Deuteronomy 2:26-34

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying,
27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.
28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot—
29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us.”
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
31 The LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”
32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz,
33 the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army.
34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[a] them—men, women and children. We left no survivors.

Deuteronomy 2:26-34 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.

Cross References 15

  • 1. Joshua 13:18; 1 Chronicles 6:79
  • 2. Deuteronomy 1:4; Judges 11:21-22
  • 3. Deuteronomy 20:10; Judges 21:13; 2 Samuel 20:19
  • 4. Numbers 21:21-22
  • 5. Deuteronomy 23:4
  • 6. S Numbers 20:19
  • 7. Judges 14:4; 1 Kings 12:15; Joshua 11:20
  • 8. S Exodus 4:21; Numbers 21:23; Romans 9:18
  • 9. S Exodus 14:17
  • 10. Lamentations 3:65
  • 11. S Genesis 12:7; Deuteronomy 1:8
  • 12. S Numbers 21:23
  • 13. Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 31:5
  • 14. S Numbers 21:24; Deuteronomy 29:7
  • 15. S Numbers 21:2; Deuteronomy 3:6; Deuteronomy 7:2; Psalms 106:34

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
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