Números 21:23

23 Pero Sehón no permitió a Israel pasar por su territorio. Y reunió Sehón a todo su pueblo y salió al encuentro de Israel en el desierto, y llegó a Jahaza y peleó contra Israel.

Números 21:23 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 21:23

And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border,
&c.] Because he could not trust them, and confide in the promises they made, and thought it not safe to let such a body of people into any part of his dominions, ( Judges 11:20 ) and chiefly because his heart was hardened by the Lord, that he might be delivered into the hands of Israel, as was determined, ( Deuteronomy 2:30 ) :

but Sihon gathered all his people together;
all that were able to bear arms out of his cities, and which made no doubt a very numerous and powerful army; but then these being defeated, as they were, it became more easy to the Israelites to take their cities, where there were none left but women and children:

and went out against Israel into the wilderness;
the wilderness of Kedemoth; not content to reject a peaceable message, he went out in an hostile manner against Israel, even out of his own dominions; so that he was the aggressor and unprovoked, which made his ruin appear the more just, and the children of Israel to have a better claim to his country conquered by them:

and he came to Jahaz;
a frontier town in the land of Moab, see ( Isaiah 15:4 ) ( Jeremiah 48:34 ) and which, according to Bunting ^F16, was sixteen miles from Abarim:

and fought against Israel;
at the above place, where they had a pitched battle.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F16 Travels of the Patriarchs, p. 83.

Números 21:23 In-Context

21 Entonces Israel envió mensajeros a Sehón, rey de los amorreos, diciendo:

22 Déjame pasar por tu tierra. No nos desviaremos, ni por campos ni por viñedos, ni beberemos agua de pozo. Iremos por el camino real hasta que hayamos cruzado tus fronteras.

23 Pero Sehón no permitió a Israel pasar por su territorio. Y reunió Sehón a todo su pueblo y salió al encuentro de Israel en el desierto, y llegó a Jahaza y peleó contra Israel.

24 Pero Israel lo hirió a filo de espada y tomó posesión de su tierra desde el Arnón hasta el Jaboc, hasta la frontera con los hijos de Amón, porque Jazer era la frontera de los hijos de Amón.

25 Israel tomó todas estas ciudades, y habitó Israel en todas las ciudades de los amorreos, en Hesbón y en todas sus aldeas.