21:1 1 When the Canaanite king of Arad2 who lived in the Negev3 heard that Israel was approaching along the road to Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoner.
sn This chapter has several events in it: the victory over Arad (vv. 1–3), the plague of serpents (vv. 4–9), the approach to Moab (vv. 10–20), and the victory over Sihon and Og (vv. 21–35). For information, see D. M. Gunn, “The ‘Battle Report’: Oral or Scribal Convention.” JBL 93 (1974): 513–18; and of the extensive literature on the archaeological site, see EAEHL 1:74–89.
2
sn The name Arad probably refers to a place a number of miles away from Tel Arad in southern Israel. The name could also refer to the whole region (like Edom).
3
tn Or “the south”; “Negev” has become a technical name for the southern desert region and is still in use in modern times.
