Deuteronomy 2:4

"And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Take ye good heed unto yourselves, therefore; contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. For Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; he hath known thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years Jehovah thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion-geber."

Critical scholars complain that, "This story differs markedly from that in Numbers 20:14-21!"[6] Phillips even stated that, "Israel twice petitioned the king for permission to pass and was refused!"[7] Von Rad declared that their petition was "hard-heartedly rejected."[8] So what? Where is any contradiction? This passage does not say that Edom granted Israel permission to pass through their borders, or that they sold either food or water to the Israelites. What is stated is that Israel did indeed pass through the borders of Edom. It cannot be denied that they actually did so. It is not stated here whether the children of Esau later changed their minds and sold supplies to Israel, or whether Israel was able to buy from someone else. What is emphatically stated here is that Moses offered to PAY for all supplies. Now Deuteronomy 2:7 here states that God "blessed" Israel, and this has the meaning that they did indeed receive supplies from some source. The people whom Moses addressed knew the answer, and there was absolutely no need whatever for him to have elaborated it here for people who already knew it. Kline pointed out that, "There is no contradiction between Numbers and Deuteronomy on this matter."[9]

"These forty years ..." "From the fifteenth day of the first month in which their fathers came out of Egypt (Numbers 14:33), to the tenth day of the same month in which they went over Jordan into Canaan (Numbers 33:3; Joshua 4:19), was but five days short of a complete forty years,"[10]

"Contend not with them ..." might be better translated, "Though they will be afraid of you, be careful not to start a fight with them."[11]

"I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession ..." Inherent in this is the truth that God gives all nations their inheritance and the boundaries of their habitations. "God made of one ...every nation, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation!" (Acts 17:26).