Joshua 12:3

3 Sihon also controlled the Jordan Valley and regions to the east—from as far north as the Sea of Galilee to as far south as the Dead Sea, including the road to Beth-jeshimoth and southward to the slopes of Pisgah.

Joshua 12:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 12:3

And from the plain
Or rather, "and the plain", the plains of Moab, which, before possessed by the Israelites, belonged to the kingdom of Sihon; and the plains of Jordan, which reached

to the sea of Cinneroth on the east;
the same with the lake of Gennesaret, and sea of Tiberias, mentioned in the New Testament, ( Matthew 14:34 ) ( Mark 6:53 ) ( Luke 5:1 ) ( John 6:1 ) ( 21:1 ) :

and unto the sea of the plain;
where stood the cities of the plain, Sodom, Gomorrah

[even] the salt sea on the east;
the same with the dead sea, into which the plain the above cities stood on was converted:

the way to Bethjeshimoth;
which was a place in the plains of Moab, ( Numbers 33:49 ) ;

and from the south under Ashdothpisgah;
or the springs of Pisgah, which flowed from the mount of that name, ( Deuteronomy 3:17 ) ( 4:49 ) .

Joshua 12:3 In-Context

1 These are the kings east of the Jordan River who had been killed by the Israelites and whose land was taken. Their territory extended from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon and included all the land east of the Jordan Valley.
2 King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, was defeated. His kingdom included Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Gorge, and extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge to the Jabbok River, which serves as a border for the Ammonites. This territory included the southern half of the territory of Gilead.
3 Sihon also controlled the Jordan Valley and regions to the east—from as far north as the Sea of Galilee to as far south as the Dead Sea, including the road to Beth-jeshimoth and southward to the slopes of Pisgah.
4 King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaites, lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5 He ruled a territory stretching from Mount Hermon to Salecah in the north and to all of Bashan in the east, and westward to the borders of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. This territory included the northern half of Gilead, as far as the boundary of King Sihon of Heshbon.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Hebrew from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah, which is the Salt Sea.
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