John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord , etc.] The Israelites made supplication to the Lord for help against their enemies, and that he would give them victory over them, and made promises to him: and said, if thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand ; certainly and entirely deliver them, so as that a complete victory shall be obtained over them: then will I utterly destroy their cities ; or “anathematize”, or devote them to utter destruction f299 ; slay man and beast, burn their houses and take their goods, not for a spoil, for their own private use, but reserve them for the service of God; all which is implied in the vow made, as was done to Jericho, ( Joshua 6:21,24) and so it is a vow, as Abendana observes, of what they would do when they came to the land of Canaan.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-3 - Before the people began their march round the country of Edom, the kin of Arad, a Canaanite, who inhabited the southern part of the country attacked them in the wilderness, and took some prisoners. This was to lead the Israelites to look more thoroughly to the Lord.
Original Hebrew וידר5087 ישׂראל3478 נדר5088 ליהוה3068 ויאמר559 אם518 נתן5414 תתן5414 את853 העם5971 הזה2088 בידי3027 והחרמתי2763 את853 עריהם׃5892
