Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 2:28
You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Israel’s messengers address the king of Edom, requesting permission to traverse his territory while offering to purchase provisions. The request occurs during the wilderness journey as the nation approaches the borders of neighboring kingdoms.
The words — The text specifies אֹ֣כֶל ('okhel) for food and בַּ/כֶּ֤סֶף (ba./kesef) for silver, framing the proposal as a commercial exchange for sustenance. The verbs תַּשְׁבִּרֵ֙/נִי֙ (tash.bi.Re./ni) and תִּתֶּן\־ (ti.ten-) establish a conditional transaction: provision in return for payment.
The thread — This identical proposal to buy water and food with silver recurs in Numbers 20:19 during the wilderness journey. The same diplomatic pattern reappears in Deuteronomy 2:29 regarding the descendants of Esau and the Moabites.
Why it lands — The verse records a diplomatic demand for compensated transit, requiring the reader to note that Israel explicitly rejected conquest in favor of a paid passage. The text establishes that peaceful movement through foreign borders was contingent on fair exchange and strict adherence to the main road.
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
Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;
Cross-references
- Numbers 20:19 “We will stay on the main road,” the Israelites replied, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay for it. There will be no problem; only let us pass through on foot.”