Deuteronomy 2:15-25

15 The hand of Yahweh was against them to root them out from the midst of the camp until they perished completely.
16 "{And then} when all the men of war {had died} from among the people,
17 Yahweh spoke to me, {saying},
18 'You [are] about to cross over the boundary of Moab {today} at Ar.
19 When you approach {the border of} the {Ammonites}, you shall not harass them, and you shall not get involved in battle with them, for I have not given the land of {the Ammonites} to you as a possession; because I have given it to the descendants of Lot [as] a possession.
20 (It is also considered the land of Rephaim; Rephaim lived in it {previously}, and the Ammonites called them Zamzummim,
21 a people great and numerous and as tall as the Anakites; Yahweh destroyed them from before them, and they dispossessed them and settled in place of them,
22 just as he did for the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from {before them} and dispossessed them, and [then] they settled in their place up to this day.
23 And [also] the Avvites, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, [and the] Caphtorim, who came out from Caphtor, destroyed them and [then] settled in their place.
24 Arise, set out and cross [over] the wadi of Arnon. Look! I have given Sihon the Amorite, the king of Heshbon, and his land into your hand; begin to take possession of [it], and engage with him in battle.
25 This day I will begin to place {the dread of you} and the fear of you {before} the peoples under all the heavens. [They] will hear {the report about you}, and [so] they will shake and tremble {because of you}.'

Deuteronomy 2:15-25 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 20

  • [a]. Literally "And it happened"
  • [b]. Or "battle"
  • [c]. Literally "had finished/completed to die"
  • [d]. Literally "to say"
  • [e]. Literally "the day"
  • [f]. Literally "opposite"
  • [g]. Literally "the sons/children of Ammon"
  • [h]. Literally "the sons/children of Ammon"
  • [i]. Or "sons"
  • [j]. Literally "before"
  • [k]. That is, the Ammonites
  • [l]. Or "sons"
  • [m]. Literally "from the face/presence of them"
  • [n]. Hebrew "them"
  • [o]. Or "Get up"
  • [p]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  • [q]. Literally "your dread"
  • [r]. Literally "upon the faces of"
  • [s]. Literally "your report"
  • [t]. Literally "from before you"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.