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Saturday, October 26th, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Christian Standard Bible ®

Numbers 21:18

The princes dug the well;the nobles of the people hollowed it outwith a scepter and with their staffs.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Beer;   Mattanah;   Thankfulness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Wells;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beer;   Poetry of the Hebrews;   Serpents;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Reuben;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Beer;   Mattanah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Beer;   Birthright;   Jasher;   Mattanah;   Moses;   Prayer;   Shiloh (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Book(s);   Lawgiver;   Mattanah;   Music, Instruments, Dancing;   Pentateuch;   Poetry;   Well;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beer;   Israel;   Jephthah;   Lawgiver;   Marshal;   Mattanah;   Moses;   Numbers, Book of;   Prince;   Wars of the Lord, Book of the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Husbandman ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Arnon ;   Beer ;   Lawgiver;   Mattanah ;   Moab, Moabites ;   Type;   Wanderings of the Israelites;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Beer-elim;   Mattanah;   Wells;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Be'er;   Birthright;   Mat'tanah;   Mo'ses;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Lawgiver;   Mattanah;   Moses;   Noble;   Numbers, Book of;   Sceptre;   Wanderings of Israel;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Beer;   Well, Song of the;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah,
Update Bible Version
The well, which the princes dug, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the scepter, [and] with their poles. And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah;
English Revised Version
The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah:
New Century Version
Princes dug this well. Important men made it. With their scepters and poles, they dug it." The people went from the desert to Mattanah.
New English Translation
The well which the princes dug, which the leaders of the people opened with their scepters and their staffs." And from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah;
Webster's Bible Translation
The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by [the direction of] the lawgiver, with their staffs. And from the wilderness [they went] to Mattanah:
World English Bible
The well, which the princes dug, Which the nobles of the people dug, With the scepter, [and] with their poles. From the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah;
Amplified Bible
The well which the leaders dug, Which the nobles of the people hollowed out With the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness Israel journeyed to Mattanah,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
thei sungen togidere, The pit which the princes diggiden, and the duykis of the multitude maden redi, in the yyuere of the lawe, and in her stauys. And thei yeden forth fro the wildirnesse to Mathana,
Young's Literal Translation
`A well -- digged it have princes, Prepared it have nobles of the people, With the lawgiver, with their staves.' And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah,
Berean Standard Bible
The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with their staffs." From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah,
Contemporary English Version
With their royal scepters, our leaders pointed out where to dig the well. The Israelites left the desert and camped near the town of Mattanah,
American Standard Version
The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah;
Bible in Basic English
The fountain made by the chiefs, made deep by the great ones of the people, with the law-givers' rod, and with their sticks. Then from the waste land they went on to Mattanah:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The princes digged this well, the captaynes of the people digged it with the lawe geuer, and with their staues. And from the wildernesse they went to Mathana:
Complete Jewish Bible
sunk by the princes, dug by the people's leaders with the scepter, with their staffs!" From the desert they went to Mattanah,
Darby Translation
Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at [the word of] the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness [they went] to Mattanah;
Easy-to-Read Version
Great men dug this well. Important leaders dug this well. They dug this well with their staffs and walking sticks. It is a gift in the desert."
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The well, which the princes digged, which the nobles of the people delved, with the sceptre, and with their staves. And from the wilderness to Mattanah;
King James Version (1611)
The Princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the Law-giuer, with their staues. And from the wildernesse they went to Mattanah:
New Life Bible
The well, which the leaders dug, which the rulers of the people dug, with the special stick of power and with their walking sticks." From the desert they went on to Mattanah.
New Revised Standard
the well that the leaders sank, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter, with the staff." From the wilderness to Mattanah,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A well! - princes digged it, Nobles of the people, delved it, With a sceptre, With their staves. And, from the desert, to Mattanah;
Geneva Bible (1587)
The princes digged this well, the captaines of the people digged it, euen the lawe giuer, with their staues. And from the wildernesse they came to Mattanah,
George Lamsa Translation
The well which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people uncovered and searched out with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah;
Good News Translation
The well dug by princes And by leaders of the people, Dug with a royal scepter And with their walking sticks." They moved from the wilderness to Mattanah,
Douay-Rheims Bible
The well, which the princes dug, and the chiefs of the people prepared by the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staves. And they marched from the wilderness to Mathana.
Revised Standard Version
the well which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people delved with the scepter and with their staves." And from the wilderness they went on to Mat'tanah,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
the princes digged it, the kings of the nations in their kingdom, in their lordship sank it in the rock: and they went from the well to Manthanain,
Hebrew Names Version
The well, which the princes dug, Which the nobles of the people dug, With the scepter, [and] with their poles. From the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah;
King James Version
The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:
Lexham English Bible
Well water that the princes dug, that the leaders of the people dug, with a staff and with their rods." And from the desert they continued to Mattanah,
Literal Translation
The well which the rulers dug, which the nobles of the people dug with their staves, at the word of the Lawgiver. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This is the well, that the prynces dygged: the nobles amonge the people haue digged it thorow ye teacher and their staues. And from this wildernes they wente vnto Mathana,
New American Standard Bible
"The well, which the leaders dug, Which the nobles of the people hollowed out, With the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,
New King James Version
The well the leaders sank, Dug by the nation's nobles, By the lawgiver, with their staves." And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah,
New Living Translation
Sing of this well, which princes dug, which great leaders hollowed out with their scepters and staffs." Then the Israelites left the wilderness and proceeded on through Mattanah,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The well, which the leaders sank, Which the nobles of the people dug, With the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,
Legacy Standard Bible
The well, which the leaders dug,Which the nobles of the people carved out,With the scepter and with their staffs."And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,

Contextual Overview

10The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth. 11They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness that borders Moab on the east. 12From there they went and camped at Zered Valley. 13They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites. 14Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord’s Wars: 15even the slopes of the ravinesthat extend to the site of Arand lie along the border of Moab. 16From there they went to Beer, the well the Lord told Moses about, “Gather the people so I may give them water.” 17Then Israel sang this song: 18The princes dug the well;the nobles of the people hollowed it outwith a scepter and with their staffs.19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

princes: 2 Chronicles 17:7-9, Nehemiah 3:1, Nehemiah 3:5, 1 Timothy 6:17, 1 Timothy 6:18

the lawgiver: Deuteronomy 5:31, Deuteronomy 33:4, Isaiah 33:22, John 1:17, James 4:12

And from: Numbers 33:45-47

Reciprocal: Genesis 49:10 - lawgiver Exodus 24:11 - nobles Numbers 20:8 - the rod

Cross-References

Genesis 16:10
The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.”
Genesis 17:20
As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac,
Genesis 21:13
and I will also make a nation of the slave’s son because he is your offspring.”
Genesis 21:18
Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great nation.”
Genesis 21:29
And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs?”
Genesis 21:31
Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The princes digged the well,.... The princes and heads of the several tribes:

the nobles of the people digged it; the seventy elders, according to the Targum of Jonathan:

by the direction of the lawgiver; either the Lord himself, the lawgiver of his people, who pointed out the spot, and directed the princes where to dig, that is, be did this by Moses; and who, as Jarchi thinks, is the lawgiver, and not amiss: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render the word by Scribes, in the plural number, and interpret them of Moses and Aaron: and this the princes and nobles "dug with their staves"; either their walking sticks, or their rods, the ensigns of their authority; with these they smote the ground, or stuck them in a soft and sandy place, upon which the waters bubbled up and flowed out. Dr. Shaw n chooses to render the words, "with their united applause", or "clapping of hands", as the word שען in Chaldee signifies; or it may be expressed, as by Dr. Hunt, quoted by him, "by describing" or "marking out" the figure or fashion of the well "with staves". Mr. Ainsworth thinks that this well signified Christ, the fountain of gardens, and well of living waters; and the waters of it the Spirit and his graces, which are a well of living water springing up unto everlasting life; the means of which are the labours of the governors of the church, the ministers of Christ,

by preaching the word, and opening the Scriptures; and such grace is worthy of a song, and to be had with joy out of the wells of salvation,

Isaiah 12:3:

and from the wilderness they went to Mattanah; from the wilderness near Arnon, which came out of the coasts of the Amorites, Numbers 21:13 to a place which signifies a gift. The Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render it,

"and from the wilderness it was given to them for a gift''

that is, the well; and so the people of God, that are called out of the wilderness of this world, and come up from it, are called to partake of the gifts and blessings of grace, which are freely given unto them of God.

n Travels, p. 67. Ed. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This song, recognized by all authorities as dating from the earliest times, and suggested apparently by the fact that God in this place gave the people water not from the rock, but by commanding Moses to cause a well to be dug, bespeaks the glad zeal, the joyful faith, and the hearty cooperation among all ranks, which possessed the people. In after time it may well have been the water-drawing song of the maidens of Israel.

Numbers 21:18

By the direction of the lawgiver - Some render, with the lawgiver’s scepter; i. e. under the direction and with the authority of Moses; compare Genesis 49:10, and note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Numbers 21:18. The princes digged the well - with their staves. — This is not easily understood. Who can suppose that the princes dug this well with their staves? And is there any other idea conveyed by our translation? The word חפרו chapharu, which is translated they digged, should be rendered they searched out, which is a frequent meaning of the root; and במשענתם bemishanotham, which we render with their staves, should be translated on their borders or confines, from the root שען shaan, to lie along. With these corrections the whole song may be read thus: -


Spring up, O well! Answer ye to it. i.e. Repeat the other part of the song.
The well, the princes searched it out. This is the answer.
The nobles of the people have digged it. By a decree, upon their own borders. This was the chorus.


This is the whole of the quotation from what is called the book of the wars of the Lord. But see Dr. Kennicott's remarks at the end of this chapter.


 
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