Deuteronomy2
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as Jehovah spake unto me; and we compassed mount Seir many days.
2And Jehovah spake unto me, saying,
3Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
4And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;
5contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
6Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.
7For Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; he hath known thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years Jehovah thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
8So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
9And Jehovah said unto me, Vex not Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
10(The Emim dwelt therein aforetime, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim:
11these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.
12The Horites also dwelt in Seir aforetime, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which Jehovah gave unto them).
13Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.
14And the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, were thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp, as Jehovah sware unto them.
15Moreover the hand of Jehovah was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.
16So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,
17that Jehovah spake unto me, saying,
18Thou art this day to pass over Ar, the border of Moab:
19and when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, vex them not, nor contend with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
20(That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim dwelt therein aforetime; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
21a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but Jehovah destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead;
22as he did for the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day.
23And the Avvim, that dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, that came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)
24Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
25This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.
26And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
27Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither unto the right hand nor to the left.
28Thou shalt sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only let me pass through on my feet;
29as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which Jehovah our God giveth us.
30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Jehovah thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as at this day.
31And Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.
32Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Jahaz.
33And Jehovah our God delivered him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones; we left none remaining:
35only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
36From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, even unto Gilead, there was not a city too high for us; Jehovah our God delivered up all before us:
37only to the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and wheresoever Jehovah our God forbade us.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Deuteronomy 2.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Edomites to be spared. (1–7). The Moabites and Ammonites to be spared. (8–23). The Amorites to be destroyed. (24–37).
vv1-7
Only a short account of the long stay of Israel in the wilderness is given. God not only chastised them for their murmuring and unbelief, but prepared them for Canaan; by humbling them for sin, teaching them to mortify their lusts, to follow God, and to comfort themselves in him. Though Israel may be long kept waiting for deliverance and enlargement, it will come at last. Before God brought Israel to destroy their enemies in Canaan, he taught them to forgive their enemies in Edom. They must not, under pretence of God's covenant and conduct, think to seize all they could lay hands on. Dominion is not founded in grace. God's Israel shall be well placed, but must not expect to be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Religion must never be made a cloak for injustice. Scorn to be beholden to Edomites, when thou hast an all-sufficient God to depend upon. Use what thou hast, use it cheerfully. Thou hast experienced the care of the Divine providence, never use any crooked methods for thy supply. All this is equally to be applied to the experience of the believer.
vv8-23
We have the origin of the Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites. Moses also gives an instance older than any of these; the Caphtorims drove the Avims out of their country. These revolutions show what uncertain things wordly possessions are. It was so of old, and ever will be so. Families decline, and from them estates are transferred to families that increase; so little continuance is there in these things. This is recorded to encourage the children of Israel. If the providence of God has done this for Moabites and Ammonites, much more would his promise do it for Israel, his peculiar people. Cautions are given not to meddle with Moabites and Ammonites. Even wicked men must not be wronged. God gives and preserves outward blessings to wicked men; these are not the best things, he has better in store for his own children.
vv24-37
God tried his people, by forbidding them to meddle with the rich countries of Moab and Ammon. He gives them possession of the country of the Amorites. If we keep from what God forbids, we shall not lose by our obedience. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof; and he gives it to whom he pleases; but when there is no express direction, none can plead his grant for such proceedings. Though God assured the Israelites that the land should be their own, yet they must contend with the enemy. What God gives we must endeavour to get. What a new world did Israel now come into! Much more joyful will the change be, which holy souls will experience, when they remove out of the wilderness of this world to the better country, that is, the heavenly, to the city that has foundations. Let us, by reflecting upon God's dealings with his people Israel, be led to meditate upon our years spent in vanity, through our transgressions. But happy are those whom Jesus has delivered from the wrath to come. To whom he hath given the earnest of his Spirit in their hearts. Their inheritance cannot be affected by revolutions of kingdoms, or changes in earthly possessions.
Key Words
פָּנָה: to turn; by implication, to face, i.e. appear, look, etc.
נָסַע: properly, to pull up, especially the tent-pins, i.e. start on ajourney
מִדְבָּר: a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs)
דֶּרֶךְ: a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
סוּף: a reed, especially the papyrus
יָם: a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
רַב: abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
סָבַב: to revolve, surround, or border; used in various applications, literally and figuratively
Cross References
Deuteronomy 2Details the background embassy of Israel requesting passage through Edom and their initial refusal.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Explains the origin of the Moabites from Lot, whom God protected for Lot's sake.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies the ancient giants (Emims) conquered by the Moabites, mirroring God's historical sovereignty.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Mentions the original Horims in Mount Seir before they were dispossessed by Esau's descendants.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Fulfillment of God's oath that the rebellious wilderness generation would die before entering Canaan.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies the Ammonites as descendants of Lot, justifying the prohibition against molesting them.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies Esau's divinely appointed possession of Mount Seir, which Israel was forbidden to seize.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Echoes the theme of divine provision and preservation during the forty years in the wilderness.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Corresponds to the historical itinerary crossing the brook Zered, ending the 38-year wandering.
Supported by JFB
The historical account of Israel defeating Sihon and possessing his land from Arnon to Jabbok.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Demonstrates obedience to the law of warfare by first offering peace before engaging in battle.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels God hardening Pharaoh's heart with His hardening of Sihon's heart to deliver him to judgment.
Supported by Matthew Poole