Nombres 21:14

Concerning this will be told. Concerning this encampment, and the miracles performed in it. Will be told in the Book of Wars of Adonoy. When they recount the miracles performed for our forefathers, they will recount that “He gave, etc.”

He gave. Like אֶת יָהֵב . Just as we transpose יָעֹד into וָעֹד, we also transpose וָהֵב into יָהֵב, the וָי"ו being basic. As if to say, “that He gave them, and wrought many miracles at the Reed Sea.”

And the valleys of Arnon. Just as we recount the miracles of the Reed Sea, so should we recount the miracles of the valleys of Arnon, since here, too, great miracles were wrought. What are the miracles?

Therefore it is said in the book of the Law, where are recorded the wars of the Lord: Eth and Heb, who had been smitten with the blast of the leprosy, and had been banished beyond the confine of the camp, made known. to Israel that Edom and Moab were concealed among the mountains in ambush, to destroy the people of the house of Israel. But the Lord of the world made a sign to the mountains, which pressed one to another so that they died: and their blood flowed through a valley on the brink of the Arnon (or, a valley adjoining Arnon).

In the Book of the Wars of Adonoy. This was a separate Book, in which the Wars of Hashem on behalf of those who fear Him were written. Possibly, it existed in the days of Avraham, for many books were lost and are not extant anymore, such as the words of Nasan and Ido, the Divrei HaYamim of the Kings of Yisroel, the Songs of Shlomo and his Proverbs.

The simple meaning of [the expression] in the book of the wars of the Eternal. is that there were wise men in those generations who used to write down the history of great wars, for such was [the custom] in all generations. These authors were called moshlim (they that speak in parables), because they wrote in them [their books] by means of proverbs and figures of speech, and when there were victories which they considered wonderful, they ascribed those wars to G-d, to Whom they are in truth [to be attributed]. Now the victory of Sihon over Moab was marvellous in their eyes, therefore they wrote it down in a book, speaking of it in figurative language, Eth Vahev b’suphah etc., and writing about it in a proverb — Come ye to Heshbon etc. Now the name of one city of those that belonged to Moab was Vahev. And the pouring forth of the brooks — [this refers to] the slope of the brook, because the streams [of water] flow down continuously from the slopes of Pisgah. Similarly, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the Arabah, and in ‘the slopes.’ B’suphah, [this word is] of [the root] ‘b’suphah’ (in the whirlwind) and in the storm. Thus when Sihon captured the cities of Moab, those who wrote in parables recorded in the book which they called “the Wars of the Eternal”: Eth Vahev b’suphah [meaning: “The city of Vahev He destroyed in a whirlwind”], or they wrote: “G-d warred against Vahev in a whirlwind.” And the slope of the brooks which belonged to Arnon, and the downpour of the brooks that inclineth toward the seat of Ar, and the slope that leaneth upon the border of Moab — all these the Eternal destroyed in the whirlwind and in the storm, for Sihon came upon them [the Moabites] suddenly, his horses’ hoofs were counted like flint, and his wheels like a whirlwind. Similarly those [who spoke in parables] said: For a fire is gone out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon etc. Thus Scripture is bringing a proof from the book of “the Wars [of the Eternal”] that Arnon is on the border of Moab, and was forbidden to Israel [to capture], whereas the brooks and all the slopes as far as Arnon they were allowed [to take], for Sihon had captured from the king of Moab all his land until Arnon, but not Arnon itself. Thus Arnon remained part of Moab, and constituted its border, as it is written, And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the valley of Arnon, the middle of the valley for a border., 3:16. And so also did Jephthah say, and they [the Israelites] pitched on the other side of the Arnon, but they came not within the border of Moab, for Arnon was the border of Moab.

על כן יאמר, concerning these journeys which were in fact a reversal of their previous journeys, while they marched around the territory of Edom for many days (compare Deuteronomy 2,1) until they turned again and encountered the well described in 20,11. At that time, as part of the summary of their experiences in which the people thanked the Lord, they mentioned the miracles at the sea of reeds, as well as the miracle experienced at the river Arnon, as well as the song beginning in verse 17 of our chapter. They now acknowledged gratefully the well for the availability of which they had not previously composed a song of thanksgiving. The reason they had neglected to do so at the time was the fact that in order to have the waters of this well Moses and Aaron had been condemned to die before entering the Holy Land. [our author calls the waters emerging from the rock at this juncture a well, as he presumes that it performed henceforth the same function as had the well of Miriam which had ceased to function after her death. Ed.]

את והב, the יהב of the Lord as in Psalms 55,23 השלך על ה' יהבך והוא יכלכלך, “cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you.” Or, as in Kohelet 2,22 מה הוה לאדם מכל עמלו, “what does man have as a result of all his toil?” Our author quotes a few more verses in which the letter י in a word has been supplanted by the letter ו. Basically, he views the word והב as meaning the same as the word יהב.

בספר מלחמות ה' את והב בסופה, [if I understand the author correctly he suggests that the waters of the rock at Massah Umerivah which he described as flowing upstream, anti gravity like, were the reason why Sichon did not attempt to oppose the Israelites at the time when they first entered territory which was under his sovereignty. Ed.] Some of these miraculous events are recorded in what are known as the book of G’d’s wars. Examples of such miracles were what happened here and how these waters described a turn returning to their origin, i.e. the well that originated at Massah and Merivah. The reason why the Torah is so vague about these miracles is out of consideration for Moses and Aaron. The reason for these miracles was only in order to demonstrate to the Israelites what kind of miracles they had not been shown because Moses and Aaron had decided not to speak to the rock at the time. The people only found out in retrospect that the waters which had come forth from that rock were not natural waters, subject to the laws of nature such as the laws of gravity. These waters also did not behave according to the laws of centrifugality, i.e. of instead displaying a tendency of flowing towards the center. This is why these waters ascended with the Jewish people in their journeys through mountainous regions. [I have summarised the author’s commentary on these verses in order for the reader not to lose track of the main thrust of this commentary. Ed.]

על כן, “This is why, etc,” in G–d’s records of nations’ wars these changes of borders are recorded, just as we find such changes mentioned in the Book of Chronicles of the Bible.

את והב בסופה, “the word: “vahav, “ is one word, the letter ו at the beginning is not a conjunctive or prefix. It is similar to Genesis 45,1, where Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers and we read: בהתודע יוסף, “when Joseph revealed himself.” That word should really have been ואתודע. Here too, the correct word should have been אתיהב למלך מואב בסופה וסערה, meaning that the King of Moav had been defeated by Sichon in battle when he lost this part of his land right up to the banks of the river Arnon.