Numbers 21:2 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Israel made a promise to the LORD, saying, 'If you will truly give us victory over these people, then we will completely destroy their cities.'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The Israelites made a solemn promise to God that if He gave them victory over their enemies, they would completely destroy the enemy cities as an offering to Him.

📚 Historical Context

This occurred during Israel's wilderness journey to the Promised Land, when the Canaanite king of Arad attacked them and took some Israelites captive. In ancient warfare, making a vow to completely destroy enemy cities (called 'herem' or 'the ban') was a way of dedicating the victory entirely to God, showing that the battle was holy and the spoils belonged to Him alone.

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1 Corinthians 15:54

So when our broken, dying bodies get transformed into something that can't decay or die, then that ancient promise will finally come true: Death gets completely defeated.

Psalms 108:7

God has spoken from his holy place; I will celebrate with joy! I will divide up Shechem and measure out the valley of Succoth.

Isaiah 25:8

He will completely destroy death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from every face. He will remove the shame and disgrace of his people from the whole earth, because the Lord has promised this will happen.

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