Numbers 21:14

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, "Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon,

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the LORD, Vahev in Sufah, The valleys of the Arnon,

King James Version
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord , What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

Lexham English Bible
Therefore thus it is said in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh, "Waheb in Suphah, and the wadis of Arnon,

English Standard Version
Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord , "Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

New Century Version
That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says: ".... and Waheb in Suphah, and the ravines, the Arnon,

New English Translation
This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord , "Waheb in Suphah and the wadis, the Arnon

Amplified Bible
That is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: "Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon [River],

New American Standard Bible
For that reason it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, "Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore it shall be spoken in the booke of the battels of the Lorde, what thing he did in the red sea, and in the riuers of Arnon,

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh,"Waheb in Suphah,And the wadis of the Arnon,

Contemporary English Version
A song in The Book of the Lord 's Battles mentions the town of Waheb with its creeks in the territory of Suphah. It also mentions the Arnon River,

Complete Jewish Bible
This is why it says, in the Book of the Wars of Adonai , ". . . Vahev at Sufah, the vadis of Arnon,

Darby Translation
Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of Jehovah, Vaheb in Suphah, and the brooks of Arnon;

Easy-to-Read Version
That is why these words are written in the Book of the Wars of the Lord : "… and Waheb in Suphah, and the Valleys of the Arnon,

George Lamsa Translation
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, A flame of fire is in the whirlwind and in the river of Arnon,

Good News Translation
That is why The Book of the Lord 's Battles speaks of "… the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the valleys; the Arnon River,

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord’s Wars:

Literal Translation
therefore, it is said in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah: Waheb in Suphah, the torrents of Arnon,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wherfore it is spoken in the boke of the warres of the LORDE: And go with violence both on the ryuer of Arnon,

American Standard Version
Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Jehovah, Vaheb in Suphah, And the valleys of the Arnon,

Bible in Basic English
As it says in the book of the Wars of the Lord, Vaheb in Suphah, and the valley of the Amon;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherfore, it shalbe spoken in the booke of the warres of the Lord, what thyng he dyd in the red sea, and in the riuers of Arnon,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the LORD: Vaheb in Suphah, and the valleys of Arnon,

King James Version (1611)
Wherefore it is said in the booke of the warres of the Lord, what he did in the Red sea, and in the brookes of Arnon,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore it is said in a book, A war of the Lord has set on fire Zoob, and the brooks of Arnon.

English Revised Version
Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the LORD, Vaheb in Suphah, And the valleys of Arnon,

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: "Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wherfor it is seid in the book of batels of the Lord, As he dide in the reed see, so he schal do in the strondis of Arnon;

Young's Literal Translation
therefore it is said in a book, `The wars of Jehovah,' -- `Waheb in Suphah, And the brooks of Arnon;

Update Bible Version
Therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Yahweh, Vaheb in Suphah, And the valleys of the Arnon,

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

World English Bible
Therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Yahweh, Vaheb in Suphah, The valleys of the Arnon,

New King James Version
Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: "Waheb in Suphah, [fn] The brooks of the Arnon,

New Living Translation
For this reason The Book of the Wars of the Lord speaks of "the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines of the Arnon River,

New Life Bible
So it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: "Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

New Revised Standard
Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord , "Waheb in Suphah and the wadis. The Arnon

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For this cause is it said, in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh, - …Waheb with a hurricane, And the ravines of Arnon;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: As he did in the Red Sea, so will he do in the streams of Arnon.

Revised Standard Version
Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, "Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth. ¹¹ They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iyeabarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the east. ¹² From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered. ¹³ From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, "Waheb in Suphah, And the wadis of the Arnon,¹⁵ And the slope of the wadis That extends to the site of Ar, And leans to the border of Moab." ¹⁶ From there they continued to Beer, that is the well where the LORD said to Moses, "Assemble the people, that I may give them water." ¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! Sing to it! ¹⁸ "The well, which the leaders sank, Which the nobles of the people dug, With the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah, ¹⁹ and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in the book: Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18

What he did: or, Vaheb in Suphah, The following seems to be the sense of this passage: "From Vaheb in Suphah, and the torrents of Arnon, even the effusion of the torrents, which goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth for the boundary of Moab; even from thence to the well; - which is the well of which Jehovah spake unto Moses, Gather the people, and I will give them water. Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O Well! Answer ye to it. The well, princes digged it; even nobles of the people digged it, by a decree, upon their borders and from the wilderness - or the well, as in LXX to Mattanah; and from Mattanah," etc. The whole of this, from Numbers 21:14-20, is a fragment from "the book of the wars of Jehovah," probably a book of remembrances or directions written by Moses for the use of Joshua, and describes the several boundaries of the land of Moab. This rendering removes every obscurity, and obviates every difficulty.

Reciprocal: Numbers 21:13 - General Numbers 21:27 - General Numbers 22:36 - the border Deuteronomy 1:1 - Red Sea Psalms 44:1 - in the times Jeremiah 48:20 - Arnon

Cross-References

Genesis 16:7
Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

Genesis 19:27
Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD;

Genesis 21:6
Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me."

Genesis 21:7
And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Genesis 21:23
now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned."

Genesis 21:25
But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

Genesis 21:31
Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath.

Genesis 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

Genesis 22:3
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Genesis 22:19
So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord,.... A history of wars in former times, which the Lord had suffered to be in the world; and which, as Aben Ezra thinks, reached from the times of Abraham and so might begin with the battle of the kings in his time, and take in others in later times, and particularly those of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and his conquests of some parts of Moab; and to this book, which might be written by some one of those nations, Moses refers in proof of what he here says:

what he did in the Red sea; that is, what Sihon king of the Amorites did, or the Lord by him, "at Vaheb in Suphah", as the words may be rendered; either against a king, or rather city, of Moab, whose name was Vaheb, in the borders of the land of Moab, or how he destroyed that city Vaheb with a storm or terrible assault l:

and in the brooks of Arnon: some places situated on the streams of that river, which were taken by the Amorites from the Moabites, as the book quoted plainly testified.

l Vid. L'Empereur. Not. in Mosis Kimchi οδοιπορια p. 195.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Of “the book of the wars of the Lord” nothing is known except what may be gathered from the passage before us. It was apparently a collection of sacred odes commemorative of that triumphant progress of God’s people which this chapter records. From it is taken the ensuing fragment of ancient poetry relating to the passage of the Arnon River, and probably also the Song of the Well, and the Ode on the Conquest of the Kingdom of Sihon Numbers 21:17-18, Numbers 21:27-30.

What he did ... - The words which follow to the end of the next verse are a reference rather than a quotation. Contemporaries who had “the Book” at hand, could supply the context. We can only conjecture the sense of the words; which in the original are grammatically incomplete. The marg. is adopted by many, and suggests a better sense: supplying some such verb as “conquered,” the words would run “He” (i. e. the Lord) “conquered Vaheb in Suphah, and the brooks, etc.” Suphah would thus be the name of a district remarkable for its reeds and water-flags in which Vaheb was situated.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 21:14. The book of the wars of the Lord — There are endless conjectures about this book, both among ancients and moderns. Dr. Lightfoot's opinion is the most simple, and to me bears the greatest appearance of being the true one. "This book seems to have been some book of remembrances and directions, written by Moses for Joshua's private instruction for the management of the wars after him. See Exodus 17:14-16. It may be that this was the same book which is called the book of Jasher, i. e., the book of the upright, or a directory for Joshua, from Moses, what to do and what to expect in his wars; and in this book it seems as if Moses directed the setting up of archery, see 2 Samuel 1:18, and warrants Joshua to command the sun, and expect its obedience, Joshua 10:13."

What he did in the Red Sea, and in the brooks of Arnon — This clause is impenetrably obscure. All the versions, all the translators, and all the commentators, have been puzzled with it. Scarcely any two agree. The original is את והב בסופה eth vaheb besuphah, which our translators render, what he did in the Red Sea, following here the Chaldee Targum; but not satisfied with this version, they have put the most difficult words in English letters in the margin, Vaheb in Suphah. Calmet's conjecture here is ingenious, and is adopted by Houbigant; instead of והב vaheb, he reads זרד zared. Now a ז zain may be easily mistaken for a ו vau, and vice versa; and a ה he for a ר, resh, if the left limb happened to be a little obliterated, which frequently occurs, not only in MSS., but in printed books; the ב beth also might be mistaken for a ד daleth, if the ruled line on which it stood happened in that place to be a little thicker or blacker than usual. Thus then והב vaheb might be easily formed out of זרד zared, mentioned Numbers 21:12; the whole might then be read, They encamped at the brook Zared, and they came to Suphah, and thence to the brook Arnon. Take the passage as we may, it is evidently defective. As I judge the whole clause to have been a common proverb in those days, and Vaheb to be a proper name, I therefore propose the following translation, which I believe to be the best: From Vaheb unto Suph, and unto the streams of Arnon. If we allow it to have been a proverbial expression, used to point out extensive distance, then it was similar to that well known phrase, From Dan even unto Beersheba.