Numbers 20:17
15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers,
16 and when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.
Please let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
18 But Edom answered, “You may not travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with the sword.”
19 “We will stay on the main road,” the Israelites replied, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay for it. There will be no problem; only let us pass through on foot.”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Please let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
- KJV
- 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: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
- WEB
- “Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink from the water of the wells. We will go along the king’s highway. We will not turn away to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your border.”
- ASV
- Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go along the king`s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.
- DARBY
- Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country; we will not pass through fields, or through vineyards, neither will we drink water out of the wells: we will go by the king's road; we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border.
- BLB
- Let us pass, please, through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink the water of a well. We will go along the Highway of the King; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until that we have passed through your territory.”
- ÅB
- Kjære, la oss få dra gjennom ditt land! Vi skal hverken gå gjennom åker eller vingård, heller ikke drikke vann av noen brønn; etter kongeveien vil vi dra og ikke bøye av hverken til høyre eller til venstre, før vi er kommet gjennom ditt land.
- OTB
- La oss få lov til å passere gjennom ditt land. Vi vil ikke gå gjennom noen åker eller vingård eller drikke vann fra noen brønn. Vi vil reise langs Kongeveien og ikke svinge til høyre eller venstre før vi har passert gjennom ditt område.”
- B1930
- Kjære, la oss få dra gjennem ditt land! Vi skal hverken gå gjennem åker eller vingård, heller ikke drikke vann av nogen brønn; efter kongeveien vil vi dra og ikke bøie av hverken til høire eller til venstre, før vi er kommet gjennem ditt land.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Deuteronomy 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.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 2:1–4
Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir.
Read in contextNumbers 21:1
When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.
Read in contextNumbers 21:22–24
“Let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
Read in contextDeuteronomy 2:29
just 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.”
Read in context