So Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their territory, and Israel turned away from them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, so Israel turned away from him.
- KJV Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
- NKJV Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
- NASB So Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; then Israel turned away from him.
- NLT Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel was forced to turn around.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Because Edom refused passage, Israel turned away and took another route. Israel yielded rather than fight a brother nation.
Overview
Honoring God's prohibition against taking Edom's territory, Israel chooses the longer, harder road around. Obedience here means accepting inconvenience and even insult. Their willingness to detour shows trust that God's commands, however costly, are wise and good.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Judg 11:18Then 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.
- Deut 2:29just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
- Judg 11:24Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
- Deut 2:27“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left.
- Deut 2:4–8and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful.
- Deut 23:7Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 20:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.