Deuteronomy2
New American Standard
1“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we circled Mount Seir for many days.
2And the Lord spoke to me, saying,
3‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north,
4and command the people, saying, “You are going to pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful;
5do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
6You are to buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink.
7For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wandering through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked anything.”’
8“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
9Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not attack Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’
10(The Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim.
11Like the Anakim, they too are regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
12The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and settled in their place; just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)
13‘Now arise and cross over the Wadi Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the Wadi Zered.
14Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them.
15Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.
16“So it came about, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people,
17that the Lord spoke to me, saying,
18‘Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab.
19When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not attack them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’
20(It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, because the Rephaim previously lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin,
21a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place,
22just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place, where they remain even to this day.
23And as for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.)
24‘Arise, set out, and pass through the Valley of Arnon. Look! I have handed over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; start taking possession and plunge into battle with him.
25This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the faces of people everywhere, who, when they hear the news of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’
26“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
27‘Let me pass through your land; I will travel only on the road. I will not turn aside to the right or to the left.
28You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot,
29just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving us.’
30But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today.
31And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to turn Sihon and his land over to you. Begin taking possession, so that you may possess his land.’
32“Then Sihon came out with all his people to meet us in battle at Jahaz.
33And the Lord our God turned him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people.
34So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor.
35We took only the animals as our plunder, and the spoils of the cities which we had captured.
36From Aroer which is on the edge of the Valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too high for us; the Lord our God turned it all over to us.
37Only you did not go near the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God had commanded us to avoid.
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