And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.
| Word | Hebrew | Strong’s | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebo | נְב֞וֹ ne.Vo | H5015 | Nebo · proper noun, a place name |
| Baal-meon | בַּ֧עַל Ba.'al | H1186 | Baal-Meon · proper noun, a place name |
| names | שֵׁ֖ם shem | H8034 | an appellation · noun, common masculine singular absolute |
| changed | מוּסַבָּה mûwçabbâh | H4142 | a reversal |
| Shibmah | שִׂבְמָ֑ה siv.Mah | H7643 | Sebam or Sibmah · proper noun, a place name |
| gave | וַיִּקְרְא֣וּ vai.yik.re.'U | H7121 | to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural |
| names | בְשֵׁמֹ֔ת ve.she.Mot | H8034 | an appellation · preposition + noun, common feminine plural absolute |
| cities | הֶעָרִ֖ים he.'a.Rim | H5892 | a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute |
| builded | בָּנֽוּ ba.Nu | H1129 | to build (literally and figuratively) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural |
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
(their names being changed)--either because it was the general custom of conquerors to do so; or, rather, because from the prohibition to mention the names of other gods (Exo 23:13), as Nebo and Baal were, it was expedient on the first settlement of the Israelites to obliterate all remembrance of those idols. (See Jos 13:17-20).
And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,).... For Nebo was the name of an idol, after which perhaps the city was called: Baalmeon signifies "Baal's habitation", and where it is highly probable was a temple of his; and the children of Reuben, not liking to retain such idolatrous names, gave them others, but what they were it is not said; and certain it is, that when these places came into the hands of the Moabites, their ancient names were restored to them, as appears from Isaiah 15:2. and Shibmah; the same with Shebam, Numbers 32:3, and gave other names unto the cities which they built; but they are neither known, nor did they always continue, as has been observed.
And Moses gave unto them. We must understand that Moses gave it in such sort, as that, relying on God's command, he laid down an inviolable law. For, although it is not expressly stated that God interposed His authority, still His subsequent approbation fully assures us of it. So also, although no mention is made of Eleazar and the elders, still it is certain that they were not passed over, but that they were united with him in the decision; especially since the case had been brought before them by the sons of Gad and Reuben, (ver. 2.) There is only an implied contrast between the old covenant which God had made with Abraham, and this new and special privilege, wherewith He condescended to e…
Read the whole note in the consoleThe Reubenites built Heshbon, the capital of king Sihon (see Num 21:16), which was allotted to the tribe of Reuben (Jos 13:17), but relinquished to the Gadites, because it was situated upon the border of their territory, and given up by them to the Levites (Jos 21:39; Ch1 6:66). It stood almost in the centre between the Arnon and Jabbok, opposite to Jericho, and, according to the Onomast., twenty Roman miles from the Jordan, where the ruins of a large town of about a mile in circumference are still to be seen, with deep bricked wells, and a large reservoir, bearing the ancient name of Hesban or Hsban (Seetzen; Burckhardt, p. 623; Robinson, Pal. ii. 278; cf. v. Raumer, Pal. p. 262; and Ritte…
If names of some of the towns were changed to avoid pagan associations (e.g., “Baal,” the well-known Canaanite god, or “Nebo,” a Babylonian deity; see Isa 46:1), the alternate designations are not provided here.
ואת נבו ואת בעל מעון מוסבת שם AND NEBO AND AND BAAL-MEON, THEIR NAMES BEING CHANGED — Nebo and Baal-Meon were names of idols, and the Ammonites used to call their cities by the names of their gods. The children of Reuben therefore changed their names into other names. This is the meaning of מוסבת שם: Nebo and Baal-Meon were changed to other names. ואת שבמה AND SIBMAH — i.e., they built (cf. v. 37) Sibmah also. This is identical with Sebam that is mentioned above (v. 3).
Henry, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Clarke, Gill, Calvin and Keil & Delitzsch are in the public domain; Tyndale Open Study Notes © Tyndale House Publishers, CC BY-SA 4.0 — all from the Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org). Rashi: the Rosenbaum & Silbermann Pentateuch (public domain) and the Judaica Press and Metsudah Tanakh (CC BY), via Sefaria. Spurgeon's Treasury of David: public domain (lyteword's markdown edition, CC0).
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
