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.

NUMBERS 21:3KJV
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Numbers 21:3 (KJV)

What does Numbers 21:3 mean?

Numbers 21:3 says that the LORD listened to Israel’s request and gave them victory over the Canaanites, allowing Israel to completely destroy them and their cities. The place where this happened was named Hormah, marking the event.

In this verse, Israel had just asked God for help against the Canaanites, who had attacked them and taken some prisoners. The LORD (the personal name for God, יהוה / Yahweh) responded to Israel’s plea, and Israel was able to defeat and destroy these enemies and their towns. The name "Hormah" means "destruction" or "devotion to destruction," and it was given to the place as a reminder of what happened there.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 21:3

  • LORD (יהוה / Yahweh): This is the personal, covenant name for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing that it was Israel’s God who responded and acted on their behalf.
  • hearkened (שָׁמַע / shama‘): This word means "to listen" or "to pay attention." It shows that God was attentive and responsive to Israel’s prayer, not distant or indifferent.
  • destroyed (חָרַם / charam): This word means "to devote to destruction" or "to completely destroy." It often carries the sense of something being set apart for God, usually by being destroyed, which is why the place was named Hormah (חָרְמָה / chormah), from the same root.

Why Numbers 21:3 matters

  • Numbers 21:3 highlights that God’s response to prayer is not automatic but comes as a result of Israel’s direct plea and God’s willingness to act.
  • The naming of the place as Hormah connects this event to earlier failures (see Numbers 14:45), showing a reversal—Israel succeeds where they had previously been defeated.
  • The verse clarifies that the victory and destruction were not just military actions but acts carried out with God’s involvement and approval, setting the tone for later events in Israel’s journey.

Where else these words appear

“Hormah” Hebrew H2767 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 14:45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto 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.

“destroyed” Hebrew H2763 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
  • Joshua 10:28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.
  • 1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

“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 14:45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
  • 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.