Deuteronomy 2

Deuteronomy 2 recounts the final leg of Israel's wilderness wandering, detailing God's sovereign restrictions on Israel's military engagements with neighboring kin-nations and the subsequent commanded conquest of the Amorites.

• God commands Israel to redirect their path, respecting the boundaries of the descendants of Esau (Seir) and the descendants of Lot (Moab and Ammon), whom God had already allotted land.
• Moses instructs Israel to interact with these nations peacefully, purchasing provisions rather than seizing them, demonstrating that Israel's identity is distinct from predatory expansion.
• The narrative shifts to the territory of the Amorites, where God authorizes Israel to engage in battle and initiate their inheritance.
• Israel defeats Sihon, king of the Amorites, fulfilling the promise that God would begin to put the fear of Israel upon surrounding nations.

• The 38-year duration of the wandering between Kadesh-barnea and the brook Zered.
• The divine prohibition against engaging Edom, Moab, and Ammon (descendants of Esau and Lot).
• The mention of giants (Emims, Horims, Zamzummims) to establish historical precedent for God's displacement of nations.
• The hardening of Sihon's heart by God to facilitate the Amorite defeat.

This passage defines Israel's early geopolitical identity as one strictly governed by Yahweh's will, ensuring that conquest is a theological act of obedience rather than arbitrary aggression. It validates the land promise by demonstrating God's historical sovereignty in displacing nations for others, establishing the precedent for Israel's own conquest.

God is the ultimate proprietor of all nations, and faithfulness is found in obeying His specific commands regarding both where to retreat and where to advance.

The chapter follows a chiastic-like logic where prohibitions against attacking kin-nations (Edom, Moab, Ammon) frame the historical review of God's sovereignty, leading to the climactic command to attack the Amorites.

• I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth (v. 5).
• I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land (v. 24).
• This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations (v. 25).

• Turn you northward (v. 3).
• Meddle not with them (v. 5).
• Ye shall buy meat of them for money (v. 6).
• Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle (v. 9).
• Begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle (v. 24).

• Take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore (v. 4).

• The passage takes place at the end of the 40-year wandering period, just before the Israelites cross the Jordan.
• The nations mentioned (Edom, Moab, Ammon) are considered 'brothers' (Edom) or kin (Lot's descendants) to Israel, necessitating specific treatment.

• Ancient Near Eastern land possession was often viewed through the lens of deity-granted rights. The text emphasizes that even lands outside the covenant are 'given' by Yahweh (Deut 2:5, 9, 19).
• The practice of purchasing supplies ('buy meat... for money' v. 6) reflects established protocols for safe transit through foreign territory.

• This chapter serves as a historical retrospective delivered by Moses to the new generation of Israel, justifying the military conquest of the Transjordan before they proceed into Canaan.
• The repetition of the conquest of giants (Emim, Horim) functions as a legitimizing narrative, showing that God has displaced nations before, and now He does so for Israel.

• The text alludes to the patriarchal narratives of Genesis regarding the descendants of Esau (Seir) and Lot (Moab/Ammon).
• Later history records in Numbers 21:21-35 corroborate the events narrated in Deuteronomy 2 regarding the defeat of Sihon.

• The reference to 'giants' (Emims, Anakims, Zamzummims) connects to the earlier report of the spies in Numbers 13:33, emphasizing that the God who destroyed them for others is the same God currently leading Israel.

• Turned (פָּנָה [H6437]): Used to denote a decisive change in orientation or journey based on divine command.
• Journeyed (נָסַע [H5265]): Emphasizes the breaking of camp and intentional movement.
• Pass through (עָבַר [H5674]): The central verb for traversing territory, used in contexts of both peaceful transit and the hostile 'crossing' into conquest.
• Contend (גָּרָה [H1624]): Used in negative commands to forbid provoking war.

• Matthew Henry observes that God teaches Israel to forgive and tolerate their enemies (Edom/Moab) before He calls them to destroy their enemies (the Amorites), noting: 'Before God brought Israel to destroy their enemies in Canaan, he taught them to forgive their enemies in Edom.'
• The theological significance of God's hardening of Sihon's heart (v. 30) is a notable point of interpretive discussion. While some emphasize the sovereignty of God in determining the outcome of the war, others balance this with the moral responsibility of Sihon's own obstinacy. The text presents both: God hardened his spirit, yet Sihon chose not to let them pass.

• The exact identity of the 'Zamzummims' and 'Avims' is not known outside of these brief historical references in Deuteronomy, suggesting they were indeed very ancient, obscure peoples displaced long before the Israelite conquest.