which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”
Parallel translations
- WEB the land which Yahweh struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; and your servants have livestock.”
- KJV Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:
- NKJV the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
- NASB the land which the Lord conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
- NLT The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock.
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
They argued the land the Lord had subdued was ideal for livestock, and they were herdsmen.
Overview
They reasoned that since God had given Israel this territory and they owned much livestock, it suited them well. Their logic was practical, but it overlooked the danger of settling short of the Promised Land. The episode warns against letting present advantage eclipse God's larger purposes for His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Num 21:34But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
- Deut 2:24–35“Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.
- Num 21:24And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 32:4 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.