Deuteronomy 2:6

2:1-7 Only a short account of the long stay of Israel in the wilderness is given. God not only chastised them for their murmuring and unbelief, but prepared them for Canaan; by humbling them for sin, teaching them to mortify their lusts, to follow God, and to comfort themselves in him. Though Israel may be long kept waiting for deliverance and enlargement, it will come at last. Before God brought Israel to destroy their enemies in Canaan, he taught them to forgive their enemies in 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 in 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 a cloak for injustice. Scorn to be beholden to Edomites, when thou hast an all-sufficient God to depend upon. Use what thou hast, use it 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.

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 (y) 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. (y) "fodietis", Montanus.

Deuteronomy 2:6 . Buy meat of them for money — For though the manna did yet rain upon them, they were not forbidden to buy other meats when they had opportunity, but only were forbidden greedily to hunger after them when they could not obtain them. Buy water — For water in those parts was scarce, and therefore private persons did severally dig pits for their particular use.

Buy meat of them; for though the manna did yet rain upon them, they were not forbidden to buy other meats when they had opportunity, but only were forbidden greedily to hunger after them when they could not obtain them. Buy water of them; for water in those parts was scarce, and therefore private persons did severally dig pits for their particular use. See Genesis 26:18 Numbers 21:18 .

5-7. Meddle not with them—that is, "which dwell in Seir" (De 2:4)—for there was another branch of Esau's posterity, namely, the Amalekites, who were to be fought against and destroyed (Ge 36:12; Ex 17:14; De 25:17). But the people of Edom were not to be injured, either in their persons or property. And although the approach of so vast a nomadic horde as the Israelites naturally created apprehension, they were to take no advantage of the prevailing terror to compel the Edomites to accept whatever terms they imposed. They were merely to pass "through" or along their border, and to buy meat and water of them for money (De 2:6). The people, kinder than their king, did sell them bread, meat, fruits, and water in their passage along their border (De 2:29), in the same manner as the Syrian caravan of Mecca is now supplied by the people of the same mountains, who meet the pilgrims as at a fair or market on the hadji route [Robinson]. Although the Israelites still enjoyed a daily supply of the manna, there was no prohibition against their eating other food when opportunity afforded. Only they were not to cherish an inordinate desire for it. Water is a scarce commodity and is often paid for by travellers in those parts.

It was the more incumbent on the Israelites to do so, as, by the blessing of God, they possessed plenty of means to purchase, and the long-continued experience of the extraordinary goodness of God to them, should inspire such confidence in Him as would suppress the smallest thought of resorting to fraud or violence in supplying their wants.

6. Ye shall purchase … ye shall buy ] Heb. shabar , literally to deal in grain ( Genesis 41:57 , etc.), but also victuals ( Genesis 42:7 ), and karah, to buy , only here Hosea 3:2 and in Job. JE, Numbers 20:19 : if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then I will give the price thereof . To-day nomad Arabs, who winter in the warm ‘Arabah, seek to cross Mt Se‘îr with their cattle by one or other of several passes to summer pastures on the E. plateau and the wilderness of Moab. The passes are easily defended by the peasants of the Mt, who seek to prevent them; yet they are glad when the nomads travel on the edge of the desert, for then they can barter with them (Musil, Edom , ii. 15). Where there are no brooks but only cisterns or easily guarded springs, the peasant possessors of these will refuse to sell even small draughts to one or two passing travellers, as the writer has more than once experienced; cp. Musil, Moab , 132. It is conceivable how water would be still more jealously guarded from a large caravan or host, with appetites sufficient to exhaust the cisterns. It is implied in Deuteronomy 2:29 that Edom agreed to supply food and water. Deuteronomy 2:6

6–8. The Command to start from Ḥoreb for the Land Jehovah spake: In Ḥoreb ye have dwelt enough (6); break up and march to the Mt of the Amorites and the parts adjacent as far as the Euphrates (7); I have set the land before you, enter and possess as Jehovah sware to the fathers to give it to them and their seed (8).—JE, Exodus 33:1 ff., narrates the order to depart to the land promised by oath to the fathers; the promise of an angel to drive out the six nations possessing it (probably a gloss, see Driver ib. ): Jehovah’s refusal to go with them; and His consent after an argument by Moses (also held by some to be editorial); and adds, Numbers 10:29-32 (J), Moses’ appeal to Ḥobab to act as eyes 1[109] to the host. The terms of the command differ from those in D. P, in harmony with its account of the procedure on the march ( Numbers 9:15-22 ), gives the signal of departure from Ḥoreb as the lifting of the cloud above the Tabernacle, and dates it the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year ( Numbers 10:11 ). The contrast between the spoken command in JE and D, and the physical signal in P, is characteristic; note also the characteristically exact date in P. [109] The same term, ‘uyûn is given to the scouts of Arab expeditions who seek out the ways, water and camping-places: Musil, Araóia Petraea , Ethn. Ber . iii. 376. Deuteronomy 1:6 . The Lord our God ] Heb.

When they had gone through the Arabah to the southern extremity, the Lord commanded them to turn northwards, i.e., to go round the southern end of Mount Seir, and proceed northwards on the eastern side of it (see at Numbers 21:10 ), without going to war with the Edomites (התגּרה, to stir oneself up against a person to conflict, מלחמה), as He would not give them a foot-breadth of their land; for He had given Esau (the Edomites) Mount Seir for a possession. For this reason they were to buy victuals and water of them for money (כּרה, to dig, to dig water, i.e., procure water, as it was often necessary to dig wells, and not merely to draw it, Genesis 26:25 . The verb כּרה does not signify to buy).