SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:4
Y manda al pueblo, diciendo: Pasando vosotros por el término de vuestros hermanos los hijos de Esaú, que habitan en Seir, ellos tendrán miedo de vosotros; mas vosotros guardaos mucho;
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. And command thou the people , etc.] Give them a strict charge: saying, ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children or Esau : not through the midst of their country, for that the king of Edom would not admit of, but by or on the border of it: and they shall be afraid of you ; lest such a numerous body of people as Israel were should seize upon their country, and dispossess them of it, they having been so long, wanderers in a wilderness near them: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore ; that they did not take any advantage of their fears, and fall upon them, and do them mischief, or that they did not provoke them to battle and overcome them. Ver. 5 Meddle not with them , etc.] Contend not with them in battle, nor provoke them to it: for I will not give you of their land, no not so much as a foot breadth ; or as the sole of a man’s foot can tread on, signifying that they should not have the least part of it, not any at all. Jarchi makes mention of an exposition of theirs, that he would give them nothing of it until should come the day of the treading of the sole of the foot in the mount of Olives, ( Zechariah 14:4), meaning not till the days of the Messiah, when Edom should be a possession of Israel; (see Numbers 24:18), (Obidiah 1:19) because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession ; and therefore not to be taken away from them; they have a right of inheritance of it; (see Genesis 36:8 Joshua 24:4).
Ver. 6 Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat , etc.] That is, if they would, as Aben Ezra observes; for though they had manna daily, yet if they would they might buy other food when they had an opportunity, as they would now have of Edom; but then they were not to take it by force or stealth, but pay for it, which they were able to do. The same writer observes, that some read the words with an interrogation, “shall ye buy meat?” no, there is no need of it; for the Lord had blessed them with a sufficiency of it: and ye shall also buy water of them for money; that ye may drink ; which was usual in those hot countries; (see Gill on “ Numbers 20:19”) or dig water that is, pay for digging of wells for water, or buy water out of wells dug in the land of Edom. Jarchi says in maritime places they express buying by this word, and so it is used in the Arabic language; (see Gill on “ Hosea 3:2”).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - Only a short account of the long stay of Israel in the wilderness i given. God not only chastised them for their murmuring and unbelief but prepared them for Canaan; by humbling them for sin, teaching the to mortify their lusts, to follow God, and to comfort themselves in him. Though Israel may be long kept waiting for deliverance an enlargement, it will come at last. Before God brought Israel to destro their enemies in Canaan, he taught them to forgive their enemies i Edom. They must not, under pretence of God's covenant and conduct think to seize all they could lay hands on. Dominion is not founded i grace. God's Israel shall be well placed, but must not expect to be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Religion must never be made cloak for injustice. Scorn to be beholden to Edomites, when thou has an all-sufficient God to depend upon. Use what thou hast, use i cheerfully. Thou hast experienced the care of the Divine providence never use any crooked methods for thy supply. All this is equally to be applied to the experience of the believer.
Original Hebrew
ואת 853 העם 5971 צו 6680 לאמר 559 אתם 859 עברים 5674 בגבול 1366 אחיכם 251 בני 1121 עשׂו 6215 הישׁבים 3427 בשׂעיר 8165 וייראו 3372 מכם 4480 ונשׁמרתם 8104 מאד׃ 3966
