And the LORD heard Israel’s pleaThis phrase highlights the responsiveness of God to the prayers of His people. In the context of
Numbers 21, the Israelites were facing opposition from the Canaanites. The plea indicates a moment of desperation and reliance on divine intervention. This reflects a recurring theme in the Old Testament where God responds to the cries of His people, as seen in
Exodus 2:23-25 when God heard the groaning of the Israelites in Egypt.
and delivered up the Canaanites.
The deliverance of the Canaanites into Israel's hands signifies God's sovereignty and His role as a divine warrior on behalf of Israel. This act of deliverance is consistent with God's promise to give the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21). It also foreshadows the eventual conquest of Canaan under Joshua, where God continues to deliver enemies into Israel's hands (Joshua 6:2).
Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction;
The term "devoted to destruction" (Hebrew: herem) indicates a complete consecration to God, often through destruction. This was a common practice in ancient warfare, especially in the context of holy war, where the spoils and people were dedicated to God, leaving nothing for personal gain. This act was meant to purify the land from idolatry and sin, aligning withDeuteronomy 7:2-5, where God commands the Israelites to destroy the nations in Canaan to prevent idolatry.
so they named the place Hormah.
Hormah means "destruction" or "devotion to destruction," and the naming of the place serves as a memorial of God's victory and judgment. This location is significant in Israel's history, as it was previously mentioned inNumbers 14:45, where the Israelites were defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites. The renaming signifies a reversal of fortune and a testament to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant-keeping God of Israel who listens to the prayers of His people and acts on their behalf.
2.
IsraelThe nation chosen by God, consisting of the descendants of Jacob, who are journeying to the Promised Land.
3.
The CanaanitesA group of people living in the land of Canaan, who were enemies of Israel and opposed their progress.
4.
HormahThe place where the Israelites achieved victory over the Canaanites, named to commemorate the destruction of their enemies.
5.
The Event of DeliveranceGod’s intervention in response to Israel’s plea, resulting in the defeat and destruction of the Canaanites.
Teaching Points
God Hears and RespondsGod listens to the prayers of His people. Just as He responded to Israel, He hears our cries and petitions today.
Divine DeliveranceThe victory over the Canaanites was not by Israel's might but by God's power. We must rely on God for deliverance in our battles.
The Importance of ObedienceIsrael's success was tied to their obedience to God's commands. Our spiritual victories are often linked to our faithfulness to God's Word.
Remembering God's FaithfulnessNaming the place Hormah served as a reminder of God's faithfulness. We should remember and commemorate God's work in our lives.
The Consequences of SinThe destruction of the Canaanites serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of living a life set apart for God.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Numbers 21:3?
2.How does God's response in Numbers 21:3 demonstrate His faithfulness to Israel?
3.What can we learn about prayer from Israel's plea in Numbers 21:3?
4.How does Numbers 21:3 connect to God's promises in Genesis 12:7?
5.In what ways can we trust God for victory in our own battles?
6.How should we respond when God answers our prayers, as seen in Numbers 21:3?
7.Why did the LORD grant Israel victory over the Canaanites in Numbers 21:3?
8.What does Numbers 21:3 reveal about God's character and justice?
9.How does the destruction of the Canaanites align with the concept of a loving God?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Numbers 21?
11.What events are chronicled in the Wars of the Lord?
12.Who was Og, King of Bashan?
13.Why does Judges 7 seemingly contradict other biblical passages that emphasize the need for adequate numbers in battle (e.g., 1 Chronicles 21:1-5)?
14.Why does Joshua 21:45 assert that every divine promise was fulfilled, when other passages suggest lingering Canaanite presence?What Does Numbers 21:3 Mean
And the LORD heard Israel’s plea• Israel had just experienced victory over Arad after making a vow to God (Numbers 21:2). The text underscores that the Lord listens when His covenant people cry out.
• Scripture consistently shows God responding to faithful appeals (Exodus 2:24;Psalm 34:17;1 Samuel 7:9–10).Numbers 21:3 echoes this pattern: “The LORD heard Israel’s plea”, affirming that prayer, when aligned with His will, moves Him to act (see also1 John 5:14–15).
• The phrase reminds us that God’s ear remains attentive to obedience and faith, not merely to need (Psalm 66:18–19).
and delivered up the Canaanites• The Lord’s answer came in the form of military deliverance: “and delivered up the Canaanites.” The verb signals a decisive act of divine sovereignty—He handed the enemy over to Israel (Exodus 23:23;Deuteronomy 7:23).
• This fulfillment links back to God’s earlier promise to Abraham that his descendants would possess the land (Genesis 15:18–21).
• Victory is explicitly attributed to God, not Israel’s strength (Deuteronomy 9:4–5;Psalm 44:3). It is a reminder that every triumph for God’s people flows from His might and faithfulness.
Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction• Following victory, Israel “devoted them…to destruction,” a practice commanded for certain Canaanite peoples (Deuteronomy 7:2; 20:16–18;Joshua 6:17).
• The total destruction (ḥerem) served two main purposes:
– Preserve Israel from idolatry by removing corrupting influences (Deuteronomy 12:29–31).
– Demonstrate God’s judgment on entrenched wickedness (Leviticus 18:24–25).
• It was not indiscriminate violence but a divinely ordered act, illustrating God’s holiness and Israel’s need for purity (Romans 11:22).
so they named the place Hormah• “Hormah” means “destruction” or “devotion to destruction,” commemorating both the vow and its fulfillment.
• The name looks back to Israel’s earlier defeat in the same region (Numbers 14:45;Deuteronomy 1:44). What once symbolized failure now stands as a marker of God’s faithfulness, turning shame into testimony.
• Naming places after God’s deeds is a recurring practice (Genesis 22:14;Exodus 17:15). It cements memory and reinforces trust for future generations (Joshua 4:6–7).
summaryNumbers 21:3 records a cycle: a sincere plea, God’s answer, obedient execution of His command, and memorialization of the victory. The verse assures believers that God hears, delivers, and calls His people to decisive obedience, turning past defeats into enduring reminders of His steadfast power and faithfulness.
(3)
And they utterly destroyed them and their cities.--The meaning of the verb which is here employed is to
devote to destruction,and hence to
destroy utterly.It does not clearly appear whether this destruction was effected at once, or whether the fulfilment of the vow took place at a later period. (See
Joshua 12:14;
Judges 1:17.) If the attack of the Canaanites was made at the time of the final departure from Kadesh, the latter view must be maintained, as it can scarcely be supposed that the cities could have been rebuilt and again destroyed in so short an interval.
And he called the name of the place Hormah.--Better,And the name of the place was called Hormah.The wordHormah--i.e., a devoted thing--is cognate with the verb which occurs in this and the preceding verse, and which is renderedutterly destroy.The place is so called by anticipation inNumbers 14:45, and, as in regard to other names (e.g., BethelandJacob),the name was probably given anew to the place on a later occasion (Judges 1:17).
Verse 3. -
They utterly destroyed them and their cities. Rather, "they banned (
יַּחַרֵם -
ἀναθεμάτισεν) them and their cities." No doubt the banning implies here their utter destruction, because it is not the vow before the battle, but the carrying of it out after the victory, which is here spoken cf.
And he called the name of the place Hormah. Rather, "the name of the place was called (impersonal use of the transitive) Charmah."
חָרְמָה. Septuagint,
Ἀνάθεμα. It is not very clear what place received this name at this time. It does not appear to have been Arid itself, as would have seemed most natural, because Arid and Hormah are mentioned side by side in
Joshua 12:14. It is identified with Zephath in
Judges 1:17. It may have been the place where the victory was won which gave all the cities of Arid to destruction. Whether it was the Hormah mentioned in chapter Numbers 14:45 is very doubtful (see note there). The nomenclature of the Jews, especially as to places, and most especially as to places with which their own connection was passing or broken, was vague and confused in the extreme, and nothing can be more unsatisfactory than arguments which turn upon the shifting names of places long ago perished and forgotten. It must be added that the three verses which narrate the chastisement of this Canaanite chieftain have caused immense embarrassment to commentators. If the incident is narrated in its proper order of time, it must have happened during the stay of the Israelites under Mount Hor, when they had finally left the neighbourhood of the Negeb, and were separated from the king of Arid by many days' march, and by a most impracticable country. It is therefore generally supposed that the narrative is out of place, and that it really belongs to the time when Israel was gathered together for the second time at Kadesh, and When his reappearance there in force might well have given rise to the report that be was about to invade Canaan from that side. This is unsatisfactory, because no plausible reason can be assigned for the insertion of the notice where it stands, both here and in
Numbers 33:40. To say that Moses wished to bring it into juxtaposition with the victories recorded in the latter part of the chapter, from which it is separated by the incident of the fiery serpents, and the brief record of many journeys, is to confess that no explanation can be invented which has the least show of reason. If the narrative be displaced, the displacement must simply be due to accident or interpolation. Again, it would seem quite inconsistent with the position and plans of Israel since the rebellion of Kadesh that any invasion and conquest, even temporary, of any part of Canaan should be made at this time, and that especially if the attack was not made until Israel was lying in the Arabah on his way round the land of Edom. It is therefore supposed by some that the vow only was made at this time, and the ban suspended over the place, and that it was only carried out as part of the general conquest under Joshua; that, in fact, the fulfillment of the vow is narrated in
Joshua 12:14;
Judges 1:16, 17. This, however, throws the narrative as it stands into confusion and discredit, for the ban and the destruction become a mockery and an unreality if nothing more was done to the towns of the king of Arad than was done at the same time to the towns of all his neighbours. It would be more reverent to reject the story as an error or a falsehood than to empty it of the meaning which it was obviously intended to convey. We are certainly meant to understand that the vow was there and then accepted by God, and was there and then carried into effect by Israel; the towns of Arad were depopulated and destroyed as far as lay in their power, although they may have been immediately reoccupied. There are only two theories which are worth considering. 1. The narrative
may really be displaced, for what cause we do not know. If so, it would
he more satisfactory to refer it, not to the time of the second encampment at Kadesh, but to the time of the first, during the absence of the spies in Canaan. It is probable that their entry was known, as was the case with Joshua's spies (
Joshua 2:2); and nothing could be more likely than that the king of Arad, suspecting what would follow, should attempt to anticipate invasion by attack. If it were so it might help to account for the rash confidence shown by the people afterwards (
Numbers 14:40), for the mention of Hormah (
Numbers 14:45), and for the reappearance of kings of Hormah and of Arad in the days of
Joshua 2. The narrative
may after all be in place. That the Israelites lay for thirty days under Mount Hor is certain, and they may have been longer. During this period they could not get pasture for their cattle on the side of Edom, and they may have wandered far and wide in search of it. It may have been but a comparatively small band which approached the Negeb near enough to be attacked, and which, by the help of God, was enabled to defeat the king of Arad, and to lay waste his towns. It had certainly been no great feat for all Israel to overthrow a border chieftain who could not possibly have brought 5000 men into the field. CHAPTERS 21:4-9 THE FIERY SERPENTS (verses 4-9).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
And the LORDיְהוָ֜ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelheardוַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע(way·yiš·ma‘)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8085:To hear intelligentlyIsrael’sיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל(yiś·rā·’êl)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478:Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his descpleaבְּק֣וֹל(bə·qō·wl)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6963:A voice, soundand delivered upוַיִּתֵּן֙(way·yit·tên)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414:To give, put, setthe Canaanites.הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י(hak·kə·na·‘ă·nî)Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3669:Canaanite -- inhabitant of CanaanIsrael completely destroyedוַיַּחֲרֵ֥ם(way·ya·ḥă·rêm)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2763:To seclude, to devote to religious uses, to be blunt as to the nosethemאֶתְהֶ֖ם(’eṯ·hem)Direct object marker | third person masculine plural
Strong's 853:Untranslatable mark of the accusative caseand their cities;עָרֵיהֶ֑ם(‘ā·rê·hem)Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5892:Excitementso they namedוַיִּקְרָ֥א(way·yiq·rā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121:To call, proclaim, readthe placeהַמָּק֖וֹם(ham·mā·qō·wm)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4725:A standing, a spot, a conditionHormah.חָרְמָֽה׃(ḥā·rə·māh)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 2767:Hormah -- 'asylum', a place in Simeon
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OT Law: Numbers 21:3 Yahweh listened to the voice of Israel (Nu Num.) 
