Numbers 21:20 (DBY)

Passage

and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the fields of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks over the surface of the waste.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:18 Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at [the word of] the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness [they went] 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 fields of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks over the surface of the waste.

Numbers 21:21 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

Numbers 21:22 Let us pass through thy land; we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink water out of the wells; on the king's road will we go until we have passed thy border.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bamoth", "valley", "fields", "moab", "pisgah", "looks", "over", and "surface". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bamoth" and "valley", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "and from Mattanah to Nahaliel and from..." into verse 21's "And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king...", so "bamoth" and "valley" 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 "bamoth" and "valley" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.