Deuteronomy 2:31

31 Yahweh said to me, 'Look! I have begun to give {over to you} Sihon and his land; begin {to take possession of his land}.'

Deuteronomy 2:31 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 2:31

And the Lord said unto me
After or about the time when the messengers were sent to Sihon, perhaps when they had returned and had brought his answer:

behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee;
by hardening his heart, which was a sure token of his ruin, and a leading step to the delivery of him into the hands of Israel:

begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land;
move towards it and enter into it, not fearing any opposition made by him.

Deuteronomy 2:31 In-Context

29 [Just as] the descendants of Esau did for me, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, until I cross the Jordan into the land that Yahweh our God is giving to us.'

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing to let us cross through his [territory] because Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and {made him obstinate} {in order to give him} into your hand, {just as he has now done}.

31 Yahweh said to me, 'Look! I have begun to give {over to you} Sihon and his land; begin {to take possession of his land}.'

32 Then Sihon and all his people came out to meet us for battle at Jahaz.

33 And so Yahweh our God gave him over {to us}, and we struck him down, and his sons and all of his people.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "to the face of you"
• [b] Literally, "take possession in order to possess his land"