21:2 So Israel made a vow 4 to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed deliver 5 this people into our 6 hand, then we will utterly destroy 7 their cities.”
1 tn Heb “told him and said.” The referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn The relative clause modifies “the land.” It is constructed with the relative and the verb: “where you sent us.”
3 sn This is the common expression for the material abundance of the land (see further, F. C. Fensham, “An Ancient Tradition of the Fertility of Palestine,” PEQ 98 [1966]: 166-67).
4 tn The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative with the verb: They vowed a vow. The Israelites were therefore determined with God’s help to defeat Arad.
5 tn The Hebrew text has the infinitive absolute and the imperfect tense of נָתַן (natan) to stress the point – if you will surely/indeed give.”
6 tn Heb “my.”
7 tn On the surface this does not sound like much of a vow. But the key is in the use of the verb for “utterly destroy” – חָרַם (kharam). Whatever was put to this “ban” or “devotion” belonged to God, either for his use, or for destruction. The oath was in fact saying that they would take nothing from this for themselves. It would simply be the removal of what was alien to the faith, or to God’s program.