Numbers 20:14-21

Numbers 20:14-21

[14] And Moses  sent  messengers  from Kadesh  unto the king  of Edom,  Thus saith  thy brother  Israel,  Thou knowest  all the travail  that hath befallen  [15] How our fathers  went down  into Egypt,  and we have dwelt  in Egypt  a long  time;  and the Egyptians  vexed  us, and our fathers:  [16] And when we cried  unto the LORD,  he heard  our voice,  and sent  an angel,  and hath brought us forth  out of Egypt:  and, behold, we are in Kadesh,  a city  in the uttermost  of thy border:  [17] Let us pass,  I pray thee, through thy country:  we will not pass  through the fields,  or through the vineyards,  neither will we drink  of the water  of the wells:  by the king's  high way,  we will not turn  to the right hand  nor to the left,  until we have passed  thy borders.  [18] And Edom  said  unto him, Thou shalt not pass  by me, lest I come out  against  thee with the sword.  [19] And the children  of Israel  said  unto him, We will go  by the high way:  and if I and my cattle  drink  of thy water,  then I will pay  for it: I will only, without doing any thing  else, go through  on my feet.  [20] And he said,  Thou shalt not go through.  And Edom  came out  against  him with much  people,  and with a strong  hand.  [21] Thus Edom  refused  to give  Israel  passage  through his border:  wherefore Israel  turned away  from him.

What does Numbers 20:14-21 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The cloudy pillar led the Israelites, but apparently Moses had reason to believe that God was directing them eastward into the territory of Edom and from there north to Transjordan. Consequently he sent messengers to the King of Edom requesting permission to pass through his land ( Numbers 20:14).
The Edomites were Israel"s "brother" ( Numbers 20:14) in that they were the descendants of Esau. The "king"s highway" ( Numbers 20:17; Numbers 20:19) was a major thoroughfare through Edom that caravans and armies as well as private citizens traveled. It was a trade route connecting the Gulf of Aqabah and Syria. [1] The Israelites did not take this route.
Moses took an irenic approach in dealing with the Edomites because they were the Israelites" relatives. They were not Canaanites that God had commanded His people to attack and destroy. However the Edomites refused to let Israel pass. This antagonistic attitude characterized Edom"s approach to Israel throughout the history of these two nations and finally drew God"s judgment upon Edom (cf. Obadiah 1:10-14).
The Israelites remained in the area west of Edom temporarily and then proceeded to circle around Edom taking a generally southeasterly course toward the Gulf of Aqabah (cf. Numbers 21:4).
"A close reading of these narratives shows that the pattern in the account of Israel"s failure to believe ( Numbers 14) is repeated in this account of Moses" unbelief. The complaints of the people ( Numbers 14:1-4; Numbers 20:2-5) lead the Lord to conclude that Israel ( Numbers 14:11) and Moses ( Numbers 20:12) are lacking in faith. Moreover, both narratives are followed by an account of Israel"s aborted attempt to gain immediate entrance into the Promised Land. In chapter14 , it was Israel"s defeat by the Amalekites ( Numbers 14:40-45), and in the present passage it is Edom"s refusal to let Israel pass through their land ( Numbers 20:14-21). In these various ways, the author seems intent on showing the similarities between Israel"s failure of faith and that of Moses. Both failed to believe God and hence could not go into the land." [2]