Lethargic Man (anag.)

( More of the normal slightly boring stuff ) Numbers 21:14 contains one of the intriguing references within the Bible to other books, no longer extant:

Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, Of Wahev in Suf, and in the wadis of Arnon, And at the stream of the wadis that goes down to the dwelling of Ar, and lies upon the border of Moab.

עַל־כֵּן יֵאָמַר בְּסֵפֶר מִלְחֲמֹת ה׳ אֶת־וָהֵב בְּסוּפָה וְאֶת־הַנְּחָלִים אַרְנוֹן׃ וְאֶשֶׁד הַנְּחָלִים אֲשֶׁר נָטָה לְשֶׁבֶת עָר וְנִשְׁעַן לִגְבוּל מוֹאָב׃

In the Samaritan text, this is slightly different:

Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, of Wahev in Suf, and in the wadis of Arnon, Which he caused them to inherit, and which goes down to the dwelling of the city, and lies upon the border of Moab.

עַל־כֵּן יֵאָמַר בְּסֵפֶר מִלְחֲמֹת ה׳ אֶת־וָהֵב בְּסוּפָה וְאֶת־הַנְּחָלִים אַרְנֹן׃ אֲשֶׁר הִנְחִילָם וְאֲשֶׁר נָטָה לְשֶׁבֶת עִיר וְנִשְׁעַן לִגְבוּל מוֹאָב׃

I have typeset this as prose, not verse, because it lacks the parallelism of the MT. I suspect the MT is in the right here, though, for that reason, and because of the verb number disagreement ("goes" rather than "go"). Take note of the word אֶשֶׁד, though: we'll encounter that again in Deut. 33.

Numbers 21:17-19:

Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing you unto it. The princes dug the well, the nobles of the people dug it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah. And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth.

אָז יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת עֲלִי בְאֵר עֱנוּ־לָהּ׃ בְּאֵר חֲפָרוּהָ שָׂרִים כָּרוּהָ נְדִיבֵי הָעָם בִּמְחֹקֵק בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָם וּמִמִּדְבָּר מַתָּנָה׃ וּמִמַּתָּנָה נַחֲלִיאֵל וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵל בָּמוֹת׃

In the Samaritan text:

Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing you unto it. The princes dug the well, the nobles of the people dug it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves, a gift from the wilderness. And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth.

אָז יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת עֲלִי בְאֵר עֱנוּ־לָהּ׃ בְּאֵר חֲפָרוּהָ שָׂרִים כרואה נְדִיבֵי הָעָם בִּמְחֹקֵק וּבְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָם מִמִּדְבָּר מַתָּנָה׃ וּמִמַּתָּנָה נַחֲלִיאֵל וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵל בָּמוֹת׃

I'm uncertain whether the extra א is significant; in Jewish Hebrew כרואה looks like it might mean "like the seer". I've translated מַתָּנָה here as "gift", which seems to make more sense in the middle verse; but it's still a place-name in the last.

The report of the conflict with Siḥon King of Ḥeshbon in Num. 21:21 onwards includes many inserts from the parallel passage in Deut. 2:24 onwards, some of which reconcile diverges between the passages. One of these verses contains the following peculiarity:

[Deut. 2:31] The LORD said to Moses, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before you: begin to possess, that you may inherit his land. [Num. 21:23] ש But Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

[במד׳ כא כג] וְלֹא־נָתַן סִיחוֹן אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבֹר בִּגְבֻלוֹ [דבר׳ ב לא] וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה רְאֵה הַחִלֹּתִי תֵּת לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת־סִיחֹן וְאֶת־אַרְצוֹ הָחֵל רָשׁ לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־אַרְצוֹ׃ ש [במד׳ כא כג] וַיֶּאֱסֹף סִיחוֹן אֶת־כָּל־עַמּוֹ וַיֵּצֵא לִקְרַאת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּדְבָּרָה וַיָּבֹא יָחְצָה וַיִּלָּחֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃

I have no idea what the extraneous ש is doing there—or, indeed, whether it's really there and not a typesetting error.

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