What is the meaning of Numbers 21:14? Therefore it is stated Israel’s latest victory over the Canaanite king of Arad (Numbers 21:1-3) has just been recorded, followed by the miraculous provision of water from the rock (21:16-18). Moses pauses to quote a historical citation. The phrase “Therefore it is stated” signals: • a recognized written source already familiar to the people, confirming the event just described (cf. Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18). • God’s faithfulness to preserve an accurate record of His mighty acts, reinforcing Exodus 17:14, where the Lord commands that victories be written down. in the Book of the Wars of the LORD Mentioned only here, this book was an inspired chronicle of Israel’s battles under God’s direction. • Its very title emphasizes that every conflict belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47). • By citing it, Moses shows that the Israelites’ conquests are not random skirmishes but parts of the Lord’s unfolding plan first promised in Genesis 15:18-21 and repeated in Deuteronomy 1:30. • The reference also anticipates future records like the books of Kings and Chronicles, grounding later history in the same divine authorship. “Waheb in Suphah The quote begins with two place-names. Though their precise modern locations are uncertain, the original audience knew them well. • “Waheb” identifies a site where God granted victory; “in Suphah” (“in the reeds”) hints at a terrain feature similar to the Sea of Reeds in Exodus 15:4. • The point is not geography alone but God’s consistent pattern: as He triumphed at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26-31), so He triumphs here, underscoring Psalm 136:10-15. and the wadis of the Arnon The Arnon Gorge marked the northern border between Moab and the Amorites (Numbers 21:13). Mentioning its wadis (seasonal riverbeds) highlights: • the natural barriers Israel faced—steep canyons, flash-flood channels—yet God guided them safely through (Psalm 18:16). • the transition to the coming victory over Sihon, king of the Amorites (Numbers 21:21-31), showing that the Lord controls both the battlefield and the landscape (Deuteronomy 2:24-25). summary Numbers 21:14 preserves a quotation from an early, inspired record celebrating the Lord’s military triumphs. By invoking this “Book of the Wars of the LORD,” Moses roots Israel’s current journey in a larger narrative of God-won victories, linking past deliverance at places like Waheb and the Arnon to the fresh conquests about to unfold. The verse reassures every generation that the same faithful God who authored those victories continues to fight for His people today. |
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