21:2 So Israel made a vow 3 to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed deliver 4 this people into our 5 hand, then we will utterly destroy 6 their cities.”
32:16 Then they came very close to him and said, “We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families, 7
1 tn The word (אֶפֶס, ’efes) forms a very strong adversative. The land was indeed rich and fruitful, but….”
2 tn Heb “the people who are living in the land.”
3 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.
4 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.”
5 tn Heb “my.”
6 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.
7 tn Heb “our little ones.”