And when king Arad— Most of the ancient versions have it, the Canaanitish king of Arad. That there was such a city in Canaan, appears from Joshua 12:14. Joshua 1:16 which probably had its name from one of the sons of Canaan called Arvad, which the LXX and Vulgate translate Arad. Genesis 10:18. That Israel came by the way of the spies, seems to mean, that this king had intelligence that the Israelites were about to enter Canaan by the same way that it had been entered by the spies whom they had sent heretofore to view the land. Some think the meaning is, that the Israelites were coming in the manner of spies; while the LXX, and some others, take the word אתרים atharim, which we render spies, for a proper name. God permitted this little defeat to happen to the Israelites, to shew them, that it was not by their own proper valour that they were to make a conquest of the land of Canaan.
Related Commentaries of Numbers 21:1
Numbers 21:1
1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.