Deuteronomy 2:24-37

Victories in Transjordan

24 "So get going. Cross the Arnon ravine. I have handed Sihon the Amorite king of Heshbon and his land over to you. It's time to possess the area! It's time to fight him in battle!
25 Starting right now, I am making everyone everywhere afraid of you and scared of you. Once they hear news of you, they will be shaking and worrying because of you."
26 I then sent messengers from the Kedemoth desert to Sihon, Heshbon's king, with words of peace:
27 "Please let us pass through your land. We promise to stay on the road. We won't step off it, right or left.
28 Please sell us food for money so we can eat; sell us water for money so we can drink. Let us pass through on foot—
29 just as Esau's descendants who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me—until we cross the Jordan River into the land that the LORD our God is giving to us."
30 But Sihon, Heshbon's king, wasn't willing to let us pass through his land because the LORD your God had made his spirit hard and his heart inflexible so that God could hand him over to you, which is exactly how it happened.
31 The LORD said to me: Look! Right now I'm laying Sihon and his land before you. It's time to take possession of his land!
32 Sihon and all his forces came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz.
33 But the LORD our God gave him to us. We struck him down, along with his sons, and all his forces.
34 At that time, we captured all of Sihon's cities, and we placed every town—men, women, and children—under the ban. We left no survivors.
35 The only things we kept for ourselves were the animals and the plunder from the towns we had taken.
36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Ravine, to the town that is in the valley there, even as far as Gilead, there wasn't a city that could resist us. The LORD our God laid everything out before us.
37 But you didn't go near the Ammonite lands or hillside cities alongside the Jabbok River, in compliance with all that the LORD our God had commanded.

Deuteronomy 2:24-37 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 2

In this chapter Moses goes on with his account of the affairs of the people of Israel, and what befell them, how they turned into the wilderness again; but passes over in silence their travels there, till they came to Mount Self, where having been some time they were bid to depart, De 2:1-3, and were directed not to meddle with the Edomites, or take anything from them, but pay them for what they should have of them, since they lacked not, De 2:4-8, nor to distress the Moabites, of whose country, as formerly inhabited, and also of Edom, some account is given, De 2:9-12, when they were bid to go over the brook Zered, to which from their coming from Kadeshbarnea was the space of thirty eight years, in which time the former generation was consumed, De 2:13-16 and now passing along the borders of Moab, they were ordered not to meddle with nor distress the children of Ammon, of whose land also, and the former inhabitants of it, an account is given, De 2:17-23, then passing over the river Arnon, they are bid to fight with Sihon king of the Amorites, and possess his land, De 2:24,25 to whom they sent messengers, desiring leave to pass through his land, and to furnish them with provisions for their money, as the Edomites and Moabites had done, De 2:26-29 but he refusing, this gave them an opportunity to attack him, in which they succeeded, slew him and his people, and took possession of his country, De 2:30-37.

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. Heb here and through 2:29a is singular me, I.
  • [b]. A technique of holy war that often involves total destruction, in which everything that is destroyed is dedicated to the deity who helps in the battle
  • [c]. Heb uncertain
  • [d]. LXX, Tg Jonathan; MT and all
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible