Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; and Israel turned away from him.

and Edom refuseth to suffer Israel to pass over through his border, and Israel turneth aside from off him.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: why Israel turned away from him.

So Edom would not let Israel go through his land; and Israel went in another direction.

neither was he willing to agree to their petition to concede passage through his borders. For this reason, Israel diverted away from him.

Renuit igitur Edom permittere Israeli, ut transiret per terminum suum: tunc Israel declinavit ab eo.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border - Though every king has a right to refuse passage through his territories to any strangers; yet in a case like this, and in a time also in which emigrations were frequent and universally allowed, it was both cruelty and oppression in Edom to refuse a passage to a comparatively unarmed and inoffensive multitude, who were all their own near kinsmen. It appears however that it was only the Edomites of Kadesh that were thus unfriendly and cruel; for from Deuteronomy 2:29 we learn that the Edomites who dwelt in Mount Seir treated them in a hospitable manner. This cruelty in the Edomites of Kadesh is strongly reprehended, and threatened by the Prophet Obadiah, Obadiah 1:10, etc.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel (k) turned away from him.
(k) To pass by another way.

Notwithstanding their near relation to each other, and the fair promises Israel made:
wherefore Israel turned away from him: patiently bearing the refusal, and not resenting it; being ordered, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, by the Word of heaven, not to make war with them, because the time was not yet come to take vengeance on Edom by their hands; and to the same purpose the Targum of Jerusalem.

Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, &c.--A churlish refusal obliged them to take another route. (See on Numbers 21:4; Deuteronomy 2:4; and Judges 11:18; see also 1-Samuel 14:47; 2-Samuel 8:14, which describe the retribution that was taken.)