Numbers 21:29
in Numbers 21Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Woe to thee, Moab! Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: He hath given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
KJV
Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
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This verse in Numbers 21
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Chemosh - The national God of the Moabites (compare the marginal references). The name probably means “Vanquisher,” or “Master.” The worship of Chemosh was introduced into Israel by Solomon 1Ki 11:7; 2Ki 23:13. It was no doubt to Chemosh that Mesha, king of Moab, offered up his son as a burnt-offering 2Ki 3:26-27. In the first six lines Num 21:27-28 the poet imagines for the Amorites a song of exultation for their victories over Moab, and for the consequent glories of Heshbon, their own capital.
This site's exposition
there is a fire gone out of Heshbon
on Numbers 21:28-30
The song is an Amorite victory piece about the fall of Moab, made when Heshbon was taken from Moab, and Moses puts it into the record now that the singers themselves have fallen. Chemosh is named as the god of Moab, the god 1 Kings 11:7 says Solomon built a high place for. Jeremiah 48:45-46 takes these same lines up again against Moab centuries later, so a taunt made by Amorites ends in the prophets.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
), which sufficiently proves what is vouched for, namely, [1.] That such and such places that are here named, though they had been in the possession of the Moabites, had by right of war become the dominion of Sihon king of the Amorites.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
People of Chemosh - The worshippers of Chemosh: so the God of the Moabites was called. He, that is, their God, hath delivered up his own people to his and their enemies; nor could he secure even those that had escaped the sword, but suffered them to be carried into captivity.
Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone,....
By all this it appears that the Moabites' claim to this country was barred for ever. There may be a further reason for inserting this Amorite poem, namely, to show that the triumphing of the wicked is short.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
people of Chemosh--the name of the Moabite idol (1Ki 11:7-33; Jer 48:46). he--that is, their god, hath surrendered his worshippers to the victorious arms of Sihon.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Wherefore they that speak in proverbs--Here is given an extract from an Amorite song exultingly anticipating an extension of their conquests to Arnon.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אוֹי־ | ʾo- | woe! | H188 → | |
| לְךָ֣ | lekha | to <the> you | ||
| מוֹאָ֔ב | moav | O Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| אָבַ֖דְתָּ | ʾavadta | you have perished | H6 → | 184 times |
| עַם־ | ʾam- | O people of | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| כְּמ֑וֹשׁ | kemoosh | Chemosh | H3645 → | |
| נָתַ֨ן | natan | he has made | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בָּנָ֤יו | banav | sons his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| פְּלֵיטִם֙ | peleitim | fugitives | H6412 → | |
| וּבְנֹתָ֣יו | uvenotav | and daughters his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| בַּשְּׁבִ֔ית | bashevit | in <the> captivity | H7622 → | |
| לְמֶ֥לֶךְ | lemelekh | of [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֱמֹרִ֖י | ʾemori | [the] Amorite[s] | H567 → | 87 times |
| סִיחֽוֹן׃ | sichon | Sihon | H5511 → | 37 times |
אוֹי־woe!
ʾo-H188 →
לְךָ֣to <the> you
lekha
מוֹאָ֔בO Moab
moavH4124 →181 times
אָבַ֖דְתָּyou have perished
ʾavadtaH6 →184 times
עַם־O people of
ʾam-H5971 →1873 times
כְּמ֑וֹשׁChemosh
kemooshH3645 →
נָתַ֨ןhe has made
natanH5414 →2011 times
בָּנָ֤יוsons his
banavH1121 →4930 times
פְּלֵיטִם֙fugitives
peleitimH6412 →
וּבְנֹתָ֣יוand daughters his
uvenotavH1323 →588 times
בַּשְּׁבִ֔יתin <the> captivity
bashevitH7622 →
לְמֶ֥לֶךְof [the] king of
lemelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֱמֹרִ֖י[the] Amorite[s]
ʾemoriH567 →87 times
סִיחֽוֹן׃Sihon
sichonH5511 →37 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 23:13The king also desecrated the high places east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 11:7
At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 11:5
Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
- 1 Kings 11:7
Through
Jeremiah 48:7Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 48:13
Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 52:7
“Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”
- Jeremiah 48:13
Through
1 Kings 11:7At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
it leads to
- Judges 11:24
Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 11:24
Through
Jeremiah 48:46Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 48:7
Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 48:7
Through
Judges 11:24Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
it leads to
- Micah 4:5
Though each of the peoples may walk in the name of his god, yet we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.
- Psalms 78:55
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
- Micah 4:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.