Numbers 21:21 (KJV)

Passage

And Israel sent messengers unto 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 in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

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

Numbers 21:22 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s high way, until we be past thy borders.

Numbers 21:23 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he 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 in the valley that..." into verse 22's "Let me pass through thy 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.