Numbers Chapter 21 Brings to Your Attention the Matter Concerning Being Ungrateful or Forgetfulness also Hate Without Cause

Being Rude To G-d’s People Or To Those Who Sincerely Serve Hashem Is Not Really A Good Idea

As merciful and compassionate Hashem is and can be, He knows who are His and are not.

*Note that “Fiery Serpent” is mentioned in this chapter also. But it is not a “Messianic Prophecy,” as some Christians linked it out-of-context to J*sus being hanged on the cross. This chapter does not in any way speak about “the Messiah” or “Messianic Era.”

Find out yourself if in doubt.

“Amalek Attacks”
“The Fiery Serpent”
“The Song in the Book of the Wars of Hashem”
“The Battle with Sihon”
“Og”

Israel made a vow to Hashem and said, “If You will deliver this people into my hand, I will consecrate their cities.”
21:2
Hashem heard the voice of Israel, and He delivered the Canaanite, and it consecrated them and their cities. It named the place Hormah.
21:3
The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in this Wilderness, for there is no food and no water, and our soul is disgusted with the insubstantial food?”
:5
God sent the fiery serpents against the people and they bit the people. A large multitude of Israel died.
:6
The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem and against you! Pray to Hashem that He remove from us the serpent.” Moses prayed for the people.
:7
Hashem said to Moses, “Make for yourself a fiery [serpent] and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who was bitten will look at it and live.”
:8
Moses made a serpent of copper and placed it on the pole; so it was that if the serpent bit a man, he would stare at the copper serpent and live.
:9
Israel sent emissaries to Sihon, king of the Amorite, saying, “Let me pass through your land; …
:21-22
But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his border, …
:23
Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the Amorite cities, in Heshbon and all its suburbs.
:25
Woe to you, O Moab, you are lost, O people of Chemosh! …
:29
Hashem said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for into your hand have I given him, his entire people, and his land; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorite, who dwells in Heshbon.”
:34

1 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the south, heard that Israel had come by the route of the spies, and he waged war against Israel and took from them a captive.
2 Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You deliver this people into my hand, I shall consecrate their cities.”
3 The Lord heard Israel’s voice and delivered the Canaanite. He destroyed them and [consecrated] their cities, and he called the place Hormah.
4 They journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to circle the land of Edom, and the people became disheartened because of the way.
5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this desert, for there is no bread and no water, and we are disgusted with this rotten bread.”
6 The Lord sent against the people the venomous snakes, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died.
7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that He remove the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed on behalf of the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make yourself a serpent and put it on a pole, and let whoever is bitten look at it and live.”
9 Moses made a copper snake and put it on a pole, and whenever a snake bit a man, he would gaze upon the copper snake and live.
10 The children of Israel journeyed on and camped in Oboth.
11 They journeyed from Oboth and camped in the wasteland passes in the wilderness, which faced Moab, toward the rising sun.
12 From there they journeyed, and they encamped along the stream of Zered.
13 From there they journeyed, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which was in the desert, extending from the Amorite border, for Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites.
14 Concerning this it is told in the account of the Wars of the Lord, “What He gave at the [Sea of] Reeds and the streams of Arnon.
15 And the spilling of the streams that turned to settle at Ar and leaned toward the border of Moab.
16 From there to the well; that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather the people, and I will give them water.'”
17 Then Israel sang this song: “‘Ascend, O well,’ sing to it!
18 A well dug by princes, carved out by nobles of the people, through the lawgiver with their staffs, and from the desert, a gift.
19 From the gift, to the streams, and from the streams to the heights.
20 From the heights to the valley in the field of Moab, at the top of the peak, that overlooks the wastelands.”
21 Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, saying:
22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn into fields or vineyards, nor drink well water. We shall walk along the king’s road, until we have passed through your territory.”
23 But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his territory, and Sihon gathered all his people and went out to the desert toward Israel. He arrived at Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24 Israel smote him with the sword, and took possession of his land from Arnon to Jabbok, as far as the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
25 Israel took all these cities, and the Israelites dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and all its villages.
26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and he had fought against the first king of Moab, taking all his land from his possession, as far as Arnon.
27 Concerning this, those who speak in parables say, “Come to Heshbon, may it be built and established as the city of Sihon.
28 For fire went forth from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it consumed Ar of Moab, the masters of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe is to you, Moab; you are lost, people of Chemosh. His sons he has given over as refugees and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 Their kingdom is destroyed from Heshbon; it has been removed from Dibon; we laid them waste as far as Nophah which is near Medeba.”
31 Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
32 Moses sent [men] to spy out Jaazer and they captured its villages, driving out the Amorites who lived there.
33 Then they turned and headed north toward the Bashan. Og, the king of Bashan, came out toward them with all his people, to wage war at Edrei.
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him, his people, and his land into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites who dwells in Heshbon.
35 They smote him, his sons and all his people, until there was no survivor, and they took possession of his land.