Bible Strands
Numbers 21:13
From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends into the Amorite territory. Now the Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Israelites' movement after leaving the Valley of Zered, noting their encampment on the far side of the Arnon in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The text explicitly identifies the Arnon river as the political boundary separating the Moabites and the Amorites.
The words — נָסָעוּ (na.sa'U) and וַיַּחֲנוּ (va.yiḥanu) denote the sequential actions of setting out and encamping. מֵעֵבֶר אַרְנוֹן (me-'Ever Arnon) literally marks their position on the opposite bank of the Arnon river.
The thread — This geographical marker recurs in Judges 11:18 as the eastern limit Israel reached and Numbers 22:36 as the Moabite border where Balak met Balaam. The river is also cited in Numbers 21:14 as a named location in the Book of the Wars of the LORD.
Why it lands — The verse establishes a concrete territorial transition that defines tribal boundaries and marks the conclusion of a wilderness segment. It requires the reader to track how physical landmarks structure Israel's movement and clarify territorial claims in subsequent historical accounts.
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
From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Numbers 22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.
- Numbers 21:14 Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,
- Deuteronomy 2:24 “Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.
- Isaiah 16:2 Like fluttering birds pushed out of the nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon:
- Jeremiah 48:20 Moab is put to shame, for it has been shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.