Numbers 21:1 (DRB)

Passage

And when king Arad the Chanaanite, who dwelt towards the south, had heard this, to wit, that Israel was come by the way of the spies, he fought against them, and overcoming them carried off their spoils.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:1 And when king Arad the Chanaanite, who dwelt towards the south, had heard this, to wit, that Israel was come by the way of the spies, he fought against them, and overcoming them carried off their spoils.

Numbers 21:2 But Israel binding himself by vow to the Lord, said: If thou wilt deliver thus people into my hand, I will utterly destroy their cities.

Numbers 21:3 And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and delivered up the Chanaanite, and they cut them off and destroyed their cities: and they called the name of that place Horma, that is to say, Anathema.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "arad", "chanaanite", "dwelt", "towards", "south", "heard", and "israel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "arad", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "But Israel binding himself by vow to...", so "king" and "arad" should be read forward into that movement. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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