Deuteronomy 2:26

26 Therefore I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon; and I said with peaceable words (and I said with these words of peace),

Deuteronomy 2:26 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 2:26

And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth
A city in the tribe of Reuben, and given by them to the Levites in later times, having been taken from the Amorites with others; near this lay a wilderness, which took its name from it, and seems to be the same with Jeshimon, ( Numbers 21:20 Numbers 21:21 ) ( Joshua 13:18 ) ( 21:37 ) . Aben Ezra takes it to be the wilderness of Matthanah, which according to Jerom ^F7 was situated on Arnon, twelve miles to the east of Medeba; see ( Numbers 21:18 Numbers 21:30 ) from hence messengers were sent by Moses, unto Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace;
in a peaceable and respectful manner, desiring to be at peace and in friendship with him, and a continuance of it, which was done to leave him inexcusable; as afterwards a like method was ordered to be taken, when they came to any city, to proclaim peace, and if an answer of peace was given, no hostilities were to be committed, ( Deuteronomy 20:10 ) ,

saying;
as follows.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F7 De loc. Heb. fol. 93. C.

Deuteronomy 2:26 In-Context

24 Rise ye, and pass ye the strand of Arnon; lo! I have betaken in(to) thine hand Sihon, king of Heshbon, of Amorites; and his land begin thou to wield, and smite thou battle against him. (So rise ye up, and cross ye over the Arnon River; lo! I have delivered Sihon, the king of Heshbon, of the Amorites, and his land, into thy hands; now begin thou to possess it, and make thou battle against him.)

25 Today I shall begin to send thy dread, and thy fear into the peoples that dwell under all heaven (Today I shall begin to put the dread and the fear of thee into all the peoples who live under heaven), (so) that when thy name is heard, they dread, and tremble, by the manner of women travailing of child, and be holden with sorrow.

26 Therefore I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon; and I said with peaceable words (and I said with these words of peace),

27 We shall pass through thy land, we shall go in the common way; we shall not bow neither to the right side, nor to the left side. (We desire to pass through thy land, and we shall go by the common way; we shall not turn to the right, nor to the left.)

28 Sell thou us meats for price, that we eat; give thou us water for money, and so we shall drink. Only it is that we ask of thee that thou grant passage to us, (Sell thou food to us for money, so that we can eat; and sell thou water to us for money, so that we can drink. All that we ask of thee is that thou grant passage to us,)