Deuteronomy 2:8-15

Journey past Moab

8 "So we bypassed our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. [We turned] away from the Arabah road and from Elath and Ezion-geber. We traveled along the road to the Wilderness of Moab.
9 The Lord said to me, 'Show no hostility toward Moab, and do not provoke them to battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot.' "[a]
10 The Emim, a great and numerous people as tall as the Anakim, had previously lived there.
11 They were also regarded as Rephaim,[b] like the Anakim, though the Moabites called them Emim.[c]
12 The Horites had previously lived in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out, destroying them completely[d] and settling in their place, just as Israel did in the land of its possession the Lord gave them.
13 "[The Lord said,] 'Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.' So we crossed the Zered Valley.[e]
14 The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley was 38 years until the entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.
15 Indeed, the Lord's hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp until they had all perished.

Deuteronomy 2:8-15 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 5

Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.