The Meaning of Numbers 21:29 Explained

Numbers 21:29

KJV: Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

YLT: Woe to thee, O Moab, Thou hast perished, O people of Chemosh, He hath given his sons who escape -- Also his daughters -- Into captivity, to a king of the Amorite -- Sihon!

Darby: Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, people of Chemosh: He gave his sons that had escaped, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the king of the Amorites.

ASV: Woe to thee, Moab! Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: He hath given his sons as fugitives, And his daughters into captivity, Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Woe  to thee, Moab!  thou art undone,  O people  of Chemosh:  he hath given  his sons  that escaped,  and his daughters,  into captivity  unto Sihon  king  of the Amorites. 

What does Numbers 21:29 Mean?

Context Summary

Numbers 21:21-35 - Victory Over The Amorites
Two great victories opened the eastern lands to the possession and settlement of two tribes and a half. It is not enough to know our heritage in Christ; we must possess our possessions.
Sihon, the king of the Amorites, made an unprovoked attack on Israel; and his action was the less excusable, because he had himself been an invader. As a proof of this, a passage is quoted from one of their national songs, in which the poet describes his invasion of the land, the burning of Heshbon and Ar, and the erection of new cities in their stead, Numbers 21:27-30. See also Judges 11:13-27. Sihon and Og suffered the same fate at the hands of Israel. General Gordon, when crossing the Sudan to attack the slave-trader, often heard these words in his heart: "Fear him not, for I have delivered him into thy hand." See Psalms 135:11; Psalms 136:19-20. Behind all history is divine and everlasting love! [source]

Chapter Summary: Numbers 21

1  Israel destroys the Canaanites at Hormah
4  The people murmuring are plagued with fiery serpents
7  They repenting are healed by a bronze serpent
10  Various journeys of the Israelites
21  Sihon is overcome
33  And Og

What do the individual words in Numbers 21:29 mean?

Woe to you Moab You have perished people of Chemosh He has given his sons as fugitives and his daughters into captivity to king of the Amorites Sihon
אוֹי־ לְךָ֣ ! מוֹאָ֔ב אָבַ֖דְתָּ עַם־ ! כְּמ֑וֹשׁ נָתַ֨ן בָּנָ֤יו פְּלֵיטִם֙ וּבְנֹתָ֣יו בַּשְּׁבִ֔ית לְמֶ֥לֶךְ אֱמֹרִ֖י סִיחֽוֹן

אוֹי־  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֹוי  
Sense: woe! alas! oh!.
לְךָ֣  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
! מוֹאָ֔ב  Moab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.
אָבַ֖דְתָּ  You  have  perished 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
עַם־  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
! כְּמ֑וֹשׁ  of  Chemosh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּמֹושׁ 
Sense: the national deity of the Moabites and a god of the Ammonites.
נָתַ֨ן  He  has  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בָּנָ֤יו  his  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
פְּלֵיטִם֙  as  fugitives 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: פָּלִיט 
Sense: refugee, fugitive, escaped one.
וּבְנֹתָ֣יו  and  his  daughters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
בַּשְּׁבִ֔ית  into  captivity 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁבִי 
Sense: captivity, captives.
לְמֶ֥לֶךְ  to  king 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֱמֹרִ֖י  of  the  Amorites 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱמֹרִי  
Sense: one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt.
סִיחֽוֹן  Sihon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: סִיחֹון  
Sense: king of the Amorites at the time of the conquest and defeated by Moses in Transjordan.