1 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
2 And Israel vowed a vow to YHVH, and said, "If thou wilt indeed give this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities."
The word Hormah, in Aramaic means devoted, destroyed or devoted to destruction. It symbolizes the destruction of erroneous beliefs and thoughts (symbolized by the people). Canaan means materiality, low and inferior, these are the thoughts which must be let go of if we are to progress spiritually.
3 And YHVH hearkened to the voice of Israel, and gave over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; so the name of the place was called Hormah.
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way.
5 And the people spoke against Gods and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."
Hor means to think, a height or mountain. This is symbolic of spirituality or an exalted level of thought. Whereas Edom means reddish or ruddy. It symbolizes the carnal man. Spiritual growth is not a steady upward path. Often times we vacillate between the two extremes of elevated thinking and then carnal or material thoughts. When we have slipped back into the carnal we are no longer in contact with our spiritual selves and so we yearn for bread and water - or spiritual truths.
6 Then YHVH sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
7 And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHVH and against you; pray to YHVH, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 And YHVH said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
The serpent relates to desire, sensuousness, and most importantly the generative or creative powers. It is appropriate, therefore, to call them ‘fiery' serpents, so that we will not mistake their meaning. These forces, when raised up, lift up the whole man to a higher, spiritual level. When the people were bitten by the serpents, it means that they were caught up in the sense consciousness. To look up to the raised serpent means that they have lifted these forces up, transmuted this life force to a spiritual level.
10 And the people of Israel set out, and encamped in Oboth.
Oboth translated from the Aramaic means water-skins or leather bottles but it also may mean ventriloquists or diving spirits. The water-skins symbolize the body, and here indicate the understanding that the water to cleanse the consciousness comes from within - within the body. However, there is a sense that this may be deceptive rather than truly spiritual.
11 And they set out from Oboth, and encamped at I'ye-ab'arim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise.
Iye-abarim, means heaps of Abarim. Abarim means passages or crossings and it is also the name of a range of Mountains in Moab. It is from these mountains that Moses was shown the land of Canaan. He could see the Promised Land but he could not enter it. It is from this level of consciousness (elevated mountains) that we are able to see the possibility of Spiritual Consciousness.
12 From there they set out, and encamped in the Valley of Zered.
The valley of Zared, means the power to spread exuberant growth. This then is a time of growth which we may assume is spiritual growth. It is the beginning of spiritual understanding.
13 From there they set out, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that extends from the boundary of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
Arnon; means swift, roaring, rushing stream. When dominated by the carnal mind it symbolizes the tumultuousness of the level of consciousness. When guided by Israel, the enlightened mind, it represents the tumultuous joy of coming to increased spiritual understanding of spiritual truths, here represented by the water or stream.
14 Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of YHVH, "Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15 and the slope of the valleys that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab."
16 And from there they continued to Beer; that is the well of which YHVH said to Moses, "Gather the people together, and I will give them water."
Beer, or Bera means a well or a dug well. Here it is indicating a well of water. This relates to Spiritual Truth which when drunk deeply, will help the developing soul to progress.
17 Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! --Sing to it! –
18 the well which the princes dug, which the nobles of the people delved with the scepter and with their staves." And from the wilderness they went on to Mat'tanah,
19 and from Mat'tanah to Nahal'iel, and from Nahal'iel to Bamoth,
20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah which looks toward Jeshimon.
Mattanah means gift or present. It is the understanding of the gift of divine blessings - the great potential which are given by the Divine. Nahaliel, means God leads on or God flows forth. This reflects the hope which comes from the inner realization that we are being guided by divine providence. Bamoth means high places or sepulchral mound. In this case Bamoth is a city of the Moabites which indicates that it is related to the exaltation of carnality. It is the worship of the carnal mind. Pisgah means cut up or divided. This is the mountain from which Moses saw the Promised Land. It is an elevated level of consciousness which allows us to see our spiritual goal but we are cut off from it. Jeshimon or Ashimon means transgression. Here it signifies confidence in material conditions.
We are told that the cleansing of the temple must be done within ourselves. We become aware of the possibility of Spiritual Consciousness, and this begins our spiritual growth. But, in the beginning, the path is tumultuous as we still have doubts as well as ties to our past carnal and materialistic habits. All ten of these places represent levels of consciousness which we as spiritual travelers must experience, overcome and pass through as we begin the Path to higher levels of spiritual attainment.
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22 "Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of a well; we will go by the King's Highway, until we have passed through your territory."
23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his men together, and went out against Israel to the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
24 And Israel slew him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites; for Jazer was the boundary of the Ammonites.
Sihon, in Aramaic, means extreme boldness, eradication. Amorites means mountaineers and highlanders, but throughout the Bible, it is used to represent ideas or levels of consciousness coming from or controlled by the generative function. It symbolizes the uncontrollable passion of sexual desire, which, unbridled, will overpower the Spiritual Consciousness. These thoughts do not easily make way for the newly awakened Spiritual Consciousness. Even though the Spiritual Consciousness extends a promise not to harm them, the carnal thoughts and desires, sensing their own demise, fight for their very existence. They attack the Spiritual in an effort to maintain their control of the consciousness. But to no avail, the Israelites, or Spiritual thoughts succeed in overcoming them and making them subject to the spiritual consciousness.
25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.
26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
27 Therefore the ballad singers say, "Come to Heshbon, let it be built, let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For fire went forth from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, lords of the heights of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 So their posterity perished from Heshbon, as far as Dibon, and we laid waste until fire spread to Med'eba."
31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages, and dispossessed the Amorites that were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Ed're-i.
34 But YHVH said to Moses, "Do not fear him; for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon."
35 So they slew him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was not one survivor left to him; and they possessed his land.
Heshbon means intelligence, reason. This indicates that the overpowering carnal desires were ruling over the intellect. This is the carnal, material mind. Og means giant. It indicates the apparent power of this consciousness. Once these thoughts have been overcome, the Israelites, or spiritual thoughts take their place in the mind, or in Heshbon. They destroyed Og and all his people or ideas.