Numbers 21:1 (YLT)

Passage

And the Canaanite--king Arad--dwelling in the south, heareth that Israel hath come the way of the Atharim, and he fighteth against Israel, and taketh <FI>some<Fi> of them captive.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:1 And the Canaanite--king Arad--dwelling in the south, heareth that Israel hath come the way of the Atharim, and he fighteth against Israel, and taketh <FI>some<Fi> of them captive.

Numbers 21:2 And Israel voweth a vow to Jehovah, and saith, `If Thou dost certainly give this people into my hand, then I have devoted their cities;'

Numbers 21:3 and Jehovah hearkeneth to the voice of Israel, and giveth up the Canaanite, and he devoteth them and their cities, and calleth the name of the place Hormah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "canaanite--king", "arad--dwelling", "south", "heareth", "israel", "hath", "come", and "atharim". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "canaanite--king" and "arad--dwelling", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And Israel voweth a vow to Jehovah...", so "canaanite--king" and "arad--dwelling" 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 "canaanite--king" and "arad--dwelling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.