Numbers 21:18 (ASV)

Passage

The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, [and] with their staves. And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah;

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:16 And from thence [they journeyed] to Beer: that is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

Numbers 21:17 Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

Numbers 21:18 The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, [and] with their staves. And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah;

Numbers 21:19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;

Numbers 21:20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "well", "princes", "digged", "nobles", "people", "delved", "sceptre", and "staves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "well" and "princes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Then sang Israel this song Spring up..." into verse 19's "and from Mattanah to Nahaliel and from...", so "well" and "princes" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "well" and "princes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.