Success over the King of Arad. Since Arad, the modern Tell Arad, 17 miles from Hebron, was in the south of Canaan, and a successful advance of the whole people in that direction would hardly have been followed by a circuit round Edom (Numbers 21:4 f.) with a view to the invasion of Canaan from the E., it is likely that this section relates to an independent movement on the part of the tribes of Judah and Simeon (cf. Judges 1:16 f., where, however, the advance is represented as made from Jericho).
Numbers 21:1. Atharim: the place and the meaning of the name are unknown.
Numbers 21:2. utterly destroy: persons and (in general) property devoted (mg.) to a deity were destroyed as being taboo, and therefore likely to involve danger to all who might come in contact with them (pp. 99, 114, Deuteronomy 2:34 *, Joshua 6:17 *).
Numbers 21:3. Hormah: for the meaning, see mg. The name here seems to designate a district including more cities than one. The place had been the scene of a defeat (Numbers 14:40-45).