Now the king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
- KJV And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
- BSB Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.
- NASB Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard about the coming of the sons of Israel.
- NLT At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.
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
The Canaanite king of Arad in the Negev hears that Israel is coming. This brief note anticipates the conflicts Israel will face approaching the land.
Overview
This verse echoes the earlier encounter with Arad (Numbers 21:1-3), where Israel had vowed devotion of the cities to the Lord. Its placement here within the travel record reminds readers that the nations were aware of and resisted God's advancing people. The looming opposition sets the stage for the conquest, which ultimately points to Christ's triumph over every hostile power.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Num 21:1–9The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the South, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
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 33:40 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.