel as not to forgive (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 19).
Or HaChaim
התפלל אל השם, "pray to the merciful G'd, etc." In this instance the meaning of the word התפלל is equivalent to a call for forgiveness of the sin. There is a difference in the accessibility of forgiveness if one prays for it before the guilty party has experienced afflictions or if one has waited until after he has experienced afflictions. Once the guilty party has already become the victim of the destructive forces he himself has created and which have come home to roost, he needs to marshall some merit in order for these destructive forces to be called off. Shabbat 32 has this to say on the subject: "A person should make a point of asking for mercy before he falls sick because once he has fallen sick they say to him: 'produce some merit and you will be freed from the sickness.'" This is why the people of the generation of the desert (also known as the דור דעה, the generation blessed with knowledge) were astute enough to ask Moses to pray before asking him to remove the destructive serpents. They wanted Moses to invoke his own merits on their behalf. את הנחש, the serpent. They wanted that G'd should remove even the relatively minor problem, the deadly bite of the snake that attacked only the bodies. If they had mentioned the שרף or the נחש השרף it would have sounded as if they were only concerned about not having their souls destroyed but would have been content to die a merely physical death, i.e. a normal death. By mentioning only the נחש, the people made it plain that they did not want to die a natural death of the body, and if so, they certainly did not want their souls to die. They were also careful to speak of the נחש in the singular to indicate that they did not want a single snake to remain.
Chizkuni
את הנחש, “the snake;” sometimes the word נחש appears in the singular, and sometimes in the plural mode. This is not unique, as we experienced it with the frogs in Exodus 8,2, also.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויאמרו חטאנו כי דברנו בה' ובך, “they said: ‘we have sinned in that we spoke out against G’d and against you.’” They asked forgiveness from Moses and admitted their guilt. Moses then prayed on their behalf as it says: “Moses prayed on behalf of the people” (verse 7). This episode teaches that if someone asks a person’s forgiveness for insults committed against him the injured party should not be cruel and refuse to accept the apology (compare Tanchuma Chukat 19). We find, for instance that Avraham prayed on behalf of Avimelech who had wronged both him and Sarah (Genesis 20,17); also Job had prayed on behalf of his friends (Job 42,10). If someone refuses to pray on behalf of his fellow when called upon to do so he is called “a sinner.” Samuel explained this to the people when he explained to them why he was prepared to pray on their behalf (Samuel I 12,23). ויסר מעלינו את הנחש “so that He will remove the snake (plague of) from us.” Actually, we would have expected the word הנחשים, “the snakes” (pl.), instead of the word הנחש, “snake” (sing.). The reason the Torah uses the singular is to allude to the lethal power of the snake, serpent, mentioned earlier. The Torah refers to the spiritual representative of the snakes whose residence is in the desert. When the Jewish people said מעלינו, instead of ממנו, they meant “the one who is above us,” instead of merely “away from us.” We find a similar expression in Numbers 14,9 where Calev described that the protective force of the Canaanites had already been withdrawn from them as: סר צלם מעליהם, “their protective shadow has departed from above them.” This will also enable you to understand a verse in Zecharyah 6,1 וההרים הרי נחשת, “and the mountains are mountains made of copper” [a comment which appears irrelevant at first glance. Ed.]. The word נחשת is understood as derived from השחתה, “destruction.” Although the mountains mentioned by the prophet are destructible, the four chariots representing the glory of the Lord mentioned in that same verse are indestructible (based on Maimonides Moreh Nevuchim section two 10th chapter). It is a reference to the “great mountain” which features in the vision of Zerubabel as an insurmountable obstacle but which G’d promises will be reduced to level ground (vision of Yehoshua High Priest, Zecharyah 4,7)
And Hashem said to Moses: "Make you a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."
verse value 3737 — יְהֹוָ֜ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for·yourself" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "anyone·who·was·bitten" (כׇּל־הַנָּשׁ֔וּךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: it, at·it. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "seraph·figure" (שָׂרָ֔ף), "on·a·standard" (עַל־נֵ֑ס), "anyone·who·was·bitten" (כׇּל־הַנָּשׁ֔וּךְ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). First appearance of the root נס ("on·a·standard") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·a·standard', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה [to·Moses] (376) + עֲשֵׂ֤ה [make] (375) + לְךָ֙ [for·yourself] (50) + שָׂרָ֔ף [seraph·figure] (580) + וְשִׂ֥ים [and·set] (356) + אֹת֖וֹ [it] (407) + עַל־נֵ֑ס [on·a·standard] (210) + וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + כׇּל־הַנָּשׁ֔וּךְ [anyone·who·was·bitten] (431) + וְרָאָ֥ה [and·looks] (212) + אֹת֖וֹ [at·it] (407) + וָחָֽי [and·shall·live] (24) = 3737.
Onkelos
Hashem said to Moses: Make yourself a fiery image and place it upon a pole; and it shall be that whoever is bitten and looks upon it shall live.
Rashi
על נס means [SET IT] UPON A POLE which is termed perche in O. F. Similar is, (Isaiah 30:17) “And like a polo (banner) upon the hill”; (Isaiah 49:22) “I will lift up my pole (banner)”; (Isaiah 13:3) “Lift up a banner." Because it is lofty so that it can serve as a sign and as evidence of something it is called נס, something raised on high (cf. Rashi on Exodus 20:17). כל הנשוך ANYONE THAT IS BITTEN — even though a dog or ass had bitten him, he felt the effects of the injury and became enfeebled more and more (cf. Tanchuma); only that the bite of a serpent kills more speedily. On this account it is stated here: וראה אתו, “whoever has been bitten, when he seeth it, [shall live]” — a mere glance sufficed to heal him. But in the case of the serpent’s bite it is stated והביט, and he gazed — “and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he gazed [at the brazen serpent, he lived]”, for the serpent’s bite was not so quick to heal unless he gazed intently (cf. Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah 3:9). — Our Rabbis said: But could the copper serpent cause death or life?! But the explanation is that when the Israelites in gazing at the serpent looked up on high and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they were healed, but if they did not do this they waste away (Rosh Hashanah 29a).
Ibn Ezra
"Make for yourself" — in the form of a fiery serpent of copper, as it is written. [It was to be placed] on a pole so that it would be elevated and all could see it. Many have erred and said that this form [of the serpent] was meant to draw down supernal powers — God forbid! For the matter was done by the command of Hashem, and we need not inquire why it took the shape of a serpent. And if one does not accept this, let him show us whether there is a tree that can sweeten bitter water — even honey cannot sweeten them. And what is the reason for placing a fig-cake on a boil? There is nothing in the nature of a fig-cake that removes a boil. The truth is that the understanding of the Most High is beyond us.
Sforno
עשה לך שרף, the snake should be constructed of material which is associated with שרפה, burning. The association with “burning one’s tongue” should be uppermost in their minds when contemplating their sin which had been that they allowed their tongues to utter thoughts that angered G’d. They would repent when looking at a snake called שרף, something which “burns” (transitively).
Or HaChaim
עשה לך שרף, "make a fiery snake for yourself, etc." Our sages in Avodah Zarah 44 have this to say on the peculiar word לך, for yourself, in our verse. "The Torah says לך to tell us that Moses was to construct the serpent using his own funds. The reason for this was that a person may not forbid the use of something which is not his." Thus far the Talmud. The meaning of these words is that seeing Moses had made the serpent using his own funds it became his personal property. No one has the right to forbid others something that is not his. [The problem was that in the days of King Chiskiya (Kings II chapter 18) the people appear to have offered incense to this copper snake Moses had made, and to prevent them from doing so King Chiskiyah broke this snake into little pieces. Ed.] Seeing Moses had made this copper snake, the leaders of subsequent generations had been unable to destroy this snake or to forbid the people to worship it in some form. This explanation of the words עשה לך is one that emerged in the course of historical developments. At this time it is hardly likely that G'd meant for Moses to pay for the snake out of his own funds in order that at a later time the kings or religious leaders should be unable to forbid the people to use it as an object of worship. We must understand why G'd would have phrased His instructions so that we could have understood them to mean that Moses pay for the snake. We must also try and understand why G'd called it a שרף, whereas what Moses made is described as נחש (verse 9). Furthermore, we must try and understand why G'd decreed that an object such as this, which resembled a form of idol, had to be made altogether and why looking up to it would heal a person who had sustained a bite. Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 29 claim that as long as the Israelites looked heavenwards this was a demonstration of their faith in G'd, etc. If indeed this was all that G'd had in mind, why did He not order them to look straight at heaven instead of looking at the snake as an intermediary? In accordance with what we have explained earlier that the reason that both נחשים as well as שרפים attacked the people was because they had slandered both Moses and G'd, we can understand G'd's instructions as meant to counteract both kinds of sins. G'd told Moses to "make for yourself a snake," meaning that with regards to the slander the people were guilty of against Moses himself he was to make a נחש, whereas with regard to the people having slandered G'd he was to make a שרף. It was important for the people to recognise that their sin was twofold, that they had slandered G'd as well as Moses. I will explain this in detail later on. Moses was astute enough to construct a copper snake (נחש נחשת) for had he not made the snake out of copper (the same word as נחש) the Saraph G'd had commanded him to make [without specifying the material it was to be made of, Ed.] would not have symbolised both sins. This is why the Torah described what Moses ...
Rabbeinu Bahya
עשה לך שרף, “construct for yourself a type of snake called seraph.” In response to this instruction the Torah writes that instead of a seraph, Moses made a נחש נחשת, “a snake of copper.” Moses had understood that what G’d had in mind was that he should make a snake of copper. He did not mean to countermand G’d’s instruction. G’d had refrained from referring to this snake by its proper name so as not to mention the creature (original serpent) by name which had brought mortality into the world. By speaking of seraph, G’d referred only to the adjective associated with the serpent, the result of its bite. When G’d added the word לך, i.e. that Moses should make the seraph for himself, instead of saying simply: make a seraph,” He meant that He had accepted Moses’ prayer on behalf of the people to the extent that He forgave them their trespass against Himself; however Moses had to do something for himself in order for the people’s insult against him, Moses, to be forgiven, in order to demonstrate to the people how seriously G’d takes an insult against His chosen instrument, i.e. Moses.
Rashbam
ONE WHO SEES IT. Who looks towards heaven above.
Daat Zkenim
עשה לך שרף, “make for yourself a fiery serpent, etc.” the reason why G–d instructed Moses to construct a serpent, the symbol of everything negative since time immemorial, was to demonstrate that this very negative symbol would miraculously heal them from snake bites if used in the proper manner. It is only the Lord Who can use destructive instruments equally well for constructive purposes.
And Moses made a serpent of copper, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of copper, he lived.
verse value 5149 — וְהָיָ֗ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·would·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·mounted·it" (וַיְשִׂמֵ֖הוּ, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "serpent" (נְחַ֣שׁ), "copper" (נְחֹ֔שֶׁת), "and·mounted·it" (וַיְשִׂמֵ֖הוּ). The root נחש appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "and·it·would·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "someone" (root איש, 130x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·the·standard', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·made] (386) + מֹשֶׁה֙ [Moses] (345) + נְחַ֣שׁ [serpent] (358) + נְחֹ֔שֶׁת [copper] (758) + וַיְשִׂמֵ֖הוּ [and·mounted·it] (367) + עַל־הַנֵּ֑ס [on·the·standard] (215) + וְהָיָ֗ה [and·it·would·be] (26) + אִם־נָשַׁ֤ךְ [if·bit] (411) + הַנָּחָשׁ֙ [the·serpent] (363) + אֶת־אִ֔ישׁ [someone] (712) + וְהִבִּ֛יט [and·would·look] (32) + אֶל־נְחַ֥שׁ [at·serpent] (389) + הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת [the·copper] (763) + וָחָֽי [and·live] (24) = 5149.
Onkelos
Moses made a serpent of bronze and placed it upon the pole; and whenever a serpent bit a man, he would gaze upon the bronze serpent and live.
Rashi
נחש נחשת A SERPENT OF COPPER — He had not been told to make it of copper, but Moses said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, terms it נחש; I will therefore make it of נחשת — one term fitting the other term” (Genesis Rabbah 31:8).
Ramban
AND MOSES MADE ‘NECHASH NECHOSHETH’ (A SERPENT OF BRASS). “He was not told to make it of brass. But Moses said: ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, called it a nachash (serpent); therefore I will make it of nechosheth (brass) — since the one word resembles the other [in sound].” This is Rashi’s language, based upon the words of our Rabbis. But I do not understand this, for the Holy One, blessed be He, did not mention to Moses [the word] nachash, but said to him, Make thee ‘saraf’ (a fiery serpent)! But the intention of the Sages is that Moses was guided by the substantive name thereof [which is nachash; and saraf is merely a particular description of a certain kind of serpent — a “fiery” serpent — hence he made the saraf which G-d mentioned to him from nechosheth (brass), corresponding with its substantive name].It appears to me that the secret of this matter is that this is one of the ways of the Torah, every deed of which is a miracle within a miracle. Thus [the Torah] removes injury by means of the cause of the injury, and heals illness by means of the cause of the sickness, as the Rabbis have mentioned in connection with [the verse], and the Eternal showed him a tree, and as occurred with the salt that Elisha [cast] into the water. Now it is a well-known medical principle that all people bitten by poisonous creatures become dangerously ill when they see them, or [even] when they [only] see their likeness, so that if people who have been bitten by a mad dog or other mad animals look into water, they see there the image of the dog or the attacker, and [this] can [cause them to] die, as is written in medical books and mentioned in the Gemara of Tractate Yoma. Similarly doctors protect them from [people] mentioning in their presence the name of the animal that bit them, [and they forbid people] to mention it at all, because their minds cling to this thought and do not turn away from it altogether until it causes their death. [The doctors] have already mentioned that it is an empirical fact, amongst the wonders of reproduction, that if the urine of a person bitten by a mad dog is put in a glass receptacle after he has become rabidly sick, there will appear in that urine the likeness of the young of small dogs. And if you pass the liquid through a cloth and filter it, you will not find any trace of them at all; but if you return the liquid to the glass bottle, and it remains there for about an hour, you will again clearly see in it the small dogs. This is a true fact, and of the wonders of the powers of the soul. Now in view of all this, it would have been correct that the Israelites, who had been bitten by the fiery serpents, should not look upon a serpent, and should not mention it or bring it to mind at all. But the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses to make for them the likeness of a fiery serpent, which was [the creature] that killed them. And it is well-known that these fiery serpents have red eyes and wide heads, and their bodies at their...
Sforno
נחש נחושת, after Moses had understood what G’d had intended with His command, he agreed to make this replica of a snake out of copper and not out of gold. Copper would be more likely to induce thoughts of remorse as they would associate its colour with the sensation of burning.
Chizkuni
נחש נחשת, “a copper snake.” This metal was chosen, as, when polished, it shines and reflects light and therefore is highly visible. We know this from Ezekiel 1,7, where the prophet describes his vision of angels whose hooflike feet were described as sparkling like burnished copper. Even though the area of the Israelites camp was three miles square, anyone who had been bitten by a snake could see the copper snake that Moses had mounted on a pole. והביט אל נחש הנחשת, “and when he looked at this replica of a copper coloured snake (he would live);” looking at this phenomenon automatically would make such a person think of heaven, and that his only hope for surviving the snakebite would come from heaven. (Rashi). The reason that G-d chose this particular phenomenon was to remind the victim that the cure for his ailment had to be found in reversing the source of his affliction.[Just as the original sin by the first woman was described as caused by a snake who had seduced the first woman, so this source had to be discredited in the eyes of the afflicted person as symbolising that he had allowed himself to sin just as the first woman had been guilty of believing the snake, a mere creature, rather than the command of its Creator. Ed.] The miraculous powers of the Creator to heal, would best be demonstrated if it was shown that He could use the source of the affliction as the medicine that would cure it. [I have departed from the author’s use of the “chisel,” which to this Editor is rather meaningless, although it was taken from the commentary of B’chor shor. Ed.]
Rabbeinu Bahya
והביט אל נחש הנחשת וחי, “if he looked up to the copper snake he would live.” The cure was the opposite of the natural process. If the person who had been bitten would look at the snake which bit him he would endanger himself. [The author explains the cure in the same way as the working of inoculation, i.e. injection of the ingredient causing the disease, except that when we use inoculation this is done before the disease has struck. Ed.]. King Chizkiyah (Kings II 20,7) was cured by applying dried figs to the area infected by boils (a procedure which normally intensifies the skin rash he suffered from); the bitter waters at Marah (Exodus 15,25 compare Mechilta) were sweetened by throwing bitter (not sweet) wood into it. Here too, instead of an antidote to the snake and what it looks like the people had to look at an even more deadly looking snake. Red copper, the material Moses’ snake was made of symbolizes the planet Mars associated with war and death. In this instance by looking at “death” the people were cured. In other words, there occurred what our sages describe as “a miracle within a miracle.” It is a well known fact that if someone who has been bitten by a rabid dog subsequently looks into water and sees a reflection of a dog he will surely die. The Talmud Yuma 84 also discusses antidotes for bites by a rabid dog including the need to drink water only from copper vessels. The danger continues for 12 months during which time an appearance of the reflection of the dog may be lethal to the victim of the bite. Physicians warn people not even to mention the word “dog” or “rabid dog” to the victim of such a bite as it brings to mind associations which may prove fatal for the victim. Such people have been known to imagine seeing the image of such a dog even in their urine. At any rate, the reason we mention this is to demonstrate that here the requirement to look at the very symbol of what bit them had therapeutic effects for the victims instead of the reverse. This demonstrates the magnitude of the miracle. G’d’s purpose in commanding Moses to make a snake and for the people to focus on it was to show them that it was not the snake that causes death but the sin (compare Berachot 33).
And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in Oboth.
verse value 1240
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "the·Israelites" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·marched·on" (וַיִּסְע֖וּ, 5 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Israelites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·marched·on" (root נסע, 89x in Numbers). First appearance of the root אבת ("at·Oboth") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסְע֖וּ [and·marched·on] (152) + בְּנֵ֣י [the·Israelites] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ [and·encamped] (80) + בְּאֹבֹֽת [at·Oboth] (405) = 1240.
Onkelos
The children of Israel journeyed and encamped at Oboth.
Ibn Ezra
"The children of Israel journeyed" — from the land of Edom, for it is written [that they traveled] to go around [it]; and the far end of its border is Punon. And from Punon they journeyed to Oboth, as is written [in the itinerary].
Chizkuni
ויסעו בני ישראל ויחנו באובות. The Jewish people continued journeying and they encamped at Ovot. Their previous encampment had been at Punan as reported in Numbers 33,43.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויסעו בני ישראל ויחנו באובות, “The Children of Israel journeyed and camped at Ovot.” Tanchuma Chukat 19 proceeds to comment on the significance of these various way-stations mentioned in the verses following, seeing in each of them an allusion to what occurred there. The word אובות is related to אויב, “enemy,” i.e. that the people still suffered from a display of G’d’s anger at that place. The next location mentioned, i.e. עיי העברים, is an allusion to anger, עברה, i.e. G‘d remained angry at the people for 38 years. The name “river זרד,” which is mentioned next as a resting place, is understood to describe such a narrow body of water (זרת, the distance from thumb to the little finger when the hand is extended) that the idea that it took 38 years before the people could cross it was also a source of frustration for them. Moses repeated this theme in Deut. 2,13 where he recalls that G’d finally gave the instruction to the people to cross this “river.” The point is reinforced when the Torah writes in Deut. 2,14 that it took 38 years for the people to travel the distance from Kadesh Barnea to the river zered. When the Torah continues in verse 13 of our chapter to describe that משם נסעו ויחנו מעבר ארנון, “from there they journeyed and camped “beyond” Arnon, the word מעבר is understood by Tanchuma as signifying that finally G’d’s anger at the people i.e. עברה, had passed and they were in G’d’s good graces again. The normal construction in that verse should have been ויחנו ב-עבר ארנון, “they camped on the far side of the river Arnon.” The change from בעבר, to מעבר gave rise to the Midrash’s insight on that verse. We find that immediately after the people crossed the river Arnon G’d addressed Moses once again. [There had been a silence of verbal communication from G’d ever since the decree that the generation of the spies had to die. Ed.]. (Compare Deut. 2,24, that G’d spoke to Moses immediately after the people reached the river Arnon).
Daat Zkenim
ויחנו באובות, “they encamped at a place called Ovot. This was located between almost at the border of Moav, as we know from Numbers 33,44. This is where the plague of snakes had occurred.
And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is in front of Moab, toward the sun-rising.
verse value 3072
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abarim" (הָֽעֲבָרִ֗ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·the·east·of" (מִמִּזְרַ֖ח). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "bordering·on" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers); "and·set·out" (root נסע, 89x in Numbers). First appearance of the root מואב ("Moab") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Oboth', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסְע֖וּ [and·set·out] (152) + מֵאֹבֹ֑ת [from·Oboth] (443) + וַֽיַּחֲנ֞וּ [and·encamped] (80) + בְּעִיֵּ֣י [at·Iye] (92) + הָֽעֲבָרִ֗ים [Abarim] (327) + בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ [in·the·wilderness] (248) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [which] (501) + עַל־פְּנֵ֣י [bordering·on] (240) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + מִמִּזְרַ֖ח [to·the·east·of] (295) + הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ [the·sun] (645) = 3072.
Onkelos
They journeyed from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, toward the east.
Rashi
בעיי העברים IN IJE-ABARIM (in the עיים of Abarim) — I do not know why the name (that of these places) was called עיים, for the term עי signifies ruins; it is a thing (spot) that has been swept as it were with a broom. Only the single letter ע in it belongs to the root; it is connected in meaning with יעים (Exodus 27:3) and (Isaiah 28:17) “And the hail shall sweep away (יעה). העברים (from עבר to pass) — the road forming a pass for those who at that spot pass by Mount Nebo on their way to the land of Canaan, which mount separates the land of Moab from the land of the Amorites. ... על פני מואב ממזרח השמש [IN THE WILDERNESS WHICH IS] BEFORE MOAB TOWARDS THE SUN-RISING (the East) — i.e., to the East of the land of Moab (not in the East of the world).
Chizkuni
ויסעו מאובות, “They journeyed on from Ovot;” from this point onwards they turned in a northerly direction. The text proves that this took place here, as the next encampment is described as being at B’iyey Haavarim which is located facing the territory of Moav which was to the east. ויחנו בעיי העברים, “they made camp at a location known as B’iyey Haavarim. According to Rashi, this was a place from which it was easy to cross to the land of Canaan, and it was near Mount Nebo, the mountain containing Moses’ unknown grave. Moses viewed the land of Israel from the summit of that Mountain. The author speculates that what is reported here took place before the conquest by the Israelites of the lands of Sichon and Og to the west of this location, reported later in this chapter. It appears as if Mount Nebo is not mentioned until after 3 further encampments as explained in the portion Massey, and as far as Rashi explaining further that Mount Nebo intervened between Moav and the Emorites, perhaps prior to the war between Sichon and the first king of Moav this may have been so. But during that war, Sichon appropriated his whole land from him commencing from Mount Nebo as far as the river Arnon. (compare verse 26) The letter ע in בעיי, may have substituted for the letter א here.
Rashbam
בעיי העברים, a description of a very parched land as in Jeremiah 26,18 וירושלים עיים תהיה, Jerusalem will become totally dried out. The word occurs in a similar sense also in Michah 1,6.
From there they journeyed, and pitched in the valley of Zered.
verse value 947
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "from·there" (מִשָּׁ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·encamped" (וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "at·the·wadi" (בְּנַ֥חַל), "Zered" (זָֽרֶד). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·set·out" (root נסע, 89x in Numbers); "from·there" (root שם, 75x in Numbers); "and·encamped" (root חנה, 73x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·set·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִשָּׁ֖ם [from·there] (380) + נָסָ֑עוּ [they·set·out] (186) + וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ [and·encamped] (80) + בְּנַ֥חַל [at·the·wadi] (90) + זָֽרֶד [Zered] (211) = 947.
Onkelos
From there they journeyed and encamped at the wadi of Zered.
Ibn Ezra
"They camped in the valley of Zered" — in another place it is called Dibon-Gad.
Or HaChaim
משם נסעו, From there they journeyed, etc. We need to understand why the Torah changed its style in describing the journeys of the Israelites by introducing both this journey and the one following it as משם, "from there." The Torah's normal way of telling us about the Israelites' journeying has always been the word ויסעו. Perhaps the reason is that the two journeys introduced by the word משם נסעו, i.e. the journey from the river Zered and from the river Arnon occurred at the Israelites' own initiative seeing there were no longer any clouds signalling their move. I have seen proof that my estimate is correct by what is written in Deut. 2,13: "now rise up and get over the brook of Zered, etc." These words clearly indicate that the Israelites did not journey at the behest of the clouds of glory. If the journey had started because the clouds moved, why would Moses have to tell the people to get moving? Although the Torah had said in Numbers 9,20 that the Israelites made camp and broke camp at G'd's instructions, this referred to all the other journeys barring these two. The reason was that Aaron had died and the clouds of glory had disappeared. Even though we have been told in Taanit 9 that these clouds re-appeared due to the merit of Moses, it is possible that the particular cloud which signalled to the Israelites that they were to break camp had not returned.
Chizkuni
משם נסעו, “from there they continued their journeys;” The word “there,” refers to B’iyey Haavarim. ויחנו בנחל זרד, “they encamped in the valley of the river Zered.” In Parshat Massey, however, we read that the Israelites first came to Divon Gad, but there only land locations are mentioned, whereas here rivers are mentioned also. The reason may be that the Torah was interested here to report what occurred at Beer.
Daat Zkenim
משם נסעו, “from there they journeyed onwards;” from the place called iyyey havavarim. The next place they encamped was called nachal zered. In Parshat Massey, that place is referred to as divon Gad (Numbers 33,45. According to some commentators the differences in the names of the encampments is due to their sometimes being referred to according to the brooks of water there, and in others according to the names thy had been known as. They are called here as their sources of water, seeing that was most important to them.
From there they journeyed, and pitched on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that comes out of the border of the Amorites.—For Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites;
verse value 3313
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·encamped" (וַֽיַּחֲנ֗וּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 307: the·Arnon, the·Arnon. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "from·the·territory·of" (מִגְּבֻ֣ל). The root ארנון appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·is" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "they·set·out" (root נסע, 89x in Numbers); "for" (root כי, 79x in Numbers). First appearance of the root מעבר ("beyond") in Numbers. First appearance of the root ארנון ("the·Arnon") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Amorites', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Onkelos
From there they journeyed and encamped beyond the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
Rashi
מגבל האמרי The word גבול denotes boundary-line of (marking) the end of their frontier. Similar is the term the גבול of Moab (in this verse): it is an expression for extremity and end. מעבר ארנון ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ARNON — they travelled round the land of Moab along the whole of its southern and eastern sides until they came to the other side of the Arnon into the land of the Amorites on the north of the land of Moab. היצא מגבל האמרי [ARNON WHICH IS IN THE WILDERNESS] THAT COMETH OUT OF THE BOUNDARY OF THE AMORITES — a strip of land jutted out from the territory of the Amorites — it belonged to the Amorites — and entered into the territory of Moab extending unto the Arnon which is the boundary of Moab. It was there that the Israelites encamped and thus they did not pass into the territory of Moab, כי ארנון גבול מואב, FOR ARNON IS THE BOUNDARY OF MOAB, and they did not grant them permission to pass through their land. And although Moses did not state this plainly, Jephtha plainly stated it], as Jephtha said, (Judges 11:17) "And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab, out he would not permit him to pass through his territory”. Moses, however, made an allusion to it when he stated, (Deuteronomy 2:29) “As the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me”. What was the case with these (the children of Esau)? They did not permit them to pass through their land, but they made them travel right round it! Similarly, too, Moab did!
Ramban
FOR ARNON IS THE BORDER OF MOAB, BETWEEN MOAB AND THE AMORITES. Arnon was a city which belonged to Moab, [located] near the end of the Amorite border and the beginning of the border of Moab, and it was situated on brooks that flowed through it.
Ibn Ezra
For the Arnon had been the border of Moab at the beginning.
Sforno
מעבר ארנון...היוצא, in that region where the river Arnon borders the region where the desert starts. כי ארנון גבול מואב, the border between the Emorite and Moav is a joint border only at that point where the river separates the two nations. The area where the Israelites had entered the territory of the Emorite was not anywhere near its boundary with Moav.
Chizkuni
ויחנו מעבר ארנון, “they encamped across from the river Arnon.” If the Torah had written instead: בעבר ארנון, this would have meant that they had had free choice where along the banks of the river Arnon to make camp. The letter מ in stead of the prefix ב, means that they had only been able to make camp on the part of the banks of that river which came from the boundary with the Emorites, as Rashi has explained. מעבר ארנון, where across from that river? The part in no man’s land, desert, where it had left the boundary of the territory belonging to the Emorites. Apparently, there was a small island in the middle of that river that afforded a relatively easy passage across the river, in a neutral area between the territory of the Emorites and that of Moav. This is what is referred to as Almon Divlatayma in Numbers 33, 46. The river Arnon was the boundary between these two kingdoms. כי ארנון גבול מואב בין מואב ובין האמורי, “for Arnon was the boundary between the Emorites and the Moabites.” In earlier times, the territory of Moav had extended in a westerly direction to the river Jordan and in a northerly direction as far as Mount Nebo, which used to be the boundary with the Kingdom of Sichon. The latter had conquered a large slice of the original kingdom of Moav, (which due to that fact had no longer been included in the Moabite territory G-d had put out of bounds to the Israelites). This has been documented in verse 26 of our chapter.
Daat Zkenim
ויחנו מעבר ארנון, “they encamped across the river Arnon. They encamped on the bank that used to belong to King Sichon after having made a detour around the land of Moav. They had not been allowed by G–d to cross the territory belonging to Moav at that time. They were only allowed to straddle its border, without crossing it. (Compare Judges, 11,17) where Yiftach recounts the history of the people’s wanderings. They had approached that spot coming from the east, leaving the land of Moav on their west, bordered by the territory that belonged to King Sichon. כי ארנון גבול מואב בין מואב ובין האמורי, “for the river Arnon was the border between Moav and the Emorite.” In practice this means that the river separated the borders from one another. Originally, both banks of the river were part of the land of Moav, but Sichon had conquered all the land on the north bank of that river. The Israelites took possession of all the formerly Moabite lands that Sichon had conquered from them. That land was no longer considered out of bounds to them when they came out of Egypt. G–d rearranges nations’ boundaries from time to time, as He sees fit. The respective rulers during such warfare who appear as winners or losers are pawns in His hands.
therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Hashem: Vaheb in Suphah, And the valleys of Arnon,
verse value 2731 — יְהֹוָ֑ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (עַל־כֵּן֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·wadis" (וְאֶת־הַנְּחָלִ֖ים, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·Wars·of" (מִלְחֲמֹ֣ת), "Waheb" (אֶת־וָהֵ֣ב), "in·Suphah" (בְּסוּפָ֔ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "it·is·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "therefore" (root כן, 31x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּן֙ [therefore] (170) + יֵֽאָמַ֔ר [it·is·said] (251) + בְּסֵ֖פֶר [in·the·Book·of] (342) + מִלְחֲמֹ֣ת [the·Wars·of] (518) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־וָהֵ֣ב [Waheb] (414) + בְּסוּפָ֔ה [in·Suphah] (153) + וְאֶת־הַנְּחָלִ֖ים [and·the·wadis] (550) + אַרְנֽוֹן [the·Arnon] (307) = 2731.
Onkelos
Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars that Hashem waged at the Sea of Reeds, and the mighty deeds at the wadis of Arnon —
Rashi
על כן יאמר WHEREFORE IT IS SAID (more lit., about this it will be said) — About this encampment and the miracles that were wrought at it, it will be told בספר מלחמות ה׳ IN THE NARRATIVE (lit., THE BOOK) OF THE WARS OF THE LORD — whenever people narrate the miracles that were wrought for our fathers they will declare את והב. את והב — is equivalent to את יהב; just as from the root יעד one may say וָעֵד, so from יהב, "to give” one may say והב: the ו is a root-letter. It means to say: they will relate what (את) He gave (והב) to them (i.e. what boons He gave to them) and how He did many miracles at the Red Sea (בים סוף being the equivalent of בסופה in the text). ואת הנחלים ארנון AND THE VALLEYS AT ARNON — Just as they relate the miracles at the Red Sea, so there should be related, too, the miracles at the valleys of Arnon, for here, also, great miracles were wrought (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 20). And what were those miracles? (the reply is given in the next passage).
Ramban
The simple meaning of [the expression] in the book of the wars of the Eternal is that there were wise men in those generations who used to write down the history of great wars, for such was [the custom] in all generations. These authors were called moshlim (they that speak in parables), because they wrote in them [their books] by means of proverbs and figures of speech, and when there were victories which they considered wonderful, they ascribed those wars to G-d, to Whom they are in truth [to be attributed]. Now the victory of Sihon over Moab was marvellous in their eyes, therefore they wrote it down in a book, speaking of it in figurative language, Eth Vahev b’suphah etc., and writing about it in a proverb — Come ye to Heshbon etc. Now the name of one city of those that belonged to Moab was Vahev. And the pouring forth of the brooks — [this refers to] the slope of the brook, because the streams [of water] flow down continuously from the slopes of Pisgah. Similarly, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the Arabah, and in ‘the slopes.’ B’suphah, [this word is] of [the root] ‘b’suphah’ (in the whirlwind) and in the storm. Thus when Sihon captured the cities of Moab, those who wrote in parables recorded in the book which they called “the Wars of the Eternal”: Eth Vahev b’suphah [meaning: “The city of Vahev He destroyed in a whirlwind”], or they wrote: “G-d warred against Vahev in a whirlwind.” And the slope of the brooks which belonged to Arnon, and the downpour of the brooks that inclineth toward the seat of Ar, and the slope that leaneth upon the border of Moab — all these the Eternal destroyed in the whirlwind and in the storm, for Sihon came upon them [the Moabites] suddenly, his horses’ hoofs were counted like flint, and his wheels like a whirlwind. Similarly those [who spoke in parables] said: For a fire is gone out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon etc. Thus Scripture is bringing a proof from the book of “the Wars [of the Eternal”] that Arnon is on the border of Moab, and was forbidden to Israel [to capture], whereas the brooks and all the slopes as far as Arnon they were allowed [to take], for Sihon had captured from the king of Moab all his land until Arnon, but not Arnon itself. Thus Arnon remained part of Moab, and constituted its border, as it is written, And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the valley of Arnon, the middle of the valley for a border. And so also did Jephthah say, and they [the Israelites] pitched on the other side of the Arnon, but they came not within the border of Moab, for Arnon was the border of Moab.
Ibn Ezra
"In the Book of the Wars of Hashem" — this was an independent book, in which the wars of Hashem on behalf of those who fear Him were recorded. It is possible that it dated from the days of Abraham, for many books have been lost and are no longer in our possession — such as the words of Nathan and Iddo, the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, and the songs and proverbs of Solomon. — "Et-vahev in Suphah" — battles took place in ancient times in the places mentioned. The name Vahev is not of the Hebrew tongue; similarly [non-Hebrew names appear]: Vophsi, Vashti, and Vaizatha; and also Vashni — or the interpretation of Vashni is that the vav is a conjunctive vav. All of this is because a vav [serving as a root letter] is not found at the beginning of a word, except for the word vavei ha-amudim ["the hooks of the pillars"]; rather, it is typically found replaced by a yod, as in yalad ["he bore"] [from the root vav-lamed-dalet]. And the Aramaic Targum's interpretation is well known.
Sforno
בספר מלחמות ה' את והב בסופה, [if I understand the author correctly he suggests that the waters of the rock at Massah Umerivah which he described as flowing upstream, anti gravity like, were the reason why Sichon did not attempt to oppose the Israelites at the time when they first entered territory which was under his sovereignty. Ed.] Some of these miraculous events are recorded in what are known as the book of G’d’s wars. Examples of such miracles were what happened here and how these waters described a turn returning to their origin, i.e. the well that originated at Massah and Merivah. The reason why the Torah is so vague about these miracles is out of consideration for Moses and Aaron. The reason for these miracles was only in order to demonstrate to the Israelites what kind of miracles they had not been shown because Moses and Aaron had decided not to speak to the rock at the time. The people only found out in retrospect that the waters which had come forth from that rock were not natural waters, subject to the laws of nature such as the laws of gravity. These waters also did not behave according to the laws of centrifugality, i.e. of instead displaying a tendency of flowing towards the center. This is why these waters ascended with the Jewish people in their journeys through mountainous regions. [I have summarised the author’s commentary on these verses in order for the reader not to lose track of the main thrust of this commentary. Ed.]
Or HaChaim
על כן יאמר בספר מלחמות השם, wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the Lord, etc. Our sages offer two explanations on this verse, one in Kidushin 30 where they interpret the "wars" as referring to the disagreements between scholars about how to interpret the Torah. Such disagreements are called "a war of G'd," as these people are friendly with one another on a personal basis though opposing each other as Torah scholars. This is supposed to be the meaning of the words את והב בסופה. The second explanation is offered in Berachot 54 where the Talmud says that there were two Jews who had been stricken with Tzoraat one of whom was called את and the other והב. They trailed the remainder of the Israelite camp walking behind the main body seeing they were not allowed into the camp proper as מצורעים, people afflicted with this skin eczema. It was they who informed the others of the collision of the mountains situated on either side of the river Arnon. We prefer to explain this verse according to its plain meaning. The Torah mentioned in verse 13 that the river Arnon formed the boundary between Moav and the Emorite. It follows that Israel owned no part of it. This is the reason the Torah goes on to say that in the book which is open before G'd and which contains records of the various wars describing which nation G'd disinherited and to which nation He granted additional territory, the river Arnon is recorded as the border between Moav and the Emorite. It is also recorded in that book that eventually, i.e. בסופה, this area will become part of the land of Israel. However, the time had not come for this development. The area in question is part of the three tribes Keyni, Kenizi, and Kadmoni whose territory was included in G'd's promise to Abraham at the covenant of the pieces (Genesis 15,19) but whose territory Israel never conquered to this day. The word והב may have either of two meanings. 1) It is an expression of love, אהבה, i.e. that G'd loves to give these lands to Israel also but not at that time. 2) It is an expression denoting נתינה, giving, granting. We find this expression in that sense [aramaic, Ed.] in Daniel 2,23 "You have granted me wisdom." This is not the only time that the Torah employs aramaic words. Some other examples are Genesis 21,7 מי מלל; another example is Deut. 33,2 ואתא מרבבות קדש. The Torah continues ואת הנחלים, "and the brooks, etc.," to further describe in detail the borders of Moav which are recorded in the book in which G'd records the various wars. In the future all the tributaries of Arnon will become part of the land of Israel as well as the tributaries which are close to the seat of Or.
Chizkuni
על כן, “this is why” concerning the territories forbidden to the Israelites to conquer or harass, “it is stated in the book documenting the wars of the Lord, etc.” There are numerous books dating back to that period which have become lost in the course of the centuries in which more of the accomplishments of the Israelites in warfare had been preserved, including this war. Also numerous of the poems of King Solomon and his many parables have become lost throughout those centuries, though the people had been aware of their existence at one time. The book that indicated the boundaries of the lands that they were prohibited from entering was called מלחמות ה׳ “wars conducted with the approval of the Lord.” We recall that Avigayil had said to David in Samuel I 25,28: כי מלחמות ה' אדוני נלחם, “my lord (David) has fought wars for the sake of the reputation of the Lord.” יאמר, “it is said;” the letter א in this word is vocalised with the vowel patach, (not tzeyre). את והב בסופה, “Vaheiv” is the name of a location at the extreme end of the territory of Moav, a place that the Israelites had crossed and where miracles had been performed for them similar to the ones at the sea of reeds. Compare a reference to this in what Balak told Bileam about the location at that time of the Israelites’ camp. (Numbers 22,5.)
Rabbeinu Bahya
על כן יאמר בספר מלחמות ה', “therefore it is said in the Book of the wars of Hashem.” The verse refers to the encampment and the miracles which took place at that place. The words: “in the Book of the wars of the Lord,” is a separate verse not connected to that which preceded it. It is a reference to a Book in which the Israelites had recorded all the wars G’d fought on behalf of those who revere Him. It is entirely possible that this Book as well as many others were lost in the course of our long history and wanderings. The Book’s first entry may well have been Avraham’s campaign to rescue his nephew Lot (Genesis 14,14-24). It is likely that the "Prophecies of Nathan and Ido" (II Chronicles 9,29) and the "Chronicles of the Jewish kings" (II Kings 15,11) and the "songs and parables of King Solomon" (I Kings 5,12) are further examples of historical records which have been lost in the course of time. This is the view of Ibn Ezra on Kings I 5,12.
Rashbam
על כן יאמר, concerning these journeys which were in fact a reversal of their previous journeys, while they marched around the territory of Edom for many days (compare Deuteronomy 2,1) until they turned again and encountered the well described in 20,11. At that time, as part of the summary of their experiences in which the people thanked the Lord, they mentioned the miracles at the sea of reeds, as well as the miracle experienced at the river Arnon, as well as the song beginning in verse 17 of our chapter. They now acknowledged gratefully the well for the availability of which they had not previously composed a song of thanksgiving. The reason they had neglected to do so at the time was the fact that in order to have the waters of this well Moses and Aaron had been condemned to die before entering the Holy Land. [our author calls the waters emerging from the rock at this juncture a well, as he presumes that it performed henceforth the same function as had the well of Miriam which had ceased to function after her death. Ed.] את והב, the יהב of the Lord as in Psalms 55,23 השלך על ה' יהבך והוא יכלכלך, “cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you.” Or, as in Kohelet 2,22 מה הוה לאדם מכל עמלו, “what does man have as a result of all his toil?” Our author quotes a few more verses in which the letter י in a word has been supplanted by the letter ו. Basically, he views the word והב as meaning the same as the word יהב.
Daat Zkenim
על כן, “This is why, etc,” in G–d’s records of nations’ wars these changes of borders are recorded, just as we find such changes mentioned in the Book of Chronicles of the Bible. את והב בסופה, “the word: “vahav, “ is one word, the letter ו at the beginning is not a conjunctive or prefix. It is similar to Genesis 45,1, where Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers and we read: בהתודע יוסף, “when Joseph revealed himself.” That word should really have been ואתודע. Here too, the correct word should have been אתיהב למלך מואב בסופה וסערה, meaning that the King of Moav had been defeated by Sichon in battle when he lost this part of his land right up to the banks of the river Arnon.
And the slope of the valleys That inclines toward the seat of Ar, And leans upon the border of Moab.—
verse value 2617
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "Ar" (עָ֑ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·wadis" (הַנְּחָלִ֔ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·slope" (וְאֶ֙שֶׁד֙), "the·wadis" (הַנְּחָלִ֔ים), "and·leaning" (וְנִשְׁעַ֖ן). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "to·dwell" (root ישב, 38x in Numbers); "Moab" (root מואב, 33x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ar', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶ֙שֶׁד֙ [and·slope] (311) + הַנְּחָלִ֔ים [the·wadis] (143) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + נָטָ֖ה [stretched] (64) + לְשֶׁ֣בֶת [to·dwell] (732) + עָ֑ר [Ar] (270) + וְנִשְׁעַ֖ן [and·leaning] (476) + לִגְב֥וּל [to·territory·of] (71) + מוֹאָֽב [Moab] (49) = 2617.
Onkelos
and the outpouring of the wadis that flows toward Lahath, and leans upon the border of Moab.
Rashi
ואשר הנחלים THE DISCHARGE IN THE VALLEYS — The Targum translation of ,שפך “pouring forth”, is אשר. Consequently these words signify “the pouring forth in the valleys”, for at that place there was poured forth the blood of the Amorites who had concealed themselves there. As the mountains were high and the valley deep and narrow, and the mountains were so close to one another, that a man could stand upon the mountain on one side and speak to his fellow on the other mountain, and the road passed through the valley, the Amorites said: When the Israelites are about to enter the land by passing through the valley we will come out of the mountain caves above them and will kill them by arrows and stone missiles. Now those caves were in the mountains on the Moabite side, and on the mountain that was on the Amorite side there were, opposite those caves, projections like horns and breasts jutting out. When Israel were on the point of passing, the mountain that was located in the land of Israel (that on the Amorite side which afterwards came into the possession of the Israelites) was set in tremor as a handmaid that goes forth to receive her mistress, and moved nearer to the mountain of Moab, and these breast-like projections penetrated into the caves and killed them (the Amorites who were hidden in them). And this is the meaning of אשר נטה לשבת ער which inclineth towards the dwelling (location) of Ar (the capital Moab) — which means that the mountain inclined from its place and approached close to the mountain on the Moabite side and affixed itself to it: and this, too, is the meaning of ונשען לגבול מואב, and leaneth towards the boundary of Moab (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 20; cf. Berakhot 54b).
Ibn Ezra
"And the outpouring of the streams" — some say this is in the Aramaic tongue. In sum, all these are place-names. — "That inclines" — the meaning refers to Israel, for it was upon Ar that they passed. — "And leans toward the border of Moab" — this refers to the verse "and they abide over against me" (Num. 22:5). From there Israel journeyed to the place called Beer, for the heh of "Be'erah" [takes the place of] el ["to"], like the heh in "Mitzraimah" ["to Egypt"]. And this well too was a wonder; and in my view it is not the well called Miriam's Well, but rather [it was] a place where Moses commanded [them], and the princes of Israel dug it with their staves, whereupon water burst forth immediately.
Chizkuni
ואשד הנחלים, this was another location that the Israelites were not allowed to invade as part of it was overhanging airspace belonging to the Moabite Kingdom.
Daat Zkenim
ואשד הנחלים, “as well as its tributary wadis.” We find the word אשד also in Deuteronomy 3,17, i.e. אשדות (in the plural mode) אשר נטה לשבת ער, “stretched along settled country.” Seeing that these valleys seemed to overhang territory belonging to Moav, that latter began to settle in it. At any rate, at the time of writing these lines both banks of the river Arnon were populated. [The reason why this is all spelled out become clear when we read about how the Jewish people had been saved by an earthquake turning fatal for the Emorites who had planned an ambush in the clefts of the protruding rocks. [Compare the Midrashim on verses 17-19 of this chapter. Ed]
And from there to Beer; that is the well of which Hashem said to Moses: "Gather the people together, and I will give them water."
verse value 3241 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "it·is" (הִ֣וא, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·people" (אֶת־הָעָ֔ם, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 208: to·Beer, the·well. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·from·there" (וּמִשָּׁ֖ם), "to·Beer" (בְּאֵ֑רָה), "the·well" (הַבְּאֵ֗ר). The root באר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "where" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Beer', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 11 words. Full calculation: וּמִשָּׁ֖ם [and·from·there] (386) + בְּאֵ֑רָה [to·Beer] (208) + הִ֣וא [it·is] (12) + הַבְּאֵ֗ר [the·well] (208) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [where] (501) + אָמַ֤ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה [to·Moses] (375) + אֱסֹף֙ [assemble] (141) + אֶת־הָעָ֔ם [the·people] (516) + וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה [that·I·may·give] (462) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + מָֽיִם [water] (90) = 3241.
Onkelos
And from there the well was given to them — that is the well of which Hashem said to Moses: Gather the people and I will give them water.
Rashi
ומשם בארה AND FROM THENCE TO THE WELL — from there the flow of blood ran to the well. How? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Who will inform my children of those miracles? — The proverb says: If you have given bread to a child let its mother know (i.e., since the mother has, to an extent, benefitted by this, and the child cannot tell her, you should do so) (Shabbat 10b). After they (the Israelites) had passed by, the mountains returned to their original positions, and the well that followed the Israelites flowed down into the valley and brought up from there the blood and the arms and other limbs of those who had been thus killed, and carried them around the camp, so that Israel saw them, and they sang a song of triumph, as follows (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 20):
Ramban
And from thence to B’eir, The meaning of this is connected with the previous [Verse 13], saying that they pitched on the other side of the Arnon, and from there they set forth on their journey and went round about B’eir since they did not enter the Arnon or any [area] beyond it, because it continued [to be] the border of Moab. Scripture called here the name of the place [“B’eir”, which means “a well”] on account of the miracle [which happened there], but in the [section enumerating the stages of their] journeys [in the wilderness] it is not called by that name.
Chizkuni
ומשם, “and from there,“ i.e. from the boundary of Moav; the warning against harassing that nation becomes effective extending as far as the place known as Beer, which is identical with Kadesh, which is part of Edom, where G-d gave them the well.
Daat Zkenim
ומשם בארה, “and from there to a place called “Be-er.” The well mentioned here appears to have emanated in the place they came to immediately afterwards. It was water gushing out of a rock.
Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O well—sing you to it—
verse value 2877
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֚ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·song" (אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "then" (אָ֚ז), "sang" (יָשִׁ֣יר), "the·song" (אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֖ה). The root שיר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "spring·up" (root עלה, 96x in Numbers); "this" (root זאת, 33x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָ֚ז [then] (8) + יָשִׁ֣יר [sang] (520) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֖ה [the·song] (921) + הַזֹּ֑את [this] (413) + עֲלִ֥י [spring·up] (110) + בְאֵ֖ר [O·well] (203) + עֱנוּ־לָֽהּ [sing·to·it] (161) = 2877.
Onkelos
Then Israel sang this song of praise: Rise up, O well — praise her!
Rashi
עלי באר COME UP, WELL from the valley and bring up what you have to bring up! — Whence do we know that it was the well that announced to them these miracles as it is stated above? Because it is said: ומשם בארה “and from there to the well”. For you cannot say that it means: “from that place was (they got) the well”, because was it indeed from there that they got it? Had it not been with them from the beginning of the forty years’ wanderings? But it means that from there it flowed down to the Israelites to proclaim the miracles! Then again, also, the paragraph beginning with the words: אז ישיר … השירה הזאת were spoken at the end of the forty years whilst the well was given them at the beginning of the forty, and what reason then can there be to write it as late as here. But the subject of the song has to be explained in connection with what precedes it (that it was a summons to the well to bring up the bodies of the slain) (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 20).
Ibn Ezra
"Rise up, O well" — this is the beginning of the song, but not all of it is recorded. — "Sing to it" — this is the imperative form, and [the song] explains how [the water] came up.
Or HaChaim
אז ישיר ישראל, Then Israel sang, etc. What precisely was the point of this song? Besides, why had the Israelites not acknowledged the mannah by a song just as they acknowledged the water? The entire paragraph needs explaining. Perhaps the entire song really was an acknowledgement of the Torah. This is why one cannot criticise that generation for not breaking out in a song of thanksgiving when the Torah was described as its מורשה, something precious left to them as an ongoing possession (Deut. 33,4). The reason is that the people had already acknowledged the gift of the Torah in the song recorded here, the song acknowledging "water." After all, Torah has frequently been compared to a well of water. It is called "well" because it originates with G'd the ultimate well from which all springs forth. It is also called "water" as it symbolises water and its life-giving properties. When the people sang עלי באר, "arise o well," this was not a reference to the physical well and the waters beneath the earth's surface, but to a celestial well. The words ענו לה are similar to Exodus 15,23 ותען להם מרים, the responsive nature of the chant. חפרוה שרים, which the princes dug. Bereshit Rabbah 64, states that by means of Torah study man is able to make repairs to celestial sources called באר, "well." The extent of the "repair" achieved depends on the depth of the Torah study by the individuals concerned and the spiritual level of those scholars. The Patriarchs who were on a very exalted spiritual level dug this "well," and made its waters fit to drink. This is the mystical dimension of Genesis 29,10 והאבן גדולה על פי הבאר, ויגל את האבן העל פי הבאר וישק את הצאן. "The stone was large on the mouth of the well, and he (Jacob) rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flocks." From that moment on the Torah was fit to be given to the people of Israel although the stage had not yet been reached where Israel could drink from it. This stage was not reached until Moses "dug" in it, i.e. brought it down to the Jewish people from Mount Sinai. The שרים in our verse are the Patriarchs, the נדבי העם is a reference to Moses. Subsequently the Torah was handed from generation to generation through the elders, the prophets, and eventually, through the Men of the Great Assembly. These people explained the Torah and its secrets. The meaning of the words כרוה נדיבי העם is that if we have only the written Torah without the oral Torah we cannot drink from the Torah's waters. במחקק במשענתם refers to the additional insights into Torah the scholars have revealed throughout the generations. These insights are likened to someone who adds decrees to existing decrees, not comparable to the earlier generations who have truly dug to explore primary meanings of the Torah. Even the additional aspects of Torah discovered by scholars in recent generations were discovered only with the help of the earlier generations, i.e. במשענתם, by using them as a crutch. We are not free to inn...
Chizkuni
אז, “then,” i.e. after G-d had provided them with the well from which to slake their thirst, they broke out in a song of thanksgiving. This song has not been recorded at the time it had been sung because at the same time this location had become the one at which both Moses and Aaron had been punished. When the time came to make a specific reference to that well, the Torah also reported this song that the Israelites had sung. An alternate interpretation about the meaning of the line: 'בספר מלחמות ה, “in the Book recording the wars of the Lord:” This book was comparable to the Book of Chronicles kept by every nation in which a record has been made of all the wars between one nation and its neighbours, in which its victories have been recorded. The expression: את והב (verse 14) is to be understood as being a single word, just as the word אתיהב, where the letter ו has been exchanged for the letter א. We have a parallel for this in Genesis 45,1 where Joseph is described as misrepresenting himself with the word: בהתודע, a word from the root ידע. Another example of such an unusual construction is found in Genesis 27,29, where Yitzchok in his blessing to Yaakov is quoted as saying: הוה גביר לאחיך, “be senior over your brothers.” We would have expected the word: היה instead of הוה. It, i.e. the word והב is intended as an alternative to נתינה as in “gift,” as in Numbers 26,62, כי לא נתן להם נחלה, “for no ancestral piece of land had been given to to them.” The Targumim, translators into Aramaic, render the word נתן there as אתיהב. Here where we hear about the defeat of the King of Moav against Sichon of the Emorites, the words ואת והב בסופה, mean that that king at the end of that war had had to cede lands to the victor. This included the valley of the river Arnon. The well (through the rock) from which the Israelites were provided with water after Miriam’s death therefore was directly connected to what had once been Moav.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אז ישיר ישראל את השירה הזאת, “Then Israel sang this song:” According to the plain meaning of the text the principal content of this song is the reference to the Emorites who drowned in the river Arnon and whose blood mingled with the waters from the well which accompanied the Israelites on their journeys (compare Rashi). This might account for the mention of ואת והב בסופה ואת הנחלים ארנון, “and the gift of [the Sea of Reeds and the rivers of Arnon”] (verse 14). Personally, I believe the meaning of the verse is that what occurred there was also recorded in the Book of the wars G’d fought on behalf of the Israelites, and the word בספר in verse 14 does not mean “book” so much as “enumeration;” i.e. this “war” which the Israelites only learned about after they saw all the blood in the river Arnon was accounted another one of the wars recorded for posterity. G’d had destroyed a town known as והב by means of a tornado or something like it, סופה being a reference to a great storm. The tributaries of the river Arnon were also destroyed by that storm. A Midrashic approach based on Tanchuma Chukat 20: the words את והב בסופה mean “what He had given to them (the miracles G’d performed, i.e. the assistance He had given) at the Sea of Reeds.” The words ואת הנחלים ארנון mean “and the rivers and the miracles He performed for them at the river Arnon and its tributaries.” What precisely were the miracles performed at Arnon? Answer: אשד נחלים “so much blood was poured into these rivers that they looked red.” Onkelos uses the word שפך here for the spilling of the blood of the Emorites, a similar expression he used in Leviticus 4,12 on the words אל שפך הדשן, which he renders as מישד קיטמא, a place for shedding blood. The background to all this is the tradition that the Emorites were hiding in the clefts of these high rocks on either side of the river Arnon. The river was narrow but deep, its banks forming a deep canyon. The opposite sides of the rocks were so close together that people on one side could converse with those on the opposite side. However, the only way they could get across to one another was by first descending to the river and then climbing the cliffs on the opposite bank. The Emorites planned to exploit this phenomenon to ambush the Israelites when the latter would attempt to cross the river by bombarding them from above with a hail of all kinds of missives, rocks, burning torches, etc. G’d brought about a storm or earthquake which banged together the two opposing sides of these cliffs squashing he Emorites who had been hiding inside them. The blood of these people drenched the river so that the Israelites did not even become aware of their miraculous escape until hey saw that the river had become red with blood. This was the comparison with what happened at the Sea of Reeds that our verses alluded to in poetical form. The words אשר נטה, “when it veered,” in verse 15, describes the motion of the cliff in the opposite direction toward Moav during this happening. The cliff then stuck to its opposite number across the river. ומשם בארה, “and from there to the well;” from there (the river Arnon) the stream of blood flowed all the way to the well which was the source of drinking water for the Israelites. When the people realized their miraculous escape upon seeing this blood, they immediately composed the song of thanksgiving described in verses 17-20.
Kli Yakar
Then Israel sang this song. Since it does not say “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang,” and furthermore they did not sing this song at the beginning of the forty years in the wilderness, we can deduce that the children of Israel sang this song about Moses, because the well returned in his merit after it had ceased with Miriam’s death. For this reason, Miriam is not mentioned in this song, but Moses is mentioned, as it says, A well dug by princes, carved out by nobles of the people, with the lawgiver. And lawgiver refers only to Moses, as it says For there the portion of the lawgiver is hidden (Deuteronomy 33:21), and in Tractate Ta’anit (9a), it concludes that the well returned in Moses’ merit. Because initially, the manna came in Moses’ merit, as he received the Torah, for the Torah was given only to those who ate the manna (Tanchuma, Beshalach 20), as it says so that I may test them, whether they will follow My law [Torati] or not (Exodus 16:4). And the well, which supplied all their needs, was in Miriam’s merit, as she embodied the trait of loving-kindness, as it says and they kept the boys alive (Exodus 1:18), for they supplied them with food, etc. And the clouds of glory, in which the Shechina’s glory dwelled, were in Aaron’s merit, as he caused the Divine Presence to rest among the people through the sacrifices. And in the merit of the Torah, all three — the manna, the well, and the clouds — returned. That is why it says, A well dug by the nobles of the people, who embodied the trait of loving-kindness, and in their merit the well existed from the beginning. Now it returned with the lawgiver, in Moses’ merit and in the merit of the Torah, which is alluded to in the verses, and from the wilderness to Mattanah, and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, as our Sages explained (in Eruvin 54a). Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand why they chose to interpret these verses as referring to the Torah, and what connection the praise of the Torah has to the song of the well. Rather, it is because the well returned in the merit of the Torah that Moses received. And this is a correct and clear interpretation.
Daat Zkenim
אז ישיר ישראל, At that point Israel broke out in a song of thanksgiving; when the people took possession of this well their hearts were full of gratitude, as they had previously been afraid of if not dying from thirst themselves, their livestock dying due to a shortage of drinking water. According to Rashi, Moses did not join in that song, seeing that according to Onkelos as well as Targum Yonathan ben Uzziel, Moses and Aaron had dug that well. (Compare verse 20) עלי באר ענו לה, “arise O well sing unto it” The verb ענה, is used in a similar manner Deuteronomy 27,14: וענו הלויים, “the Levites responded at the top of their voices.”
The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the scepter, and with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah;
verse value 3413
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "well" (בְּאֵ֞ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·their·own·staffs" (בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "dug·it" (חֲפָר֣וּהָ), "dug·it" (כָּר֙וּהָ֙), "nobles·of" (נְדִיבֵ֣י). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·people" (root עם, 85x in Numbers); "and·from·Midbar" (root מדבר, 43x in Numbers). First appearance of the root שר ("chieftains") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·own·staffs', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּאֵ֞ר [well] (203) + חֲפָר֣וּהָ [dug·it] (299) + שָׂרִ֗ים [chieftains] (550) + כָּר֙וּהָ֙ [dug·it] (231) + נְדִיבֵ֣י [nobles·of] (76) + הָעָ֔ם [the·people] (115) + בִּמְחֹקֵ֖ק [with·the·scepter] (250) + בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם [with·their·own·staffs] (902) + וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖ר [and·from·Midbar] (292) + מַתָּנָֽה [to·Mattanah] (495) = 3413.
Onkelos
A well that the nobles dug, that the scribes of the people bored with their staffs; and from the wilderness it was given to them.
Rashi
באר חפרוה THE WELL, [PRINCES] DIGGED IT means: This is the well which the princes, Moses and Aaron, digged (cf. Targum Jonathan on). במשענתם means WITH THE STAFF. וממדבר מתנה AND FROM THE WILDERNESS was it given them [as a מתנה, a gift].
Ramban
UMIMIDBAR MATANAH.’ The meaning of this is as Onkelos rendered it [“and from the wilderness it was given to them”], this being an elliptical expression that is common in songs. Thus it is saying that “from the wilderness, which is a land of drought and thirst, was this gift [the well] given to us; and from this gift [of the well which descended] unto the brooks, and from these brooks [ascended] to the heights until Pisgah, which looks down upon the land which is a complete howling wilderness — there was no other brook, nor any other spring of water except for this one.” This was the Well of Miriam in the opinion of our Rabbis, or a well which came out by word of Moses at the command of the Almighty, which Israel had not asked for. For when G-d told Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water, streams overflowed from it [the well], and continued unto distant places.
Ibn Ezra
"The nobles of the people dug it" — this is a doubling [of the same idea], as is customary [in poetry]. — "With the lawgiver's staff" — by means of the lawgivers, as [in the verse] "my heart [goes out] to the lawgivers of Israel" (Judg. 5:9). This well was in a wilderness far from settled land. From this wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah, and from there to Nahaliel. Know that Ashhad ha-Nehalim [the outpouring of the streams], and the wilderness called Beer, and Mattanah and Nahaliel — all are place-names, and they share one collective name, which is Almon-Diblathaim, as is written in the passage of Eleh Mas'ei. Or these are names of places they passed through on a different journey. Now, the Abarim [Mountains] before Nebo — that is the Bamoth, and the valley that is in the field of Moab; and the proof is that Scripture says: from the valley they journeyed to the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho; and it is written that from the Abarim Mountains they journeyed to the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho. Furthermore: "we dwelled in the valley opposite Beth-Peor" when I pleaded [with Hashem]; and in another place: "Go up to the Abarim Mountains, Mount Nebo"; and also: "He buried him in the valley" — and there it is written: "Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo." Thus the valley is the summit of Pisgah, and there Moses died; there is no need to carry him elsewhere after his death.
Sforno
באר חפרוה שרים, this well was not full to its brim such as wells which are filled by waters emptying into it from above. וממדבר מתנה, this phenomenon demonstrated that its waters originated in the miraculous waters flowing from the rock at Massah and Merivah.
Chizkuni
חפרוה שרים, ”which the princes had dug;” the “princes” mentioned in this poetic song are Moses and Aaron, who had hit the rock. It was they that had been commanded to speak to the rock. (20,8) במחוקק במשענותם, “with the scepter and with their staffs.” By striking the rock they made a deep impression on it, and split it. The expression מחק occurs in this sense in Ezekiel 8,10: מחוקה על הקיר, “depicted (engraved) over the whole wall.” וממדבר מתנה, “and from the desert to Matanah.” This still refers to the previous phrase, i.e. ויחנו בעבר ארנון אשר במדבר, “they encamped in Ever, which is situated in the desert.”From this Ever in the desert which is identical with Almon Divlataymah, they came to Matanah, which is identical with place a called Mount Haavarim in the portion of Massey (Numbers 33,47). The reason why the place was called Matanah, was that it was from here on in that the Israelites began to receive the gift of the land of Israel. The reason that the expression which we have so become used to, i.e. ויסעו ויחחנו, “they journeyed, they encamped,” is not used here, is that the people were still standing in Ever of Arnon in the desert as reported in the Book of Deuteronomy 2,26: ואשלח מלאכים ממדבר קדמות אל סיחון (Moses speaking) “I sent out messengers to Sichon from the desert k’deymot. i.e. from the desert to the east of his land, as opposed to: “from the desert to the south of his land.” In that chapter reference is made to the conquest of the lands of Sichon and Og.
Rabbeinu Bahya
באר חפרוה שרים, “a well dug by princes.” A reference to Moses and Aaron. The reason the Torah calls them by the title שרים and נדיבי העם, is because they used their staffs to dig the well. Seeing that the Torah (or the authors of the words of the song) equated Moses and Aaron by referring to them by the same titles, the Torah had to add the word במחקק, “through a lawgiver” (sing.) to teach us that after the death of Miriam the well became reactivated only through the merit of the lawgiver, i.e. Moses. וממדבר מתנה, “and from a desert, an inhospitable place to a great gift.” The gift of the well was considered an historic gift. From there the people proceeded to the rivers and tributaries of Arnon where the great miracle we just described took place. All the words of the song relate in one form or another to acts of kindness G’d performed for His people. From the rivers of Arnon the people traveled to Bamot, the land of the mighty Kings Sichon and Og who qualified for such a title. From the Bamot Hagay as far as the field of Moav there was no other river that could have provided water for them except the well of Miriam/Moses. A Midrashic approach: The introductory words אז ישיר ישראל את השירה הזאת, “then Israel sang this song,” appear deficient. Surely we would have expected the additional words: “to the Lord” as we have in Exodus 15,1 where Moses composed the song. The appropriate wording would have mentioned first the name of G’d and afterwards the name of Moses or it should have described Moses as the composer of this song also. The reason this was not done was that this very well was the cause of Moses having to abort his mission of leading the people to the Holy Land, the reason he had to die and be buried on foreign soil. It would therefore not have been fitting to mention his name in a song of thanksgiving for that well. Since Moses is not mentioned, G-d's name is omitted as well in deference to Moses. We can understand this by means of a parable: A king was invited to a festive meal somewhere. He responded to the invitation by saying that he would only attend if a certain friend of his would be there also.
Rashbam
שרים, a reference to Moses and Aaron. וממדבר מתנה, according to the plain meaning of the text, these are all names of places the Israelites encountered in the course of their journeys and their encampments.
Daat Zkenim
באר חפרהו שרים, “a well dug by princes.” This well was not like other wells in the Bible which had been dug by servants of slaves, as we know from Genesis 26,25, but it was especially honoured through having been dug by Moses, Aaron, as well as the elders of Israel. במחוקק במשענותם, “with their scepters and their staffs.” In other words, this well was not dug with ordinary tools like ordinary wells, but by employing a rod given Moses by G–d, something that had served as an instrument of producing miracles repeatedly in the past. This serves as proof, that G–d had never objected to Moses hitting the rock in chapter 20 at the waters of strife. Had He objected to that how could the people have rejoiced jubilantly over something that G–d had shown them that He objected to? According to some commentators the “lawgiver,” referred to here is not Hashem but Moses just as it is in Deuteronomy 33,21. Compare the Targum there. וממדבר מתנה, and from a place called Midbar to Matanah. This is a hint that the well just discussed was so powerful that it turned the surrounding desert area into “a gift.”
and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
verse value 1293
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "to·Bamoth" (בָּמֽוֹת, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·from·Nahaliel" (וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·from·Mattanah" (וּמִמַּתָּנָ֖ה), "to·Nahaliel" (נַחֲלִיאֵ֑ל), "and·from·Nahaliel" (וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵ֖ל). The root נחליאל appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Bamoth" (root מות, 87x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Nahaliel', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּמִמַּתָּנָ֖ה [and·from·Mattanah] (541) + נַחֲלִיאֵ֑ל [to·Nahaliel] (129) + וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵ֖ל [and·from·Nahaliel] (175) + בָּמֽוֹת [to·Bamoth] (448) = 1293.
Onkelos
And from when it was given to them, it descended with them to the wadis, and from the wadis it ascended with them to the heights.
Rashi
וממתנה נחליאל — Understand this as the Targum does: And after it had been given them, it descended into the valley.
Sforno
וממתנה נחליאל, in spite of this the waters neither increased nor decreased as a result of their behaving so erratically and having to traverse both depressions in the earth and hilly country.
Chizkuni
וממתנה, “and from Matanah;’” they came to Nachaliel, the word being a combination of river and valley. In Numbers 33,48, the Torah refers to this as the Israelites journeying from the chain of mountains known as Harey Haavarim.” From that point onwards, the Israelites made camp in the wilderness also known as שדה מואב, “the field or fields” of Moav. This was the last place where they made camp before crossing the Jordan river into the Holy Land. ומנחליאל, “and from Nachaliel;” they spread out from there to Bamot, called בית הישימות in Numbers 33,49. The Emorites would refer to places where they worshipped their idols: Bamot, “elevated places,” whereas the Israelites called the same sites Beyt Hayeshimites, “houses of desolation.” Our sages in the Talmud tractate Avodah Zarah, folio 46, go into more detail about all this.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וממתנה נחליאל, ומנחליאל במות, “from Matanah to Nachaliel, and from Nachaliel to Bamot.” Rabbi Yehudah (Midrash Tehillim 5) said that the Jewish people merited receiving the Torah as a result of their being in the desert (last word in verse 18). Unfortunately, at Matanah [the very site where they received this gift. Ed.] they acquired idolatry by saying: “these are your gods O Israel, etc.” (Exodus 32,4). The word מתנה referred to Moses giving the Torah to Israel (Exodus 31,18). The same Rabbi Yehudah reads the word במות not as “heights,” but as ב-מות, death; i.e. after having received the Torah (נחליאל a heritage from G’d) they became subject to death for violating this gift, this heritage, i.e. the Torah. He quotes Numbers 14,35: “in this desert they shall perish, they will die.” The words ובמות הגיא he understands as a reference to Moses having to die in the valley (compare Deut. 34,6: “He buried him there in the valley”). A different Midrashic approach to the allusions contained in this song of the Israelites involving their well: The words וממדבר מתנה imply that when a person abandons himself totally to the toil of studying Torah, i.e. he is as devoid of other claims upon him as is a desert, then the Torah (insights) will be granted to him as a gift, מתנה. Seeing that Torah was given to such a Jew as a gift, נחל אל,”a G’d given inheritance,” as we know from the word נחליאל, he will ascend to spiritual greatness במות, heights. Should he allow this to fill him with pride, arrogance, G’d will bring him down from such eminence, i.e. ומבמות הגיא, “and from lofty heights down to the valley.” If he will learn the lesson to become humble, G’d will elevate him once again, i.e. כל גיא ינשא, “every valley (humble person) will become elevated.” A kabbalistic approach to this paragraph (song). The song just as the prayer draws celestial lofty thoughts and preoccupation earthward into our domain. Seeing that this is so both the individual as well as the community who recite such songs in praise of the Lord will draw G’d’s blessings down to earth. Remember that the numerical value of the word שירה is the same as that of תפלה, i.e. 515. Both words appear in the same verse and are compared to one another, to wit: יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירה, עמי תפלה לאל חי, ”By day may the Lord vouchsafe His fanciful care, so that at night a song to Him may be with me, a prayer to G’d my life” (Psalms 42,9). In this verse the psalmist speaks of שירה, (noun) when in fact he should have spoken of שירו, an imperative of the verb “to sing.” When the Torah writes in our paragraph that the Israelites sang את השירה הזאת, you are already aware of the meaning of the word זאת, that in kabbalistic terms it is a reference to the emanation מלכות, the link between the עולם העשיה, our terrestrial world and the next higher kind of “world” the emanation יסוד, lowest level of the עולם היצירה. The terrestrial world we live in is directly “inspired,” נאצלת, from this emanation known as מלכות or זאת. The mystical dimension of Lamentations 2,19: קומי רני בלילה לראש אשמורות שפכי כמים לבך, is that the prophet does not speak of בראש אשמורות, which would mean that the supplication discussed in that verse takes place during the early part of morning, but he said לראש אשמורות, “to the head of these watches of the night”. The speaker addresses celestial forces of the emanations. He appeals to the ראש, the head, i.e. the highest of these forces, the tenth emanation, to Hashem Himself. In the song offered by the people of Israel here, the words עלי באר ענו לה are also an appeal in the first instance to the באר, the well, the lowest of the emanations. By saying עלי באר, they encourage that force to rise up to the highest emanation, the source of all blessing whence their prayers will be answered, i.e. ענו לה. The reason they called the emanation זאת or מלכות by the name באר, well, is that a well collects water, the essence of all blessings on earth. This lowest emanation is the receptacle of G’d’s outpourings of blessing. The simile of באר as a vessel collecting G’d’s bounty recurs again and again in the Sefer Habahir of Rabbi Nechunyah ben Hakanah. In his book the terms באר and כסא represent the lowest and the highest (כתר) emanations respectively. [The author proceeds to trace the journey of such prayers (songs) through the various emanations until they reach the highest emanation as represented by similes in our text. I have contented myself with providing you, the reader, with an outline of his approach. Ed.]
Daat Zkenim
וממתנה נחליאל, and from Matanah to Nachliel. This well was not like the other wells which supplied a steady amount of water, but it increased as time went on so that it was easily accessible even when the Israelites crossed elevations in the ground on their way.
and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which looks down upon the desert.
verse value 3224
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Verse gematria: 3224 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·Bamoth" (וּמִבָּמ֗וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, peak·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·from·Bamoth" (וּמִבָּמ֗וֹת), "the·valley" (הַגַּיְא֙), "overlooking" (וְנִשְׁקָ֖פָה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "upon·face" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers); "peak·of" (root ראש, 41x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Pisgah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּמִבָּמ֗וֹת [and·from·Bamoth] (494) + הַגַּיְא֙ [the·valley] (19) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה [in·country·of] (311) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + רֹ֖אשׁ [peak·of] (501) + הַפִּסְגָּ֑ה [Pisgah] (153) + וְנִשְׁקָ֖פָה [overlooking] (541) + עַל־פְּנֵ֥י [upon·face] (240) + הַיְשִׁימֹֽן [the·wasteland] (415) = 3224.
Onkelos
And from the heights to the strongholds that are in the fields of Moab, the summit of the heights, overlooking the face of Beth-jeshimoth.
Rashi
ומבמות הגיא אשר בשדי מואב AND FROM THE HEIGHTS (it descended finally) INTO THE VALLEY THAT IS IN THE FIELD OF MOAB, for there Moses died, and there the well finally ceased to flow. Another explanation is: כרוה נדיבי עם THE NOBLES OF THE PEOPLE HOLLOWED IT — each prince of the tribes when they encamped took his staff and drew a line on the ground from the well to his banner and encampment, and the waters of the well ran by way of that mark and came before the camping place of each tribe (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 21). במחקק THROUGH THE LAWGIVER — by command of Moses who is called the מחוקק, the Lawgiver, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 33:21) “for there is the portion of the lawgiver (Moses’ grave) concealed”. But why is Moses not expressly mentioned by name in this song? Because he was punished through the well! And since Moses’ name is not mentioned, the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is also not mentioned. A parable! It may be compared to the case of a king whom his subjects invited to a feast. He said: If my friend will be there, I, too, will be there, but if not, I will not go (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 21). ראש הפסגה — Understand this as the Targum has it: to the top of the height. פסגה denotes “high”, just as (Psalms 48:14) פסגו ארמנותיה, which means “make high its palaces”. ונשקפה AND IT LOOKS — this height looks towards the place whose name is ישימון, which word describes the wilderness because that is waste (שמם with which the word ישימון may be linguistically associated). Another explanation is: ונשקפה AND IT LOOKS — the well looks על פני ישימון towards the front of ישימון, the wilderness, for it was hid (emptied) itself in the sea of Tiberias, and anyone who stood by the wilderness may look and see a kind of sieve in the sea, and that was the well!. Thus did R. Tanchuma (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 21) expound this passage.
Ibn Ezra
"And it overlooks" — a feminine form, referring to the valley. — "The Jeshimon" — a desolate place; and the proof is: "in a howling wilderness of Jeshimon" (Deut. 32:10), and similarly: "they wandered in the wilderness, in the Jeshimon way" (Ps. 107:4).
Chizkuni
ומבמות, and from “Bamot” the Israelites spread out into the valley referred to in Numbers 33,39, as “Avel Hashittim.” The word; avel means: valley, steppe. אשר בשדה מואב ראש הפסגה, “that is in the field of Moav, by the top of the Pissgah; the word ומבמות which introduced this phrase means combined: “the elevation in the field of Moav which is beside the top of summit, which in turn looks down on pney hayeshimon, is the great desert.” Seeing that at one time this tract of land had belonged to Moav, it was still described by the Torah as such, as it had been known as such by the Israelites who were familiar with the region. This is also why the Torah still speaks about ערבות מואב, “the region formerly belonging to Moav, and still referred to by many as such.”A different approach to these verses commencing with וממדבר מתנה. The well of which the Israelites spoke in their song had great significance seeing that in a desert, a place completely devoid of water, they had been provided with ample water completely free of charge, i.e. as a gift, .מתנה וממתנה נחליאל, “and from the place called Matanah as far as Nachaliel” there could not be found any other wells capable of supplying the water needed for the Israelite nation. Once they had received this gift of water from G-d, the river Arnon swelled way beyond its normal flow. (B’chor shor) The letter י in the word נחליאל, is superfluous, just as it is superfluous in Psalms 123,1 היושבי בשמים, and in Psalms113,5, 113,6. The ending אל in the word expresses strength, as it does in Ezekiel 17,13: ואת אילי הארץ לקח, “and the mighty of the land he took away.”We also find this spelled out in Numbers 20,11 where the Torah stressed that a large amount of water came forth, i.e. far more than was needed. [there was no other reason to emphasize this just as it was not emphasized in Exodus 17, 6, where Moses had struck a rock for that purpose a first time. Ed.]
Daat Zkenim
ומבמות הגיא, “and from the elevated ground back to the valley.” It continued to flow until it came to the summit which looked down on a district known as the face of the wasteland. Compare chapter 32,10. This was a source of great joy as they could see that even in the distance and in that wasteland there was plenty of water to provide water for their herds and flocks. In the Talmud, tractate Eyruvin, folio 54 the Talmud concluded that the words וממדבר מתנה, the point that the Torah was making is a figure of speech, i.e. that if one allows oneself to be trampled on by others as they trample the ground in the desert, one will be rewarded with acquiring a great deal of Torah knowledge as if it had been given to one as a gift. Seeing that it had been come by as a gift, it will become almost a hereditary gift, and being so that person will eventually attain considerable stature among his peers, i.e. ומנחליאל במות, “and due to gifts from the Lord he hill rise to lofty heights.” On the other hand, if he starts out in life with a haughty attitude, he will ultimately wind up very low, like the גיא, valley, at the bottom of the lofty hills, במות. If he will then change his attitude, the Lord will raise him up again, i.e. כל גיא ינשא, “every valley will be uplifted,” (Isaiah 40,4) [The passage is understood as a synopsis of Jewish history. Ed.]
And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying:
verse value 1812
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "saying" (לֵאמֹֽר, 4 letters) and the longest is "king·of·the·Amorites" (מֶֽלֶךְ־הָאֱמֹרִ֖י, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·Sihon" (אֶל־סִיחֹ֥ן), "king·of·the·Amorites" (מֶֽלֶךְ־הָאֱמֹרִ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 29x in Numbers). First appearance of the root סיחון ("to·Sihon") in Numbers. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח [and·he·sent] (354) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [Israel] (541) + מַלְאָכִ֔ים [messengers] (141) + אֶל־סִיחֹ֥ן [to·Sihon] (159) + מֶֽלֶךְ־הָאֱמֹרִ֖י [king·of·the·Amorites] (346) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1812.
Onkelos
Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying:
Rashi
וישלח ישראל מלאכים AND ISRAEL SENT MESSENGERS — But in another passage it attributes this embassy to Moses, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 2:26), “And ‘I’ sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth [to Sihon king of Heshbon]”! And so, too, it states, (Numbers 20:14), “And Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom”; whilst in the story of Jephtha, it says, (Judges 11:17) “And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, etc.”. Each of these pairs of verses is necessary one to the other (i.e., they supplement each other): one keeps back information and the other discloses it, (more lit., one locks up and the other opens) — you may gather from them that Moses is Israel and Israel is Moses, thus telling you that the prince of any generation is the equal of the whole generation, for the prince is the whole (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 23).
Ramban
AND ISRAEL SENT MESSENGERS UNTO SIHON, KING OF THE AMORITES, SAYING: 22. ‘LET ME PASS THROUGH THY LAND.’ “Although they had not been commanded to send them [a message of] peace, they nonetheless took the initiative in [offering them] peace.” This is Rashi’s language. I will yet explain, with the help of G-d, in its [proper] place, that [unlike Rashi’s explanation] they were commanded to offer peace [terms before beginning to fight] all the nations, except for Ammon and Moab. But in truth [we must say] that when Moses said to Sihon, Let me pass through your land, he did this of his own accord by way of conciliation, for the land of Sihon and Og was [part of the] inheritance of Israel, since it had originally belonged to the Amorite, [and was included in the territory promised to Israel]. Thus had Sihon and Og responded peaceably, and opened [their cities] to them, they would have been entitled [to take] all the people that are found therein tributary unto them, and they would serve them. But Moses [who only requested of Sihon, Let me pass through your land, and thus leave him untouched altogether] knew that Israel would not conquer now all ten nations, and he wanted all their conquests to be on the other side of the Jordan, and forward [i.e., in Canaan proper, on the western side of the Jordan] so that they should all dwell [concentrated] together, and [also because] it was the good Land which is flowing with milk and honey. Thus you see, had not the children of Gad and the children of Reuben requested it [the land captured east of the Jordan] from him [Moses] he would not have left anyone [to live] there, but [would have allowed it] to be a wasteland! And similarly the Rabbis have taught in the Sifre: “To give thee [their land] — this excludes [the land] beyond the Jordan [eastward], which you took for yourself.” Our Rabbis have furthermore said in connection with the ten [degrees of] holiness, that the [land on the east] side of the Jordan is not suitable for [building therein] the Sanctuary and for the dwelling therein of the Divine Glory. And so it seems [also] from Scripture, for it says, If, however, the land of your possession [on the eastern side of the Jordan] be unclean etc. Now they did not send to Og a message [offering] peace, because when he saw that the Israelites had defeated Sihon, he [immediately] went forth into battle against them [the Israelites].
Chizkuni
וישלח ישראל מלאכים, “Israel sent messengers;” in a different report in Deuteronomy 2,26 we are told that Moses sent messengers. Our sages conclude from this that two letters were sent to Sichon, one by Moses asserting Israel’s peaceful intentions when traversing his territory, the other by Israel, threatening war. (no source quoted). The second certainly sounds very peaceful. Ed.]
"Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells; we will go by the king's highway, until we have passed your border."
verse value 3677
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "we·cross" (אֲשֶֽׁר־נַעֲבֹ֖ר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. The root עבר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers); "through·your·country" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "we·will·go" (root הלך, 45x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'well', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Onkelos
Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard, nor will we drink water from a well; by the king's road we will go until we have passed through your border.
Rashi
אעברה בארצך LET ME PASS THROUGH THY LAND — Although they had not been bidden to open the negotiations with them by an offer of peace yet they first sought peace of them (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 22).
Daat Zkenim
עד אשר נעבור גבולך, “until we cross your borders. (on the walk past it).” They had not even asked to traverse Sichon’s territory. They were going to walk around close to the borders. The same was the case with walking around the territory of the land of Edom. This is why they could refer to having had no objections from the Edomites, or for that matter from the Moabites (Compare Deuteronomy 2,29)
And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel.
verse value 5175
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "to·pass" (עֲבֹ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 128: Sihon, Sihon. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "but·would·not·let" (וְלֹא־נָתַ֨ן), "all·his·troops" (אֶת־כׇּל־עַמּ֗וֹ), "to·Jahaz" (יָ֑הְצָה). The root ישראל appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "but·would·not·let" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers); "and·came" (root בוא, 89x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Jahaz', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Onkelos
Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border; Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and made war against Israel.
Rashi
לא נתן סיחון וגו׳ AND SIHON WOULD NOT SUFFER [ISRAEL TO PASS THROUGH HIS BOUNDARY] — For all the Canaanite kings paid him tribute, because he protected them that no hostile forces should pass through his land against them. As soon as Israel said to him, “Let me pass through they land”, he answered them: “The whole purpose of my dwelling here is to protect them against you, and yet you speak thus!” (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 23). ויצא לקראת ישראל AND HE WENT OUT AGAINST ISRAEL — Even if Heshbon had been full of people as puny as gnats, no human being could have captured it, and if Sihon had been (resided) in a weak village no human being could have overcome him. How much the more was he invincible whilst he dwelt in Heshbon. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Why should I trouble My children to all this extent, to besiege each city? He therefore put it into the hearts of all the men of war to go forth from the cities, and they assembled all of them in one spot, and there they fell in battle; from there Israel proceeded to the cities and there were none to resist them, for there were only women and children there (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 23).
Ibn Ezra
"Yahtzah" — [means] to Yahatz [this is the locative form of the place-name].
Chizkuni
לקראת ישראל המדברה “in the direction of the Israelites, toward the desert.” We had been told that they had encamped in the desert at that time in verse 13 of our chapter.
And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
verse value 3347
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "by·the·sword" (לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 166: Ammon, Ammon. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·struck·him" (וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ), "by·the·sword" (לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב), "and·took·possession·of" (וַיִּירַ֨שׁ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·far·as·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "his·land" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·the·sword', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 11 words. Full calculation: וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ [and·struck·him] (47) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב [by·the·sword] (330) + וַיִּירַ֨שׁ [and·took·possession·of] (526) + אֶת־אַרְצ֜וֹ [his·land] (698) + מֵֽאַרְנֹ֗ן [from·the·Arnon] (341) + עַד־יַבֹּק֙ [to·the·Jabbok] (186) + עַד־בְּנֵ֣י [as·far·as·sons·of] (136) + עַמּ֔וֹן [Ammon] (166) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + עַ֔ז [strong] (77) + גְּב֖וּל [boundary·of] (41) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + עַמּֽוֹן [Ammon] (166) = 3347.
Onkelos
Israel struck him down by the decree of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, up to the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
Rashi
כי עז FOR [THE BOUNDARY OF THE CHILDREN OF AMMON] WAS STRONG — And what constituted its strength? The warning of the Holy One, blessed be He, who had said to them (the Israelites), (Deuteronomy 2:19), Harass them not, etc.”.
Ibn Ezra
"From the Arnon" — what he took from Moab. — "To the children of Ammon" — for it is written that half the land of the children of Ammon came to Israel, because they had taken it from the Amorites who had first taken it from the children of Ammon. And Scripture said regarding Moab and Ammon that Hashem would not give any of their land to Israel [so much as] a footstep's tread — meaning: the land that was in their possession at that time. Therefore Scripture needed to state the words of the rulers [i.e., the taunt-song], on account of Heshbon, where Israel dwelled, as it is written: "Israel dwelled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon."
Chizkuni
מארנון עד יבוק, “from Arnon to the river Yabok.” Both the land of Moav and the land of the Bney Ammon are situated east of the land of Canaan (the west bank of the Jordan). The lands of Sichon were in between the land of Moav and Bney Ammon. Just as Sichon had taken land from Moav from the southern region along the river Jordan as far north as the river Arnon, so he had taken land from the Bney Ammon from the north as far as the river Yabok. As a result of this it had become permitted to the Israelites to take away these lands from Sichon, as they no longer were considered as either belonging to Moav or the Bney Ammon. In the words of our sages in the Talmud tractate Chulin folio 60, “Ammon and Moav had been cleansed by Sichon.” כי עז גבול בני עמון, “for the border between the Bney Ammon was strong; but south of the river Yabok Sichon had not been able to conquer, as that region was easier to defend, the river acting as a formidable obstacle.
Rabbeinu Bahya
כי עז גבול בני עמון, ”for the border (territory) of the Children of Bney Ammon was powerful.” The verse is a simile. It is a reference to G’d’s instructions to the Israelites not to harass either the Bney Ammon or the Moabites (Deut. 2,19). This instruction made the territory of the Bney Ammon inviolate against any assault by the army of the Israelites. When the Torah mentions in verse 26 that Cheshbon was the capital of Sichon who had conquered it from the first king of Moav, this indicates that the reason Israel was allowed to conquer the lands of Sichon was that it was not included in the part of the territory concerning which G’d had warned the Israelites. This is also the meaning of the somewhat enigmatic statement in Chulin 60 עמון ומואב טהרו בסיחון, that “Ammon and Moav were purified through Sichon.” The conquest by Sichon of some of their territories invalidated the injunction to the Jewish people not to harass them. If the Torah saw fit to mention poetry by the local Emorites (verse 28) in which the victory over Moav is celebrated, our sages have reported to us details of the bravery and mighty deeds of Sichon and the power of the city Cheshbon by saying that even if Chesbon had been filled with only flies no ordinary army could have conquered it. They added that even if Sichon had been in the valley (without the added advantage of being on a mountain) no one could have overcome him (Tanchuma Chukat 23). They claim that even his name Sichon meant that his personal strength was tabletalk all over the country (the word סיחון sounding like שיחה). They deduce from the fact that the Torah makes special mention of the Israelites also killing Sichon’s son, [something which is included in the statement that no one escaped. Ed.] that this son was a mighty warrior in his own right already at that time. Possibly this is deduced from the fact that in Deut. 2,32 the Torah writes בנו instead of בניו as here when describing the fate of Sichon’s sons (son). According to Bamidbar Rabbah 19,29 although both Og and Sichon were Emorites they were so sure of themselves that they did not come to each other’s assistance in their fight against Israel. According to Tanchuma end of Chukat, Sichon’s son was even tougher than his father.
Daat Zkenim
עד יבוק עד בני עמון, as far as Yabok (a river) as we know from Genesis 32,23) Sichon had conquered these parts of what was formerly a much larger land of Moav. The river had acted as a boundary.
And Israel took all these cities; and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its towns.
verse value 3822
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 3822 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·he·took" (וַיִּקַּח֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·the·towns" (אֵ֥ת כׇּל־הֶעָרִ֖ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "all·the·towns" (אֵ֥ת כׇּל־הֶעָרִ֖ים), "in·all·towns·of" (בְּכׇל־עָרֵ֣י), "and·in·all·its·dependencies" (וּבְכׇל־בְּנֹתֶֽיהָ). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·in·all·its·dependencies" (root כל, 98x in Numbers); "these" (root אלה, 76x in Numbers). First appearance of the root חשבון ("in·Heshbon") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּח֙ [and·he·took] (124) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + אֵ֥ת כׇּל־הֶעָרִ֖ים [all·the·towns] (776) + הָאֵ֑לֶּה [these] (41) + וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב [and·he·settled] (318) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [Israel] (541) + בְּכׇל־עָרֵ֣י [in·all·towns·of] (332) + הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י [the·Amorites] (256) + בְּחֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן [in·Heshbon] (368) + וּבְכׇל־בְּנֹתֶֽיהָ [and·in·all·its·dependencies] (525) = 3822.
Onkelos
Israel captured all these cities, and Israel dwelled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages.
Rashi
בנתיה (lit., its daughters) — the villages adjacent to it.
Ibn Ezra
"And in all her daughter-towns" — Heshbon is like a mother, and the [surrounding] villages are like daughters.
Sforno
בכל ערי האמורי בחשבון ובכל בנותיה, for all the cities which Sichon had captured previously had become satellite tows of Cheshbon his capital. We encounter the expression בנות in this sense in Ezekiel 16,61. ונתתי אותם לך לבנות, where the word בנות means “suburbs” according to Rashi.
For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even to the Arnon.
verse value 3318 — וְה֣וּא = 18 (chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֣וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·his·land" (אֶת־כׇּל־אַרְצ֛וֹ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 128: Sihon, he·fought. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "he·fought" (נִלְחַ֗ם), "against·king" (בְּמֶ֤לֶךְ), "all·his·land" (אֶת־כׇּל־אַרְצ֛וֹ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·his·land" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "for" (root כי, 79x in Numbers); "and·he·took" (root לקח, 72x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Onkelos
For Heshbon is the city of Sihon king of the Amorites; he had made war against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land from his hand up to the Arnon.
Rashi
והוא נלחם AND HE (SIHON) HAD FOUGHT [AGAINST THE FORMER KING OF MOAB] — Why is it necessary that this should be written? Because it is said (Deuteronomy 2:9), “Harass not Moab”, and Heshbon belonged to Moab (and therefore should not have been attacked), it (Scripture) tells us that Sihon had taken it from them, and through him it (Heshbon) became permissible to Israel as an object of attack (Chullin 60b; Gittin 38a). מידו means FROM HIS POSSESSION (Bava Metzia 56b).
Ramban
FOR HESHBON WAS THE CITY OF SIHON THE KING OF THE AMORITES. That is to say, now when Israel waged battle against it, it was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, meaning to say the city of the royal residence, for he had fought against ‘melech harishon’ (the first king) of Moab, [meaning the one] who had ruled over them before any king reigned, or harishon [may mean] “the one before Balak,” who was the king of Moab at that time, and Sihon had taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon. Now Heshbon marked the border at which this conquest [of Sihon] began; therefore it was considered the Amorites’, and Israel was only prohibited [from capturing] that land of Moab and Ammon which was land that was in their possession at the time of the Divine command [not to capture any of the lands of Moab and Ammon]. And Scripture brings a proof that Heshbon was the city of Sihon, for those that speak in parables [as explained above in Verse 13] say, come ye to Heshbon etc., for when Sihon fought against the king of Moab, he captured at first the city of Heshbon, and the city was destroyed, and afterwards he rebuilt it as his royal abode. This is the meaning of [the phrase], who dwelleth in Heshbon. And similarly it is said in the Book of Joshua, Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Thus those who spoke in parables would say to the Amorites: “Come to Heshbon, and settle therein; let the city of Sihon, over which he has become king, be built and established after its destruction.” And after Sihon had established himself in Heshbon, he assembled his army therein and captured from the border of Moab until Arnon, including Arnon itself. Therefore they that speak in parables said, that a fire is gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon wherein he dwells; and it has devoured Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places which belong to Arnon. For Sihon has captured from Moab unto Arnon, and all the high places of the land and the lords of the high places, this being similar [in meaning to]: even the ancient high places are ours in possession. He [Sihon] also took from the children of Ammon [the territory] from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as it is said in [the Book of] Joshua, And Moses gave unto the tribe of Gad etc. Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon unto Aroer, this being the land which the king of Ammon claimed from Jephthah, as he said, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan.
Ibn Ezra
"For Heshbon was the city of Sihon" — he resided in it, for he had fought against the former king of Moab, and this is a well-known matter.
Sforno
כי חשבון עיר סיחון מלך האמורי היא, the reason why we described all the towns of the Emorite as suburbs of Cheshbon is because Cheshbon had been the capital city of Sichon the King of the Emorite already before he had conquered any of the cities of Moav.
Daat Zkenim
כי חשבון עיר סיחון, “for Cheshbon had been Sichon’s city originally, prior to his having conquered large sections of the lands of Moav and the Bney Ammon. His reputation as a mighty warrior was based on those campaigns. When the Israelites are described in verse 31 as settling in the land of the Emorite, this is only to inform us that this is where Sichon had originated as a king. This was long before Balak became king of what remained of the kingdom of Moav.
Therefore they that speak in parables say: Come, you, to Heshbon! Let the city of Sihon be built and established!
verse value 2630
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "come!" (בֹּ֣אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·bards" (הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "they·would·recite" (יֹאמְר֥וּ), "the·bards" (הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים), "let·it·be·built" (תִּבָּנֶ֥ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·would·recite" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "come!" (root בוא, 89x in Numbers); "city·of" (root עיר, 46x in Numbers). First appearance of the root משל ("the·bards") in Numbers. First appearance of the root כון ("and·be·established") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Heshbon', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֛ן [upon·thus] (170) + יֹאמְר֥וּ [they·would·recite] (257) + הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים [the·bards] (425) + בֹּ֣אוּ [come!] (9) + חֶשְׁבּ֑וֹן [Heshbon] (366) + תִּבָּנֶ֥ה [let·it·be·built] (457) + וְתִכּוֹנֵ֖ן [and·be·established] (532) + עִ֥יר [city·of] (280) + סִיחֽוֹן [Sihon] (134) = 2630.
Onkelos
Therefore those who compose parables say: Come to Heshbon; let the city of Sihon be built and established.
Rashi
על כן (more lit., about this) — about this war which Sihon waged against Moab, יאמרו המשלים THEY THAT SPEAK IN PARABLES SAY — One of these was Balaam of whom it is said, (Numbers 23:7), "And he took up his parable”. המשלים THEY THAT SPEAK IN PARABLES — The plural המשלים refers to Balaam and his father Beor (see Rashi on Numbers 24:3). They said — באו חשבון “COME TO HESHBON”, — For Sihon had been unable to capture it, and he went and hired Balaam to curse it, and this is the meaning of what Balak said, (Numbers 22:6) “For I know (by what has already happened) that whomsoever thou blessest is blessed, [and whomsoever thou cursest is cursed]” (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 24). תבנה ותכונן IT WILL BE BUILT UP AND ESTABLISHED, [SIHON’S CITY] — Heshbon will be rebuilt under Sihon’s name to be his city.
Ibn Ezra
"The rulers" — those who compose parables [moshilim] out of their own [imagination]. — The meaning of "Come to Heshbon" — it is addressed to the Amorites, as if to say: — "Let it be rebuilt" — even more than it [already] was. — "And established" — to become the city of Sihon.
Sforno
על כן יאמרו המושלים, the people who reveal the visions they have seen in their dreams and their interpretations of these visions, as did Bileam when his interpretation is introduced with the words וישא משלו (Numbers 23,7). בואו חשבון, “you the inhabitants of Moav come to Cheshbon and subject yourselves to the rule of Sichon for he will defeat you and rule over you.”
Chizkuni
על כן יאמרו המושלים, “this is why the people speaking in parables (Bileam and B’or according to Rashi)) would say, etc.” B’or was the father of Bileam whom Sichon had hired to curse Moav. (Tanchuma, Chukat, section 24) באו חשבון, “come to Cheshbon to dwell there!” It will be built up now that it has come under the rule of Sichon. As long as it had been under the rule of Moav, people were afraid to settle there as the King of Moav did not offer much in the way of protection to his subjects. תבנה ותכונן, “let it be rebuilt and firmly established!” More so than previously. עיר סיחון, “Sichon’s capital!”
Rabbeinu Bahya
על כן אמרו המושלים, “this is what prompted the poets to say, etc.” According Ibn Ezra this is a reference to Bileam and Be-or his father, seeing both of them made pronouncements regarding future events in poetic language. According to Tanchuma Chukat 24, when Sichon at the time had been unable to conquer Cheshbon he had called on the services of Bileam to curse the inhabitants. This is why Balak had said to him (via his messengers): ”for I know if you curse someone he will be cursed” (Numbers 22,6). תבנה ותכונן, “let it be built and firmly established.” They meant that it would serve Sichon as his capital. Our sages in Baba Batra 78 see in the word מושלים a reference to people who have control of their evil urges, people who weigh the loss they would sustain by failing to carry out certain commandments in order to garner profit in this terrestrial world. They interpret the words תבנה ותכונן to mean that such people will be built up in this world and will acquire a firm footing in the hereafter as the result of their way of life. In the words עיר סיחון they see an allusion to the עיר - a donkey, and explain that if a person fashions himself like this young donkey (עיר) that follows after pleasant talk (סיחה), i.e., if one is easily tempted to listen to his inclination, then תצא אש מחשבון a fire will go out from those who calculate the effect of their deeds in the world, and will consume those who do not calculate and examine their ways but instead do as they please. The word להבה, “flame,” is a continuation of the previous thought, i.e. from the city of Sichon, a city symbolizing the righteous, flames will come forth devouring Moav, i.e. people who exercise no restraint over their biological urges. The words בעלי במות ארנון are understood by the Talmud there to mean “the arrogant ones.” The word ונירם (beginning of verse 30) is understood as paraphrasing the wicked who deny the existence of an all-seeing power in heaven, i.e. אין רם. Such people claim אבד חשבון, “there is no accounting to be rendered for the way we behave while alive on earth.” The words עד מידבא, describe the response by G’d to people who question the success of the wicked in this terrestrial world. The answer is that G’d has to reward them for the good they did before He can destroy their souls and deny them the hereafter [literally until they will be lost forever. Ed.].
Rashbam
על כן יאמרו המושלים, on account of the war against Sichon and Og they had prophesied in advance, מושלים, Bileam and his colleagues in their predictions. (compare our author’s comment in Baba Batra 78,2 commencing with the words מאי דכתיב where he states that the plain meaning of the words refers to the previous wars conducted by Sichon when he had been successful and conquered large parts of the land of Moav. These conquests had been prophesied by Bileam, etc.)
Daat Zkenim
'על כן יאמרו המושלים וגו, “this is why those who speak in parables used to say: “let the city of Sichon be firmly established.“ Many such people had taken up residence in Cheshbon, where they flattered its King.
For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon; It has devoured Ar of Moab, The lords of the high places of Arnon.
verse value 2999
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "Ar" (עָ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·Heshbon" (מֵֽחֶשְׁבּ֔וֹן, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "for·fire" (כִּי־אֵשׁ֙), "from·Heshbon" (מֵֽחֶשְׁבּ֔וֹן), "flame" (לֶהָבָ֖ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Heshbon" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "went·forth" (root יצא, 68x in Numbers); "Moab" (root מואב, 33x in Numbers). First appearance of the root בעל ("lords·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Sihon', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּי־אֵשׁ֙ [for·fire] (331) + יָֽצְאָ֣ה [went·forth] (106) + מֵֽחֶשְׁבּ֔וֹן [from·Heshbon] (406) + לֶהָבָ֖ה [flame] (42) + מִקִּרְיַ֣ת [from·city·of] (750) + סִיחֹ֑ן [Sihon] (128) + אָֽכְלָה֙ [consuming] (56) + עָ֣ר [Ar] (270) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + בַּעֲלֵ֖י [lords·of] (112) + בָּמ֥וֹת [high·places] (448) + אַרְנֹֽן [Arnon] (301) = 2999.
Onkelos
For a mighty east wind like fire went forth from Heshbon — warriors like a flame from the city of Sihon — and slew the people who dwelled at Lahath of Moab, the priests who serve the house of dread, the heights of Arnon.
Rashi
כי אש יצאה מחשבון FOR A FIRE WILL GO FORTH FROM HESHBON after Sihon captures it, אכלה ער מואב IT WILL CONSUME AR OF MOAB — The name of that province was called Ar in the Hebrew language and Lechayath (see the Targum Onkelos) in the Aramaic language. ער מואב means AR OF MOAB.
Ibn Ezra
"For fire went out from Heshbon" — an allusion to those who conspired in Heshbon against their king. — "A flame" — the meaning is doubled [i.e., synonymous parallelism], as is customary. — "From the city of Sihon" — from the city that is now Sihon's. — "Ar of Moab" — the name of a nearby place, like Beth-Lehem-Judah. — "The high places" (bamot) — elevated sites.
Chizkuni
כי אש יצאה מחשבון, “for a fire has gone out from Cheshbon. The inhabitants of Cheshbon rebelled against your king of Moav. להבה מקרית סימון, “a flame from the city of Sichon;” i.e. the city that has now become Sichon’s. עיר סימון, “Sichon’s capital!” בעלי במות ארנון, “the lords of the high places of Arnon.” Our author, quoting Samuel II 6,2, understands the word בעלי here as referring to a plain or plateau. In other words, the lands described here were all relatively high, though level.
Rabbeinu Bahya
כי אש יצאה מחשבון, ”for a fire has come forth from Cheshbon.” This is an allusion to Moabites who had dwelled in Chesbon and commenced a revolution against the local king. אכלה ער מואב, “it consumed Ar of Moav.” Ar is the name of a place in Moab, just as (Ruth 1,1) מבית לחם יהודה is the name of a place within Judah.
Rashbam
ער מואב, the capital of the land of Moav was called Or.
Daat Zkenim
'כי אש יצאה וגו, The entire line is a quotation of how the people speaking in parables flattered the powerful King of Cheshbon. The Torah describes all this in order to show the reader what a tremendous victory Moses had scored when he totally vanquished this empire, annihilating him and his people totally. Yiftach, in the Book of Judges 11,24, refers sarcastically to the claims of the king of Moav in his time, claiming that that the Israelites have to give him back the land that a former king had lost to Sichon.
Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh; he has given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, To Sihon king of the Amorites.
verse value 3429
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "he·gave" (נָתַ֨ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "people·of·Chemosh" (עַם־כְּמ֑וֹשׁ, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "woe·to·you" (אוֹי־לְךָ֣), "you·have·perished" (אָבַ֖דְתָּ), "people·of·Chemosh" (עַם־כְּמ֑וֹשׁ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Amorite" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "he·gave" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers). First appearance of the root אוי ("woe·to·you") in Numbers. First appearance of the root שבי ("into·captivity") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'people·of·Chemosh', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: אוֹי־לְךָ֣ [woe·to·you] (67) + מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (49) + אָבַ֖דְתָּ [you·have·perished] (407) + עַם־כְּמ֑וֹשׁ [people·of·Chemosh] (476) + נָתַ֨ן [he·gave] (500) + בָּנָ֤יו [his·sons] (68) + פְּלֵיטִם֙ [fugitives] (169) + וּבְנֹתָ֣יו [and·his·daughters] (474) + בַּשְּׁבִ֔ית [into·captivity] (714) + לְמֶ֥לֶךְ [to·king] (120) + אֱמֹרִ֖י [Amorite] (251) + סִיחֽוֹן [Sihon] (134) = 3429.
Onkelos
Woe to you, O Moabites! You are ruined, O people who serve Chemosh — he has delivered his sons as fugitives and his daughters into captivity to the king of the Amorites, Sihon.
Rashi
אוי לך מואב WOE TO THEE, MOAB — [These are not the words of the historian but those of Balaam and Beor, for] they cursed the Moabites (as they had been hired to do) so that they should be delivered into his (Sihon’s) hands (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 24). כמוש CHEMOSH was the name of Moab’s god. נתן HE HATH GIVEN [HIS SONS] — The subject of the sentence is to be supplied: HE who gave HATH GIVEN HIS SONS i.e. those of Moab, פלטים — AS FUGITIVES — as men who flee and attempt to escape from the sword, and his daughters into captivity, etc.
Ramban
WOE TO THEE, MOAB! THOU ART PERISHED, O PEOPLE OF CHEMOSH. The meaning of this is that [the people of] Moab used to worship Chemosh their deity, and build high places [i.e., altars, to him] and trust in him more than every other people, and in the time of their trouble they would say to him: ‘Arise, and save us.’ Similarly Scripture refers to [this worship of theirs] in all places, as it is written, And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab hath wearied himself upon the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail; and it is further stated [of Moab], and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together with him; Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Eternal, him that offereth in the high place, and him that offereth to his gods. Therefore those who spoke in parables said by way of mockery, that Chemosh hath given ‘his sons’ as fugitives, refugees who flee [to safety] because of the sword; and ‘his daughters’ into captivity; [these terms, “sons” and “daughters” are used] because those who believe in him are called “his sons” and “his daughters,” in the same way that they are [here] called “his people” [people of Chemosh]. Similarly [we find the expression], the daughter of a strange god. The [correct explanation is thus] not like the words of Rashi, who interpreted [the verse as follows]: “He the Giver [i.e., G-d] gave his sons [i.e., those of Moab] as fugitives from the sword.”Chemosh was also worshipped by the children of Ammon, as Jephthah said [to the king of Ammon], that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess that you will possess. They also had in their country Milcom the detestation of the Ammonites. Or [it may be that] Jephthah mentioned Chemosh to the king of Ammon because of [the land] which Israel had captured from Moab, just as he [Jephthah] mentioned to them [i.e., to the Ammonites]: Balak king of Moab, meaning to say that neither Chemosh their god nor Balak their king had saved their land [Moab] from the hand of Israel. It is very fitting that we say, as our Rabbis explained, that [the reference in the term] ‘hamoshlim’ (they that speak in parables) is to Balaam and those like him, the diviners who spoke in parables about future events.
Ibn Ezra
"Chemosh" — the name of the idol, the god of Moab. — "His fugitives" — those who fled the sword as survivors.
Chizkuni
אוי לך מואב, “woe unto you, Moav;” this is all part of the parables referred to earlier. אבדת עם כמוש, “you are undone people who worship Kemosh.” Do not be amazed at the word אבדת which usually means: “you are lost;” in this instance it means the same as in Micah 7,2 אבד חסיד מן הארץ, “the pious have vanished from the earth;” they have not literally disappeared, but have become passive as if they did not exist. The same applies to the Moabites now under the rule of Sichon. נתן בניו פליטים, “he has made its sons fugitives;” a reference to the under age male children in Moav who though they escaped his sword have been turned into fugitives. They were allowed to grow up as prisoners in Sichon’s palace, as the Moabites saw no other way to keep them alive.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אוי לך מואב, “woe unto you Moav (the people)!” He cursed it that it should fall into the hands of Sichon. כמוש, a reference to the favorite god of the Moabites. נתן בניו, this is an appeal to the power that be to make fugitives and prisoners out of the Moabites (part of Bileam’s curse at the time). Alternatively, the words may refer to Kemosh, Moav’s deity. The verse would then tell us that the people of Moav who served the deity Kemosh, built altars for it and had more faith in that deity than any other nation (as we know from Isaiah 16,12), paid the price for their misplaced faith, and the poet writing these lines ridicules the people for having put their trust in that deity. Their deity is the reason that the believers now have to either flee or become prisoners. Malachi 2,11 speaks about the worshippers of idols as his sons and daughters. This is the way Nachmanides explains our verse.
Daat Zkenim
נתן בניו פליטים, “He has given his sons as fugitives;” the reference is to the minors who were not old enough to fight and had therefore been spared by the sword. The use of the word נתן in our verse is similar to the use of the same word in Song of Songs 1,12: נרדי נתן ריחו, “my aromatic plant gave off its aroma.”
We have shot at them—Heshbon is perished—even to Dibon, And we have laid waste even to Nophah, Which reaches to Medeba.
verse value 2069
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "perished" (אָבַ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "unto·Medeba" (עַד־מֵֽידְבָֽא, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·we·shot·at·them" (וַנִּירָ֛ם), "unto·Dibon" (עַד־דִּיבֹ֑ן), "and·we·laid·waste" (וַנַּשִּׁ֣ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "unto·Dibon" (root עד, 21x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·Dibon', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַנִּירָ֛ם [and·we·shot·at·them] (306) + אָבַ֥ד [perished] (7) + חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן [Heshbon] (366) + עַד־דִּיבֹ֑ן [unto·Dibon] (140) + וַנַּשִּׁ֣ים [and·we·laid·waste] (406) + עַד־נֹ֔פַח [unto·Nophah] (212) + אֲשֶׁ֖רׄ [which] (501) + עַד־מֵֽידְבָֽא [unto·Medeba] (131) = 2069.
Onkelos
Their kingship has been cut off from Heshbon; dominion has been removed from Dibon; and they were laid waste as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.
Rashi
ונירם means their sovreignty. אבד חשבון עד דיבן means: the sovreignty and the subjugation which Moab had over Heshbon is destroyed from thence. Similar also is the meaning of עד דיבן because the Targum of סר “it hath departed” is עד, so that this phrase means to say, sovreignty hath departed from Dibon. The word ניר denotes the sovreignty and yoke which result from a person’s rulership, as, (1 Kings 11:36) “that David Thy servant may always have dominion (ניר) before Me”. ונשים WE HAVE LAID WASTE — The ש has a Dagesh, for the word denotes waste (שמם). Thus say they who speak in parables: ונשים אותם עד נפח which signifies we have laid them waste as far as Nophah.
Ibn Ezra
"We have shot at them" (ve-niram) — these are the words of Moses. The mem is a marker for the Amorite king and his troops, and the word has two interpretations. The first: it derives from the root nir ["to break fallow ground"], making ve-niram a word that draws another along with itself [i.e., a zeugma], as in: "the prophecy of Oded the prophet" [where the word "prophecy" does double duty]; thus it reads: "we have furrowed them" — meaning: the furrow of Heshbon was destroyed — and ve-niram is like [the expression] be-tokh ha-oheli ha-erkha [where one word functions for two]. So the meaning is: their furrow [i.e., their plowing, their tillage] has perished — that is, the furrow of Heshbon. The second interpretation: ve-niram derives from the root yaroh ["to shoot"], as in "whom I shot" (asher yiriti); and the meaning is: when we shot at them, Heshbon perished. — "And we laid waste" (ve-nashim) — [this] is from the class of doubled [root] verbs, with a hiriq in place of a small kamatz, as in "and God led the people around" (va-yasev); and R. Moses ha-Kohen said that the dagesh [compensates] for the loss of the alef, as the alef in mil'efanu me-vehemot aretz derives from the root [as in] "Samaria shall bear guilt" (teashem Shomron). Others say that Heshbon had always been the city of Sihon, and the meaning of "Come to Heshbon" — [these are] the words of the rulers addressed to the Moabites who come as captives to Heshbon — "for fire went out from Heshbon" is a parable for the camps of Sihon; and "when we shot at them" — these are the words of the rulers in the tongue of the Moabites: we thought that Heshbon would perish and the entire land would become desolation as far as Nophah. Or these are the words of Moses the expositor.
Sforno
ונירם אבד, and what will be his domain he will lose seeing that after said מושלים, visionaries had predicted his rise to great power they had continued by revealing that they also foresaw his defeat at the hands of the Israelites.
Chizkuni
ונירם אבד חשבון עד דיבון, “in the meantime) we (the Israelites) came and threw over the rule of Sichon, not only Cheshbon has perished but even Divvon.” The word ניר, means: ”heir;” in the meantime no heir is left of the original Moabites (Compare Kings I 11,36, for the meaning of the word ניר.) An alternate interpretation. The word ניר, is derived from ירה, “to shoot, to throw,” as in Exodus 15,4: ירה בים, “He tossed into the sea.” In other words, the Israelites are boasting that they had tossed the Emorites, etc., out of their land, or in ordinary Hebrew, ונשליכם. If you were to explain our verse according to the Targum, the letter ו at the beginning should have a short vowel patach, instead of the regular patach. Still another interpretation: the word ניר is a variant of חרישה, “the act of ploughing,” as in Jeremiah 4,3: נירו לכם ניר, “break up the untilled ground!” ונשים, “we laid waste;” related to שממה, desolation.” The Israelites declare that they plowed over all the structures of the former inhabitants. [unlike what happened on the west bank of the Jordan when they captured all the Canaanite infrastructure 100% intact, and could make immediate use of it. Ed.]
Rabbeinu Bahya
ונירם, “When we overthrew them.” Moses describes that as soon as we overthrew the Emorites in Cheshbon and thereabouts the country was lost, first as far as from Chesbon to Divon, eventually destroying whole country including Nofach-Meydva. Alternatively, ונירם is from the root ניר meaning "their kingdom", i.e. the kingdom of Cheshbon was lost.
Rashbam
ונירם, they were driven from their places. The word is similar to נחרם, they were banished. The construction is parallel to נטה and ונט. The word is derived from the root ירה, hence וניר, “vanir.” The vocalisation of vanirom means the same as if the Torah had written vanireym. We find a similar construction in Isaiah 56,3 yavdilani, which is the same as yavdileyni. Also in Exodus 14,11 lehotziani is the same as lehotzieyni. If we were to follow Onkelos’ translation, the vocalisation should have been veniram instead of vaniram.
Daat Zkenim
ונירם אבד חשבון, “when we shot at them Cheshbon was laid waste completely;” our author understands the word ונירם as a derivative of the noun ניר, as a reference to their king as their shining light, who had been completely extinguished. He quotes Kings I 11,36, where it has been used in this manner i.e. להיות ניר לדוד עבדי, “to be a lamp for My servant David.”
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·settled" (וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 5 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "and·he·settled" (root ישב, 38x in Numbers). Full calculation: וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ [and·he·settled] (318) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + בְּאֶ֖רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + הָאֱמֹרִֽי [the·Amorites] (256) = 1408.
Onkelos
Israel dwelled in the land of the Amorites.
Sforno
וישב ישראל בארץ האמורי, from all that has been reported here it is clear that the Israelites at that time did not settle in territory under the rule of the Moabites. This is precisely the point made by Yiphtach in Judges 11,15 when he rejected the claims of the Moabites at the time he was judge, saying that Israel had never taken land belonging to either Ammon or Moav
And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they took its towns, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
verse value 4213
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Amorites" (אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֥י, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "to·spy·out" (לְרַגֵּ֣ל), "Jazer" (אֶת־יַעְזֵ֔ר), "and·they·captured" (וַֽיִּלְכְּד֖וּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·were·there" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 29x in Numbers). First appearance of the root יעזר ("Jazer") in Numbers. First appearance of the root לכד ("and·they·captured") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·dependencies', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח [and·he·sent] (354) + מֹשֶׁה֙ [Moses] (345) + לְרַגֵּ֣ל [to·spy·out] (263) + אֶת־יַעְזֵ֔ר [Jazer] (688) + וַֽיִּלְכְּד֖וּ [and·they·captured] (76) + בְּנֹתֶ֑יהָ [its·dependencies] (467) + וַיּ֖וֹרֶשׁ [and·he·dispossessed] (522) + אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֥י [the·Amorites] (657) + אֲשֶׁר־שָֽׁם [who·were·there] (841) = 4213.
Onkelos
Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
Rashi
וישלח משה לרגל את יעזר AND MOSES SENT TO SPY OUT JAAZER — The spies captured it (as the text goes on to state, “and they captured it”). They said: We will not do as the former spies, for we have confidence in the power of Moses’ prayer to be able to fight against it (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 24).
Sforno
וילכדו בנותיה, the spies whom Moses had sent captured Bnot Yaazer. Afterwards Moses dispossessed the Emorite who was still in Yaazer.
Chizkuni
ויירש את האמורי, “and drove out the Emorite.” The word is read as if it had been spelled ויורש, “and inherited.”
And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
verse value 2881
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "road" (דֶּ֖רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Bashan" (מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֨ן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "king·of·Bashan" (מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֨ן), "and·all·his·troops" (וְכׇל־עַמּ֛וֹ), "Edrei" (אֶדְרֶֽעִי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·all·his·troops" (root כל, 98x in Numbers); "and·they·went·up" (root עלה, 96x in Numbers); "he" (root הוא, 70x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Bashan', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּפְנוּ֙ [and·they·turned] (152) + וַֽיַּעֲל֔וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + דֶּ֖רֶךְ [road] (224) + הַבָּשָׁ֑ן [Bashan] (357) + וַיֵּצֵ֣א [and·he·came·out] (107) + עוֹג֩ [Og] (79) + מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֨ן [king·of·Bashan] (447) + לִקְרָאתָ֜ם [to·meet·them] (771) + ה֧וּא [he] (12) + וְכׇל־עַמּ֛וֹ [and·all·his·troops] (172) + לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה [to·the·battle] (153) + אֶדְרֶֽעִי [Edrei] (285) = 2881.
Onkelos
They turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og king of Bashan came out to meet them, he and all his people, to do battle at Edrei.
Ibn Ezra
"They turned" — I have explained this [elsewhere]. — "Edrei" — [means] to Edrei — a shortened [locative] form.
Chizkuni
ויפנו ויעלו, “they turned around and ascended;” in a northerly direction. Seeing that anyone who walks from the south of the land of Israel northward must automatically be ascending, [as is due to the topography of the terrain, Ed.] he must ascend via Bashan, the land ruled by King Og. Seeing that the Kingdom of Og has been described as part of the land of Canaan, the commandment to kill anyone from that Kingdom who did not voluntarily leave, man woman or child; the Israelites did not send a letter offering to cross his land peacefully only in transit. (compare Deuteronomy 20,16) [The commandment not to allow survivors also applied to the Emorites, i.e. to Sichon and his country. Og, personally, a survivor of the deluge according to tradition, obviously could not have been a Canaanite, as they did not exist at that time. Ed.] Sichon, on the other hand, ruled over some lands that were not originally Canaanite, such as parts of Moav and Bney Ammon. ויצא, “he (Og) came forth, provocatively, in a hostile manner.” Our author refers us to his having explained why Og lived as long as he lived, i.e. at least 850 years. (Genesis 14,13)
And Hashem said to Moses: "Fear him not; for I have delivered him into your hand, and all his people, and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon."
verse value 8132 — יְהֹוָ֤ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·his·troops" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־עַמּ֖וֹ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: him, him. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּירָ֣א), "into·your·hand" (בְיָדְךָ֞), "and·his·land" (וְאֶת־אַרְצ֑וֹ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "as" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·his·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 10 words.
Onkelos
Hashem said to Moses: Do not fear him, for into your hand I have delivered him and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelled in Heshbon.
Rashi
אל תירא אתו FEAR HIM NOT — God said this concerning Og but not about Sihon (cf v. 23), because Moses feared to wage battle, perhaps the merit of Abraham with whom Og had been associated would stand up (i.e., be an advocate) for him, as it is said, (Genesis 14:13) “And the one who escaped came [and told it to Abraham]” — this was Og who had escaped from the Rephaim whom Chedoladmar and his allies had smitten in Ashoreth Karnaim (Genesis 14:5), as it is said, (Deuteronomy 3:11). "For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim" (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 25, Niddah 61a).
Ramban
FEAR HIM [Og] NOT. “For Moses was afraid [to wage war against Og] in case the merit of Abraham [whom Og had helped] would stand him in stead, for it is said about him, And there came ‘hapalit’ (one that had escaped) and told Abram the Hebrew, this being Og who had escaped from the Rephaim whom Amraphel and his allies had defeated at Ashteroth-karnaim.” This is Rashi’s language, based on the words of our Rabbis. Here too the Rabbis were induced to make this comment because they knew that Moses our teacher would not have been afraid of an arm of flesh, for with him was the Eternal our G-d, and all the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity. [Furthermore], it was he [Moses himself] who admonished Israel: fear not, nor be dismayed on account of them, and who criticized them for being afraid of them, as it is said in connection with the [affair of the] spies, Then I said unto you: ‘Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Eternal your G-d, Who goeth before you, He shall fight for you.’ Therefore [we must say] that Moses was afraid [of Og] because he knew of his merit [in having helped Abraham].In accordance with the plain meaning of Scripture, Moses had not intended now to give Israel the land of Sihon and Og as an inheritance, as I have explained. But Sihon had gone out against Israel into the wilderness, and had fought them against their will [in spite of their desire for peace]. Then G-d informed [Moses], Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee; begin to possess his land, for here began the conquest of the seven nations [who inhabited the Land of Israel]. But Og [nonetheless] mobilized all his forces at Edrei, which was a city at the end of his border, and Israel could have turned away from him just as they had turned away from Esau [i.e., Edom]. Therefore G-d told Moses, “Fear him not; go to him and contend with him in battle, for I have delivered him into thy hand.” And in Bamidbar Sinai Rabbah I have seen [the following text] “Why was Moses afraid [of Og]? He said: Perhaps Israel committed a trespass in the war against Sihon, [by taking of the spoil for themselves], or maybe they have become defiled by sins.” This is a completely homiletic exposition. And indeed all righteous people have this fear [that they might have sinned in error], and this [fear] likewise occurred [in the case] of Joshua [about whom it says that G-d told him, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed].Balak
Chizkuni
אל תירא אותו, “do not fear him!” Rashi explains that the reason why Moses was afraid of Og was that the merit of having alerted Avraham to Lot having been taken prisoner by the armies of Kedorleomer might have protected him. This seems highly unlikely, as Rashi himself explains elsewhere that Og far from having noble intentions, wished Avraham dead, so that he could marry Sarah. We therefore must look for a different reason why Moses would have feared him. In the Talmud Horiot folio 10, we have a statement that a person should engage in Torah study even if his intentions are not wholly religiously motivated. As a proof the Talmud cites that the 42 sacrificial animals that Balak, who had hired Bileam to curse the Jewish people, offered to the Jewish G-d was rewarded by Ruth the Moabite, and ancestor of the Messiah through her great grandson David would be born and be married to Boaz. Moses was similarly concerned that if Og had survived thus far, G-d had had a mission in mind that he must fulfill and that mission had not yet been fulfilled by him. Only after G-d had set Moses’ mind at ease did he cease worrying about the outcome of the military encounter that was imminent. It was only after G-d reassured him that his mind was set to rest about the imminent military encounter involving also such a giant.
Rabbeinu Bahya
אל תירא אותו, “do not fear him!” Since it was not appropriate for Moses to be in awe and trepidation of any human being seeing he always had the power of the Shechinah at his side, why did G’d have to tell him not to be afraid of Og? Do we not have the prophet telling even lesser individuals than Moses “who are you (Israel) that you should be afraid of mortal man?” (Isaiah 51,12). The prophet means that if the righteous display (or feel) fear of mortal man this undermines the well-being of his soul, his personality. Even Moses personally warns the people in Deut. 1,29 and 31,6 not to be afraid of the Canaanites. The reason Moses did fear Og was because he had earned some merits when he told Avraham of Lot’s being captured. [The fact that this man had survived all these years plus at least 300 years prior to Avraham when he rode out the deluge on the roof of the ark, made Moses worry (compare Niddah 61)]. Seeing we have a tradition that Og and Sichon were brothers, why was Moses afraid of Og whereas he is not reported as being afraid of Sichon? [G’d’s telling Moses not to be afraid of Og makes it clear that he must have been afraid]. Og’s longevity and size made Moses wonder if his merits had been used up. This is why he was afraid and needed reassurance. Some of our sages do not agree that this Og was the same as the one who had told Avraham about Lot being captured. However, even this Og was a descendant of the person described as the פליט in Genesis 14.13. Moses was still afraid that this Og should not still be a beneficiary of merits accumulated by his ancestor. If the sages describe Og and Sichon as brothers and they mean “biological brothers sharing the same father and mother,” Moses should have been afraid of both of them as the merit of their ancestor would protect both of them. We must assume therefore that they were half-brothers sharing only the same mother so that Sichon who was not fathered by a direct descendant of the original Og would not be able to count on the merit from the original Og. At any rate, we have only one authentic source concerning the genealogy of this Og, our sages, i.e. that we are dealing with the original Og. A glance at Tanchuma Chukat 25 will show you that Moses erred in believing that Og’s telling Avraham of Lot’s capture had been a meritorious deed. On the contrary, Og’s intention had been to involve Avraham in a war he could not possibly win and that when he would be killed Og would claim Sarah as his wife. G’d allowed Og to live this long, i.e. He rewarded him for the effort he had made with his feet to inform Avraham. He punished him for the evil intent he harboured when telling Avraham by killing him through Avraham’s descendants. He who had meant for Avraham to be killed was killed by one of Avraham’s descendants. The punishment was fitted to the crime. Moses’ original concern was that seeing he was only 120 years old, how was he going to defeat a man who had already lived over 500 years! [I make this over 800 years seeing the deluge occurred in 1656 and the Israelites left Egypt in 2448 and another 40 years had passed since. Ed.] G’d answered Moses not only not to be afraid of Og but that Moses would slay him with his own hands. This is the meaning of: “I have delivered him into your hand and you will do unto him just as you have done to Sichon.” Thus far Tanchuma. The problem with this Midrash is that seeing that Sichon and Og were brothers and only Og had survived the deluge and we have a tradition that only eight people survived the deluge, i.e. Noach, his three sons and his wife and their respective wives, where did Sichon originate? How could he have been a brother of an antediluvian Og? I have found a Midrash that both Og and Sichon were sons of Mechazael, who was one of the people described in Genesis 6,2 as בני האלו-הים (compare Niddah 61). According to this Midrash Mechazael had sexual relations with the wife of Cham shortly before they entered the ark and Sichon was born while Noach and family were in the ark. This would explain why Cham had intercourse with his wife while in the ark (although it had been forbidden) so as to clear his wife from suspicion of infidelity. [This does not solve the problem of Og being the ninth survivor of the deluge, something which contradicts other Midrashim. Ed.] According to the opinion of our sages that Og and Sichon were biological brothers we must assume that Sichon was also extraordinarily old at that time. G’d had a special reason why He granted both these individuals such a long life. Who can fathom what G’d had had in mind? We are told in Berachot 54 that Moses who was 10 cubits tall (one cubit taller than Og) took a ten cubit-long axe and jumped ten cubits into the air and killed Og with it. The wording in the Talmud appears to be an allusion to Moses having countered the merit of Og and the reward he had received for making an effort with his feet at the time when he informed Avraham of Lot’s capture. The author credits his teacher the Rashba with the following aggadic explanation: The Talmud writes this passage (in Berachot) only so that we should not think that Moses’ fear of Og concerned Og’s physique, his prowess as a warrior. Enjoying G’d’s grace is totally independent of one’s physique and physical strength. G’d relates to people in relation to the merits they have accumulated. We have this on the authority of Psalms 147, 10-11: “He does not prize the strength of horses, nor value the fleetness of men; but the Lord values those who fear Him, those who depend on His faithful care.”
Kli Yakar
And the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him.” Rashi explains that he [Moses] was afraid that perhaps the merit of Abraham would stand for him [Og]; otherwise it is difficult to understand — would Moses fear the arm of flesh and blood when God is with him? And furthermore, since it says for I have given him and his people into your hand, it should have said “do not fear him and his people.” Rather, certainly from his people he was not afraid because God was with him, but of him [Og] he was afraid lest the merit of Abraham stand for him. And what people question here is how [Moses] was afraid of this merit, on the contrary, at that time [Og] was sinning and rebelling, because his intention was for Abraham to be killed so that he could marry Sarah, as Rashi explained there (Genesis 14:13). This is not a difficult question because Rashi explained it according to the truth, as ultimately the entire matter is understood that this merit did not help him, and therefore the end result proves that his intention was for evil and not for good. But Moses did not yet know the end of the matter and thought that [Og] had intended [it] for his good, to save Lot, therefore he was afraid that this merit might stand for him. And the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him, Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand — and it should have said “for I will give him” [in future tense]. Although God’s gift is considered as if it has already been given, nevertheless, in a place where it can be interpreted according to its simple understanding, there is no need for this interpretation. And the explanation of the matter is that from long ago I have already given him into your hand, because he never had any merit, and in that act he was pursued to disadvantage and his intention was for evil, and it was decreed upon him since then that he would be given to you and delivered into your hand, and this is a precious interpretation.
Daat Zkenim
ויאמר ה' אל משה אל תירא אותו, Hashem said to Moses: “do not be afraid of him!” Rashi explains that there was a reason why G–d had to say this to Moses concerning Og, although He had not said this to him before joining battle with Sichon. Moses was afraid that Og had acquired a great merit by warning Avraham at the time that his nephew Lot had been taken prisoner by a King who had thought that he was Avraham, as he had meant to kill or capture Avraham. Compare Genesis 14,13, and the explanation in the Talmud tractate Niddah folio 61 on that verse. If you were to say that according to that statement in the Talmud, Og had actually meant to kill Avraham so that he could marry Sarah, i.e. hardly an intention qualifying for additional merit, the fact that he was instrumental in saving Avraham at that time and in saving Lot by Avraham coming to his rescue, was enough to make Moses fear him. [After all this Og was at least 500 years old if he had been a somebody already at that time. Ed.] The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin folio 105 tells us that the 42 burnt offerings offered by Balak to Hashem at the direction of Bileam, was enough for him to be rewarded that Ruth the Moabite became descended from him. Balak had also intended only to cause Israel harm at that time, and nonetheless the sages of the Talmud felt that G–d had to reward him. Some sages understand the fact that Og was described –though indirectly- as a fugitive, in Genesis, this means that he had escaped not Nimrod, but that he had escaped the deluge and had managed to survive it somehow. This would be good reason for Moses to feel that he had G–d’s protection even at his time. He is also supposed to have been a brother of Sichon, giving him good reason to attack Moses who had killed his brother. Our author refers to what he had explained in Parshat Noach in the name of Rabbi Yehudah hachassid who had pointed out that the numerical value of the words אך נח in the line: וישאר אך נח, “only Noach survived,” is identical to the numerical value of the word עוג, i.e. 79. (Genesis 7,23) There is also a statement by Rabi Yechiel bar Yoseph, according to whom Og had been born before the onset of the deluge, his mother having been pregnant with him at the time, and having married one of Noach’s sons, her pregnancy having been caused by one of the people whom t*he Torah had described as בני האלוהים, usually understood as “fallen angels.”
So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land.
verse value 4309
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "him" (אֹת֤וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·his·troops" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־עַמּ֔וֹ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·they·defeated" (וַיַּכּ֨וּ), "until·none" (עַד־בִּלְתִּ֥י), "he·left·him" (הִשְׁאִֽיר־ל֖וֹ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·his·sons" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "his·country" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "and·all·his·troops" (root עם, 85x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'remnant', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּכּ֨וּ [and·they·defeated] (42) + אֹת֤וֹ [him] (407) + וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ [and·his·sons] (475) + וְאֶת־כׇּל־עַמּ֔וֹ [and·all·his·troops] (573) + עַד־בִּלְתִּ֥י [until·none] (516) + הִשְׁאִֽיר־ל֖וֹ [he·left·him] (552) + שָׂרִ֑יד [remnant] (514) + וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ [and·they·took·possession·of] (532) + אֶת־אַרְצֽוֹ [his·country] (698) = 4309.
Onkelos
They struck him down and his sons and all his people until no survivor remained to him, and they took possession of his land.
Rashi
ויכו אתו AND THEY SMOTE HIM — Moses slew him, as it is related in Treatise Berakhot, in the chapter beginning הרואה (Berakhot 54b): He tore up a rock covering an area of three Parsang and he hurled it at him.
Ibn Ezra
"He left him [no survivor]" — [meaning] one of Israel [did this, leaving Og no survivor].
Targum Yonatan
Now it was, after Og the Wicked had seen the camp of Israel spreading over six miles he said with himself, I will make war against this people, that they may not do to me as they have done to Sihon: so went he and tare up a mountain six miles in size, and brought it upon his head to hurl it upon them. But the Word of the Lord forthwith prepared a reptile which ate into the mountain and perforated it, and his head was swallowed up within it; and he sought to withdraw it, but could not, because his back teeth and his front ones were drawn hither and thither. And Mosheh went and took an axe of ten cubits, and sprang ten cubits, and struck him on the ankle of his foot, and he fell, and died beyond the camp of Israel. Thus it is written. And they smote him and his sons and daughters, and all his people, till none of them remained to escape; and they took possession of his land.
Onkelos
Rashi
Ramban
Ibn Ezra
Sforno
Or HaChaim
Chizkuni
Rabbeinu Bahya
Tur HaArokh
Rashbam