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Key: khaki:verbs.
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BrLXXΚαὶ ἀπάραντες ἐξ Ὢρ τοῦ ὄρους ὁδὸν ἐπὶ θάλασσαν ἐρυθρᾶν, περιεκύκλωσαν γῆν Ἐδώμ· καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησεν ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ. (Kai aparantes ex Ōr tou orous hodon epi thalassan eruthran, periekuklōsan gaʸn Edōm; kai ōligopsuⱪaʸsen ho laos en taʸ hodōi. )
BrTrAnd having departed from mount Or by the way leading to the Red Sea, they compassed the land of Edom, and the people lost courage by the way.
ULTAnd they set out from Mount Hor by the road of the Sea of Reeds to go around the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was short on the road,
USTThen the Israelites left Mount Hor and traveled on the road toward the Sea of Reeds, in order to go around the land of Edom. But the people became impatient along the way,
BSB § Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,[fn] in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey
WEBBEThey travelled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.
WMBBThey travelled from Mount Hor by the way to the Sea of Suf, to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.
NETThen they traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, but the people became impatient along the way.
LSVAnd they journey from Mount Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the soul of the people is short in the way,
FBVThe Israelites left Mount Hor by the road leading to the Red Sea so they could avoid traveling through the country of Edom. But the people became bad-tempered on the way
T4TThen the Israelis left Hor Mountain and traveled on the road towards the Red Sea, in order to go around the land of Edom. But the people became impatient along the way,
LEBThey set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea[fn] to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient[fn] along the way.
21:4Literally “the life of the people became short”
BBEThen they went on from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, going round the land of Edom: and the spirit of the people was overcome with weariness on the way.
JPSAnd they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient because of the way.
ASVAnd they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
DRAAnd they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:
YLTAnd they journey from mount Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people is short in the way,
DrbyAnd they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to go round the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient on the way;
RVAnd they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
WbstrAnd they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
KJB-1769¶ And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.[fn]
KJB-1611¶ [fn]And they iourneyed from mount Hor, by the way of the red sea, to compasse the land of Edom: and the soule of the people was much discouraged because of the way. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)
BshpsAnd they departed fro mount Hor, by the way of the red sea, to compasse the lande of Edom: and the soule of the people was sore greeued, because of ye way. (And they departed from mount Hor, by the way of the red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was sore greeued, because of ye/you_all way.)
GnvaAfter, they departed from the mount Hor by the way of the red Sea, to compasse the land of Edom: and the people were sore grieued because of the way. (After, they departed from the mount Hor by the way of the red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the people were sore grieved because of the way. )
CvdlThen departed they fro mount Hor on ye waye towarde the reed see, that they might go aboute the lande of the Edomites. And the soules of the people faynted by the waie (Then departed they from mount Hor on ye/you_all way towarde the red see, that they might go about the land of the Edomites. And the souls of the people faynted by the waie)
Wycl`Forsothe thei yeden forth also fro the hil of Hor, bi the weie that ledith to the reed see, that thei schulden cumpasse the lond of Edom; and it bigan to anoye the puple, of the weie and trauel. (`Forsothe they went forth also from the hill of Hor, by the way that leadeth/leads to the red see, that they should cumpasse the land of Edom; and it began to anoye the people, of the way and trauel.)
LuthDa zogen sie von Hor am Gebirge auf dem Wege vom Schilfmeer, daß sie um der Edomiter Land hinzögen. Und das Volk ward verdrossen auf dem Wege (So pulled they/she/them from Hor in/at/on_the mountains on to_him ways from_the Schilfmeer, that they/she/them around/by/for the/of_the Edomiter Land hinzögen. And the people what/which verdrossen on to_him Wege)
ClVgProfecti sunt autem et de monte Hor, per viam quæ ducit ad mare Rubrum, ut circumirent terram Edom. Et tædere cœpit populum itineris ac laboris:[fn] (Profecti are however and about mountain Hor, through road which ducit to the_sea Rubrum, as circumirent the_earth/land Edom. And tædere cœpit the_people itineris ac laboris: )
21.4Profecti sunt, etc. HIERON., epist. ad Fabiolam. Tricesima quinta mansio, etc., usque ad ore autem confessio ad salutem Rom. 10..
21.4Profecti are, etc. HIERON., epist. to Fabiolam. Tricesima quinta mansio, etc., until to ore however confessio to salutem Rom. 10..
21:4-9 The “vow to the Lord” and consequent victory (21:2-3) did not eliminate Israel’s criticisms against God and Moses, even though the long journey was punishment for the same kind of complaining (14:26-35).
Numbers 21:4-9 contains one of many incidents in which the Israelites spoke against God and Moses. When the Israelites complained about their lack of food and water and “this horrible manna” (21:5), the Lord sent poisonous snakes that fatally bit many of the people (cp. Deut 8:15). When the Israelites realized their mistake in speaking against God as well as against Moses, they asked Moses to pray that the Lord would remove the snakes. In response, God instructed Moses to make a bronze replica of a snake; whenever the afflicted would look upon the snake, they would be healed (Num 21:8). What kind of medical treatment was this? The power came from God, but it required an act of faith to look at the bronze image and trust that God would heal. Just as the serpent bites resulted from God’s wrath, the Lord provided deliverance through his own gracious will (see Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7).
When Hezekiah became king of Judah in 715 BC, the Israelites had begun using Moses’ bronze serpent as an idol (see 2 Kgs 18:1-4). They had probably kept the image as a reminder of God’s power, just as they kept other artifacts from the wilderness period (see Deut 10:5; Heb 9:4-5). But they began worshiping it as another deity, so it had to be destroyed like other pagan shrines and sacred pillars. Such idolatry is a serious threat to the worship of the one true God (cp. Exod 32).
Jesus referred to the incident of the bronze snake to predict the manner of his execution: He would be “lifted up” on the cross just as Moses had lifted up the snake on a pole (John 3:14-15; see also 8:28; 12:32-33). The metal image of a snake offered an antidote to injected venom; by analogy, those who look at the cross and accept God’s sacrifice lay claim to an eternal promise (John 3:14-16). The Lord sent the serpents to punish Israel because they complained about the manna God had sent them in the wilderness (Num 21:4-9). Jesus referred to himself as the “true bread from heaven,” the manna that provides life for his people (John 6:32-40).
After the Israelites received the law on Mount Sinai, which may have been located at Khashm et-Tarif (see also “The Route of the Exodus”), they traveled to Kadesh-barnea, a distance that took eleven days “by the way of Mount Seir” (Deuteronomy 1:2). The phrase “by the way of Mount Seir” suggests that more than one route existed between Mount Sinai and Kadesh, as shown here, but the road the Israelites took probably ran alongside the mountainous region of Seir. This route would have offered greater access to water from wells, natural springs, and seasonal streams flowing from the hills of Seir–a critical necessity for a large group traveling through this very arid region. Nearly every location identified on this map was essentially a small community centered around one of these life-enabling sources of water. After reaching Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan by sending spies to scout out the land. But when ten of the twelve spies brought back news about the strength of the Canaanites, the people became afraid to enter the land, so the Lord punished them by condemning them to travel in the wilderness for forty years until that generation died off. Some Israelites repented and tried to enter the land, but they were beaten back to Hormah by the Amalekites and Canaanites. So for forty years the Israelites traveled from place to place, probably in the general area of Kadesh-barnea, though very few locations mentioned are able to be established with much certainty. As the forty years of traveling drew to a close, the Israelites prepared again to travel to Canaan by requesting permission from the king of Edom to pass through his land. When the king refused, the Israelites “turned away” from the Edomites and set out from Kadesh to travel to Mount Hor. The Jewish historian Josephus located Mount Hor at Jebel Nebi Harun, a very tall mountain in eastern Edom, but this has been rejected by many scholars in favor of other sites such as Jebel Madeira to the northeast of Kadesh. This author is convinced, however, that any candidate for Mount Hor must be sought to the south of Kadesh-barnea. Numbers 33:30 and Deuteronomy 10:6 mention that, during their wilderness travels, the Israelites camped at Moseroth/Moserah, which was apparently located at Mount Hor, since both Moseroth/Moserah and Mount Hor are cited as the place where Aaron died (Numbers 21:29-29; 33:37-39; Deuteronomy 10:6-9). It is difficult to envision the Israelites traveling back to the edge of Canaan after suffering defeat there the last time they attempted to enter the land. These same passages also note that after their stay at Moseroth/Moserah the Israelites traveled to Hor-haggidgad/Gudgodah (probably located along the Wadi Khadakhid) and then to Jotbathah, with no mention of passing through Kadesh, which they would have had to do if Mount Hor was north of Kadesh (since they were avoiding the land of Edom). Also, in Deuteronomy 2:1 Moses says that after the Israelites left Kadesh, “we journeyed back into the wilderness, in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord had told me and skirted Mount Seir for many days,” and Aaron’s death on Mount Hor fits best during this time. Similarly, Numbers 21:4 says “from Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom,” but there would have been no way to the Red Sea around the land of Edom if Mount Hor were located northeast of Kadesh. One element of the wilderness narratives that appears to favor a northeast location for Mount Hor, however, is the story of the king of Arad, which the book of Numbers (chapters 21 and 33) places immediately after the death of Aaron on Mount Hor. At first glance, the narrative seems to imply that the king attacked the Israelites at Mount Hor, which fits better with a northern location. Yet, it is also possible that the story is simply noting that it was after the Israelites’ arrival at Mount Hor that the king of Arad first learned of the Israelites’ renewed intentions to enter Canaan, perhaps as a result of their request to pass through Edom. But it may have been later that the king of Arad actually engaged them in battle, perhaps as they were passing north of Zalmonah and appeared to be ready to enter Canaan by way of Arad (see Numbers 33:41-42 and the map “The Journey to Abel-shittim”). For these reasons, this author believes that Har Karkom is the best candidate for the location of Mount Hor. The site is appropriately located at the edge of Seir and along the way to the Red Sea. This site’s role as an ancient cultic center is also well established. Perhaps Aaron’s priestly duties and authority in Israel had grown out of a similar role he had previously held at Mount Hor (see also Numbers 12:1-2; Deuteronomy 33:2; Judges 5:4-5), where he was eventually buried.
