Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 2:1
Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses recounts to the Israelites the moment the LORD commanded the camp to reverse course and approach the wilderness route toward the Red Sea following the initial rebellion.
The words — The Hebrew וַנֵּפֶן (va-neffen) means "and we turned," immediately followed by וַנִּסַּע (va-nissa), "and we set out," marking a deliberate change in marching direction.
The thread — This movement repeats the command in Deuteronomy 1:40 and aligns with the later Red Sea route described in Numbers 21:4.
Why it lands — The text states that the people obeyed the directive and spent many days circling Mount Seir, requiring the reader to accept that following divine instruction can mean extended delay rather than immediate arrival.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the Lord spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.
Cross-references
- Numbers 21:4 Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey
- Deuteronomy 1:40 But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
- Numbers 14:25 Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
- Deuteronomy 1:2 It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
- Judges 11:18 Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.