Numbers 21:15

Num 21:15-16. Ar — A chief city in Moab. Beer — This place, and Mattanah, Nahaliel, and Bamoth, named here, (Num 21:19,) are not mentioned among those places where they pitched or encamped, chap. 33. Probably they did not pitch or encamp in these places, but only pass by or through them. I will give them water — In a miraculous manner. Before they prayed, God granted, and prevented them with the blessings of goodness. And as the brazen serpent was the figure of Christ, so is this well a figure of the Spirit, who is poured forth for our comfort, and from him flow rivers of living waters.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ar--the capital of Moab.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

15. the slope] Probably something steeper, such as a cliff, is intended. The sing. is not found elsewhere; the plural always in the expression ‘the slopes of the Pisgah’ (Deu_3:17; Deu_4:49, Jos_12:3; Jos_13:20) except in Jos_10:40.

the dwelling of Ar] A poetical expression for the site of Ar, the city being personified. ‘Ar means ‘city’ (LXX. Ἤρ represents ‘Ir, the ordinary Heb. form of the word); in Num_21:28 it is ‘Ar of Moab,’ equivalent to the ‘city of Moab’ (Num_22:36); cf. Isa_15:1. The site of Ar is unknown, but its locality is indicated in Num_22:36 (see note there).

leaneth upon] A poetical parallel to the preceding ‘inclineth towards.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And from thence they went to Beer,.... A place so called from a well which sprung up here, of which the following account is given:

that is, the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses; promising him to give it to the children of Israel, without asking for it; which was a very singular favour, and for which they were thankful: saying to him:

gather the people together, and I will give them water; for as they were now gone from the river Arnon, and the streams and brooks of it, they might be in want of water, though they did not murmur as they had been used to do; and without their petition for it, the Lord promises to give it to them; and that they might be witness of the miracle that would be wrought for them, they are ordered to be gathered together.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To the dwelling of Ar - Ar (compare Num 21:28; Isa 15:1) was on the bank of the Arnon, lower down the stream than where the Israelites crossed. Near the spot where the upper Arnon receives the tributary Nahaliel Num 21:19, there rises, in the midst of the meadow-land between the two torrents, a hill covered with the ruins of the ancient city (Jos 13:9, Jos 13:16; compare Deu 2:36).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The rocks. Some assert that the rocks fell upon the enemy: others, that they gave way and opened a passage for the Hebrews, while the rivers were also dried up. Hebrew, "They encamped on the stream of the torrents, which bends towards the dwelling (or city) of Ar, and rests upon the frontiers of Moab." Thus the book to which Moses alludes, confirms his account of these different encampments. (Calmet) --- The Septuagint give rather a different turn of these two verses: "Hence it is said in a book, The war of the Lord has burnt Zoob and the torrents of Arnon---and has sent the torrents to inhabit Er: and it lies upon the borders of Moab." The river, it seems, had been removed out of its bead by a subterraneous fire or earthquake, and deluged the city of Ar, belonging to Moab. The mighty hand of God terrified those nations, while all nature fought against the wicked and the unwise, Wisdom v. 21. (Haydock) --- Rocks were hurled upon the heads of the Amorrhites, and the waters conveyed their dead bodies into the vale of Moab. (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Ar; a chief city in Moab, as appears from Isa 15:1, of which Num 21:28.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

15. Ar is identified by Dr. Robinson with the modern Rabbah. But Ritter, Hengstenberg, Keil, Kurtz, Dietrich, and Raumer in his later view, all agree that it was situated near Aroer, on the Arnon. Dr. Ridgaway sustains Dr. Robinson. “The ruins here are second in extent and interest only to those of Rab Ammon. The Roman road appears to have divided the city into two parts. The more extensive ruins lie on the eastern side. On the west are two Corinthian columns, very graceful indeed, and about two hundred feet apart. If these belonged to the same building, as they probably did, it must have been very large and grand. Among the ruins on the east side are several large mounds, which probably cover fallen buildings. I observed one large depression into which access was gained by what at first seemed to be a succession of steps, and in the bottom of which was an extensive pavement. This I took to have been a theatre.” — The Lord’s Land.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And at the stream of the brooks. Rather, "and the pouring (dvaw) of the brooks," i.e., the slope of the watershed. Ar. r is an archaic form of ryi, a city. The same place is called Ar Moab in verse

28.

It was situate on the Arnon somewhat lower down than where the Israelites crossed its "brooks." The peculiarity of the site, "in the midst of the river", (Jos_13:9, cf. Deu_2:36) and extensive ruins, have enabled travelers to identify the spot on which it stood at the junction of the Mojeb (Arnon) and Lejum (Nahaliel, verse 19). It is uncertain whether the Greeks gave the name of Areopolis, as Jerome asserts, to Ar, but in later times it was Rabbah, a town many miles further south in the heart of Moab which bore this name. Ar was at this period the boundary town of Moab, and as such was respected by the Israelites. (Deu_2:9, Deu_2:29)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ar - A chief city in Moab.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

ואשר הנחלים THE DISCHARGE IN THE VALLEYS — The Targum translation of,שפך “pouring forth”, is אשר. Consequently these words signify “the pouring forth in the valleys”, for at that place there was poured forth the blood of the Amorites who had concealed themselves there. As the mountains were high and the valley deep and narrow, and the mountains were so close to one another, that a man could stand upon the mountain on one side and speak to his fellow on the other mountain, and the road passed through the valley, the Amorites said: When the Israelites are about to enter the land by passing through the valley we will come out of the mountain caves above them and will kill them by arrows and stone missiles. Now those caves were in the mountains on the Moabite side, and on the mountain that was on the Amorite side there were, opposite those caves, projections like horns and breasts jutting out. When Israel were on the point of passing, the mountain that was located in the land of Israel (that on the Amorite side which afterwards came into the possession of the Israelites) was set in tremor as a handmaid that goes forth to receive her mistress, and moved nearer to the mountain of Moab, and these breast-like projections penetrated into the caves and killed them (the Amorites who were hidden in them). And this is the meaning of אשר נטה לשבת ער which inclineth towards the dwelling (location) of Ar (the capital Moab) — which means that the mountain inclined from its place and approached close to the mountain on the Moabite side and affixed itself to it: and this, too, is the meaning of ונשען לגבול מואב, and leaneth towards the boundary of Moab (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 20; cf. Berakhot 54b).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.