Numbers 21:21 (LSB)

Passage

Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,

Nearby Context

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 land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland.

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

Numbers 21:22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.”

Numbers 21:23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "israel", "sent", "messengers", "sihon", "king", "amorites", 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 "and from Bamoth to the valley that..." into verse 22's "Let me pass through your land We...", 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.