Then Sihon came out against us ,.... Perceiving they were upon their march towards his land or into it, he gathered all his people and went out of Heshbon their capital city, where he resided: he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz ; a city which he had taken from the king of Moab, and which in later times, after the captivity of the ten tribes, came into their hands again, Isaiah 15:4 ; see Gill on Numbers 21:21 . read more
And the Lord our God delivered him before us ,.... With their lands: and we smote him and his sons, and all his people ; with the edge of the sword; slew them all: the Cetib or textual reading is "his son", though the Keri or margin is "his sons", which we follow. So Jarchi observes, it is written "his son", because he had a son mighty as himself, he says. read more
And we took all his cities at that time ,.... As Heshbon, and others mentioned in Numbers 21:25 , and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones of every city, we left none to remain ; for the Amorites were one of the seven nations who were devoted to destruction, the measure of whose iniquity was now full, and therefore vengeance was taken. read more
Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves ,.... These they did not destroy, but preserved alive for their own use and profit, and took them as their own property: and the spoil of the cities which we took ; as household goods, gold, silver, and whatever valuable was found by them; this they took as plunder, and shared it among themselves. read more
From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river Arnon .... Upon the border of Moab, and the principal city of it; see Jeremiah 48:19 . and from the city that is by the river ; or even the city that is in the midst of the river, the city Aroer, which seems to be meant; see Joshua 12:2 . This river is afterwards called the river of Gad, 2 Samuel 24:5 in the midst of it Aroer was, perhaps because it was possessed by the tribe of Gad: even unto Gilead ; Mount Gilead and the country... read more
From Aroer - by the brink of the river of Arnon - See on Numbers 21:13 ; (note), etc. read more
CONQUEST OF THE KINGDOM OF SIHON . Sihon and his people were Amorites, who had settled on the east of the Jordan in Gilead. But though not included in the original promise to Abraham, God had assigned this territory to the Israelites; and, therefore, he commanded the people under Moses to cross the Amen, and take the first step towards possessing the Promised Land, by assailing Sihon, King of Heshbon, assuring them that from that day he would "put the dread and fear of them upon... read more
Warrantable warfare. Sihon, King of Heshbon, opposed with physical force the fulfillment of Israel's destiny; and, having provoked war, provokes it to his own destruction. I. THE NECESSITY FOR WAR . The question whether war is ever just and legitimate must be answered in the affirmative. Still, this does not justify all war. The majority of wars are indefensible. War is a barbarous instrument, and, as intelligence advances, can be replaced by better methods of conquest. But it... read more
The destruction of Sihon, King of the Amorites. Moses here recalls the first stage in the conquest. By Divine direction, the pilgrims are to advance upon the land of the Amorites, and they are promised an important victory over them. And here we have to notice— I. THE REASONABLE PROPOSAL MADE TO SIHON THE KING . ( Deuteronomy 2:26-29 .) This was for permission to pass through his land to Canaan, undertaking to disturb nothing and to pay for all supplies. Nothing... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 2:24-37
God having tried the self-denial of his people in forbidding them to meddle with the Moabites and Ammonites, and they having quietly passed by those rich countries, and, though superior in number, not made any attack upon them, here he recompenses them for their obedience by giving them possession of the country of Sihon king of the Amorites. If we forbear what God forbids, we shall receive what he promises, and shall be no losers at last by our obedience, though it may seem for the present to... read more