871. Atharim
Lexical Summary
Atharim: Atharim

Original Word: אֲתָרִים
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Athariym
Pronunciation: ah-thah-REEM
Phonetic Spelling: (ath-aw-reem')
KJV: spies
NASB: Atharim
Word Origin: [plural from an unused root (probably meaning to step)]

1. places
2. Atharim, a place near Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
spies

Plural from an unused root (probably meaning to step); places; Atharim, a place near Palestine -- spies.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a caravan route in the Negev
NASB Translation
Atharim (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֲתָרִים proper name, of a location only Numbers 21:1 ׳דֶּרֶח הָא; so ᵐ5, perhaps (Di) name of a caravan-route, compare vestige, footprint; others (after ᵑ7 ᵑ6) translate way of the spies (compare Numbers 13:22); but הָאֲתָרִים for הַתָּרִים is highly improbable, and a locality would hardly receive its designation from the spies.

אתת (? √ of following, meaning dubious. LagM ii. 254 proposes √ אנה, whence he derives also Arabic a tool used in tillage).

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Context

Atharim appears once in the canonical text: “When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them” (Numbers 21:1). The reference occurs after Israel’s nearly forty-year discipline in the wilderness and just before the victories east of the Jordan that led to the conquest under Joshua. The verse introduces a short narrative in which the covenant people suffer a setback, cry out to the LORD, and are granted decisive victory (Numbers 21:2-3).

Geographical and Historical Setting

The route to Atharim is linked to the southern approach to Canaan through the Negev, a semi-arid region south of Hebron. The location probably lay on or near the same track followed decades earlier by the twelve spies (Numbers 13:17-22). Some identify Atharim with a caravan route skirting the western edge of the Arabah, allowing access to vital watering sites before ascending into the hill country. In any case, the text shows that Israel’s march pressed toward the heartland of Canaan, provoking hostile response from established city-states such as Arad.

Thematic Significance

1. Testing and Faith. Atharim marks a renewed trial of faith. Unlike the earlier generation that rebelled at Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 14:1-4), the present generation turns quickly to prayer and vow (Numbers 21:2), demonstrating growth in trust after years of divine schooling.
2. Warfare under Divine Sovereignty. The encounter illustrates that victory depends not on geography or military strength but on covenant fidelity. Israel’s later record of triumphs and defeats (Joshua 7; Judges 2) echoes the principle first reiterated at Atharim.
3. Foreshadowing Ultimate Conquest. The defeat of the king of Arad previews the larger conquest to come. It assures the nation that even entrenched enemies in the land will fall when the LORD fights for them (Deuteronomy 1:30; Joshua 10:42).

Relation to Israel’s Wilderness Journey

Atharim lies chronologically between the bronze serpent episode (Numbers 21:4-9) and the victories over Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:21-35). Thus it forms part of a triad of narratives in which Israel:
• Confronts human enemies (Arad, Sihon, Og).
• Confronts personal sin and death (fiery serpents).
• Learns dependence on covenant promises (Genesis 15:18-21).

The placement underscores that salvation (represented by the bronze serpent, John 3:14-15) is bound up with God’s power to subdue external foes.

Intertextual Connections

• The “way of Atharim” recalls the “way of the spies,” a Hebrew play on words linking Numbers 21:1 with Numbers 13:17. The repetition underscores how the LORD brings His people full circle, offering a second chance where the first generation failed.
Psalm 136:17-22 celebrates the overthrow of kings “with a mighty hand,” likely alluding, in part, to early southern victories such as Arad.
Hebrews 3:7-19 contrasts disbelief at Kadesh with the faith later required to enter rest, making the Atharim incident a stepping-stone in redemptive illustration.

Archaeological and Scholarly Insights

Tell Arad, excavated in the northern Negev, fits the biblical description of a Canaanite city-state ruled by a king in the Late Bronze Age. Pottery, fortifications, and an early sanctuary attest to urban presence in the period cited. While Atharim itself remains unlocated, the discovery of caravan roads and water installations south of Arad corroborates a main southern highway that Israel could have used.

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Spiritual Progress Requires Perseverance. Atharim reinforces that saints may revisit earlier points of testing until obedience is complete.
• Prayer‐Fueled Vows Are Not Bargaining but Alignment. Israel’s vow (Numbers 21:2) models earnest commitment that submits future action to God’s honor.
• Victory Serves Worship. After triumph, Israel names the place Hormah (“Destruction”), memorializing the LORD’s faithfulness. Ministry gains should be similarly dedicated to His glory, lest the memory fade.

Key Takeaway

Atharim, though mentioned only once, stands as a strategic waypoint where a new generation trusted the covenant LORD, tasted victory, and advanced toward inheritance. It reminds readers that even obscure places on the journey are arenas of decisive faith and foundational to God’s unfolding redemptive plan.

Forms and Transliterations
הָאֲתָרִ֑ים האתרים hā’ăṯārîm hā·’ă·ṯā·rîm haataRim
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Numbers 21:1
HEB: יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל דֶּ֖רֶךְ הָאֲתָרִ֑ים וַיִּלָּ֙חֶם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
NAS: by the way of Atharim, then he fought
KJV: by the way of the spies; then he fought
INT: Israel the way of Atharim fought Israel

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 871
1 Occurrence


hā·’ă·ṯā·rîm — 1 Occ.

870
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