נַעְבְּרָה־נָּ֣א בְאַרְצֶ֗ךָ לֹ֤א נַעֲבֹר֙ בְּשָׂדֶ֣ה וּבְכֶ֔רֶם וְלֹ֥א נִשְׁתֶּ֖ה מֵ֣י בְאֵ֑ר דֶּ֧רֶךְ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ נֵלֵ֗ךְ לֹ֤א נִטֶּה֙ יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֔אול עַ֥ד אֲשֶֽׁר־נַעֲבֹ֖ר גְּבוּלֶֽךָ׃
Pakisuyo, padaanin mo kami sa iyong lupain. Hindi kami dadaan sa bukid o sa ubasan, at hindi kami iinom ng tubig mula sa balon. Sa daan ng hari kami lalakad. Hindi kami liliko sa kanan o sa kaliwa hanggang sa makatawid kami sa iyong hangganan.”
Rashi
נעברה נא בארצך LET US PASS, I PRAY THEE, THROUGH THY COUNTRY — You have no right to lay claim to the land of Israel as an inheritance, just the same as you have not paid the debt (see Rashi v. 14); render us therefore a little assistance by permitting us to pass through your land.
Kli Yakar
“We will not drink water from the well,” is stated as an emphasis, because regarding cistern water it’s obvious that we wouldn’t drink, as there would be effort to refill them. But even well water, where the spring replenishes itself naturally — a situation where one benefits while the other does not lose — nevertheless, we will not drink from what is yours. And afterward, they added, I will pay for their food to benefit the host. Similarly, at first they said, We will go on the king’s road, which is the path that the king typically travels on. And he [Edom] responded, Lest I come out against you with the sword, meaning: Since the road is trodden for the king, if Esau encounters you, who should yield to whom? And [Israel] responded, We will go up by the highway.
Sforno
דרך המלך, the route which the king would command them to travel. It was an established custom that when foreign armies were given permission to traverse a neutral country’s territory that they were assigned a specific route for that purpose. Such armies would also be assigned a guide advising them of possible pitfalls en route.