Numbers 21:21 (DRB)

Passage

And Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, saying:

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:19 From Mathana unto Nahaliel: from Nahaliel unto Bamoth.

Numbers 21:20 From Bamoth, is a valley in the country of Moab, to the top of Phasga, which looked towards the desert.

Numbers 21:21 And Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, saying:

Numbers 21:22 I beseech thee that I may have leave to pass through thy land: we will not go aside into the fields or the vineyards, we will not drink waters of the wells, we will go the king's highway, till we be past thy borders.

Numbers 21:23 And he would not grant that Israel should pass by his borders: but rather gathering an army, went forth to meet them in the desert, and came to Jasa and fought against them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "israel", "sent", "messengers", "sehon", "king", "amorrhites", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "israel" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "From Bamoth is a valley in the..." into verse 22's "I beseech thee that I may have...", so "israel" and "sent" 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 "israel" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.