Font Size
Numbers 21:2-4
New Catholic Bible
Numbers 21:2-4
New Catholic Bible
2 [a]Israel made a vow to the Lord saying, “If you will deliver this people into our hands, then we will utterly destroy their cities!” 3 The Lord listened to the plea of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites. They totally destroyed them and their cities, therefore the place is called Hormah.
The Bronze Serpent.[b] 4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the way to the Red Sea in order to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became discouraged along the way.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 21:2 Hormah means “dedicated to destruction.” The entire booty taken in war is destroyed as an act of homage to God. See Num 18:14; Jos 6:7.
- Numbers 21:4 The bronze serpent, a sign of repentance and forgiveness, will be used by Jesus as a prefiguration of his own being lifted up on the cross (Jn 3:14).
Numbers 21:2-4
New International Version
Numbers 21:2-4
New International Version
2 Then Israel made this vow(A) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a](B) their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(C) over to them. They completely destroyed them(D) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[b](E)
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor(F) along the route to the Red Sea,[c](G) to go around Edom.(H) But the people grew impatient on the way;(I)
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.
- Numbers 21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.