Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

NUMBERS 14:45KJV
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Numbers 14:45 (KJV)

What does Numbers 14:45 mean?

Numbers 14:45 describes how the Amalekites and the Canaanites, who lived in the hill country, attacked and defeated the Israelites, chasing them as far as a place called Hormah. The verse shows that the Israelites suffered a serious loss after trying to go into the land without God’s support.

This event happens right after the Israelites refused to enter the promised land when God told them to, and then tried to go up on their own after being warned not to. The verse highlights that the local peoples—the Amalekites and Canaanites—were able to overpower the Israelites, forcing them to retreat in defeat. The mention of Hormah marks the extent of their loss.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 14:45

  • "Smote" (נָכָה, nākhāh) means to strike or attack with force. Here, it emphasizes that the Israelites were not just pushed back but were physically beaten in battle.
  • "Discomfited" (כָּתַת, kāthat) often means to crush or destroy. In this context, it shows that the Israelites were not just defeated but thoroughly routed and scattered, adding to the sense of total defeat.
  • "Hormah" (חָרְמָה, ḥormāh) is the name of a place, and the word itself is related to the idea of being devoted to destruction. The use of this name underlines the seriousness of the Israelites’ defeat.

Why Numbers 14:45 matters

  • This verse clears up that the Israelites’ defeat was not just a minor setback but a complete rout, showing the consequences of acting against God’s instructions.
  • The specific mention of the Amalekites and Canaanites connects this event to earlier warnings, highlighting that the Israelites faced exactly the dangers they had been told about.
  • The defeat at Hormah becomes a turning point in the story, marking a low point for the Israelites and setting the stage for their years of wandering in the wilderness.

Where else these words appear

“Hormah” Hebrew H2767 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 21:3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
  • Joshua 12:14 The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;
  • Judges 1:17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

“Amalekites” Hebrew H6003 · used in 12 verses

  • Genesis 14:7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.
  • Judges 12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.
  • 1 Samuel 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

“discomfited” Hebrew H3807 · used in 17 verses

  • Leviticus 22:24 Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 30:14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

“Canaanites” Hebrew H3669 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  • Numbers 21:1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
  • Judges 1:4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.