And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.

NUMBERS 21:32KJV
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Numbers 21:32 (KJV)

What does Numbers 21:32 mean?

Numbers 21:32 describes how Moses sent people to scout out the area of Jaazer, and after gathering information, the Israelites captured its villages and forced out the Amorite inhabitants. This verse records a specific military action as Israel moved through the region on their way to the Promised Land.

In this setting, Moses is leading the Israelites through territory east of the Jordan River. The Amorites were a local people group living in that area. The verse highlights a step-by-step process: first, Moses sends scouts, then the Israelites take control of the villages, and finally, they drive out the Amorites. This event is part of a larger sequence where Israel is encountering and sometimes battling the peoples living in the land they are passing through.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 21:32

  • "Sent" (שָׁלַח, shalach): This word often means to send out with a purpose or mission, emphasizing Moses’ intentional leadership and planning before taking action.
  • "Spy out" (רָגַל, ragal): This word means to explore or scout, usually for military or strategic reasons. It shows that the Israelites were careful and strategic, not just rushing in blindly.
  • "Villages" (בְּנוֹת, benot): This word literally means "daughters," but in this context, it refers to the smaller settlements or villages surrounding a main city. This suggests that the Israelites were thorough, not just taking the main city but also its dependent towns.
  • "Drove out" (יָרַשׁ, yarash): This word can mean to dispossess or take possession by force. It highlights that the Amorites were not simply left behind but were actively removed from the land.

Why Numbers 21:32 matters

  • Numbers 21:32 clarifies that the Israelites did not simply wander into empty land; they encountered and displaced established peoples, which was a significant and sometimes controversial part of their journey.
  • This verse shows Moses using careful planning—sending scouts before acting—rather than acting impulsively, which is a recurring theme in his leadership.
  • The mention of Jaazer and its villages connects to later passages, where these territories become part of the land given to Israel’s tribes, showing how these events fit into the broader story of Israel’s settlement.

Where else these words appear

“Jaazer” Hebrew H3270 · used in 12 verses

  • Numbers 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
  • Joshua 13:25 And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;
  • 1 Chronicles 26:31 Among the Hebronites was Jerijah the chief, even among the Hebronites, according to the generations of his fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and there were found among them mighty men of valour at Jazer of Gilead.

“out” Hebrew H7270 · used in 24 verses

  • Genesis 42:9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
  • Deuteronomy 1:24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
  • Judges 18:14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

“Amorites” Hebrew H567 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 10:16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
  • Deuteronomy 1:44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
  • Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

“took” Hebrew H3920 · used in 112 verses

  • Numbers 32:39 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
  • Judges 9:50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
  • Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.