🔢WEB · Numbers 21:3
What does Numbers 21:3 mean?
"Yahweh listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. The name of the place was called Hormah."
— Numbers 21:3 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the South, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
Israel vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, “If you will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”
Yahweh listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. The name of the place was called Hormah.
They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.
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 disgusting bread.”
Yahweh sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died.
Explanation
Numbers 21:3 records the outcome of a battle between Israel and the king of Arad, a Canaanite ruler in the Negev region south of Canaan. The verse simply states that God heard Israel's plea, handed the Canaanites over to them, and Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. The place was then named Hormah, a Hebrew word connected to the idea of destruction or a devoted, irrevocable act.
To understand this verse in context, we need to look at the verses just before it. The king of Arad had attacked Israel and taken some of them captive (Numbers 21:1). In response, Israel made a vow to God: if he would deliver the Canaanites into their hands, they would utterly destroy their cities (Numbers 21:2). This vow reflects the practice of "herem," a form of warfare devoted entirely to God, in which nothing was to be kept for personal gain—no plunder, no captives. It was considered an act of total consecration of the enemy's destruction to the Lord, distinct from ordinary warfare. Numbers 21:3 then reports that God answered this vow: he gave Israel victory, and they fulfilled their pledge by destroying the cities completely.
Theologically, this passage illustrates several things. First, it shows God responding to the prayers of his people in the midst of hardship and conflict—Israel cried out, and "Yahweh listened." Second, it reflects the seriousness of vows made to God; Israel followed through on their promise. Third, the naming of the place "Hormah" serves as a lasting marker of
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