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Deuteronomy Chapter
Two
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, Deuteronomy 2:1,
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, Deuteronomy 2:4,
nor to distress the Moabites, of whose country, as formerly inhabited, and also
of Edom, some account is given, Deuteronomy 2:9,
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, Deuteronomy 2:13
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, Deuteronomy 2:17,
then passing over the river Arnon, they are bid to fight with Sihon king of the
Amorites, and possess his land, Deuteronomy 2:24 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, Deuteronomy 2:26 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, Deuteronomy 2:30.
Deuteronomy 2:1 “Then we turned
and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days.
YLT
1`And we turn, and journey
into the wilderness, the way of the Red Sea, as Jehovah hath spoken unto me,
and we go round the mount of Seir many days.
Then we turned,.... From Kadesh, where they had been many
days, and so also their backs on the land of Canaan, on the borders of which
they had been:
and took our journey into the wilderness, by the way of the Red
sea, as the Lord spake unto me; Deuteronomy 1:40.
and we compassed Mount Seir many days; many think by
Mount Seir is meant the whole mountainous country of Edom, about which they
travelled to and fro in the wilderness that lay near it for the space of thirty
eight years, which they suppose are meant by many days; but I rather think they
came to this mount towards the close of the thirty eight years, before they
came to Kadesh, from whence they sent messengers to Edom, which they went round
about for several days,
Deuteronomy 2:2 2 “And
the Lord spoke to me, saying:
YLT
2`And Jehovah speaketh unto
me, saying,
And the Lord spake unto me,.... While about Mount
Seir:
saying; as follows.
Deuteronomy 2:3 3 ‘You
have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.
YLT
3Enough to you -- is the
going round of this mount; turn for yourselves northward.
Ye have compassed this mountain long enough,.... It was
time to be gone from thence, as from Horeb, Deuteronomy 1:6,
turn you northward; from the southern border of Edom towards
the land of Canaan, which lay north. It was from Eziongeber in the land of
Edom, from whence the Israelites came to Kadesh, where they sent messengers to
the king of Edom, to desire a passage through his land; see Numbers 33:36.
Deuteronomy 2:4 4 And
command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the territory
of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be
afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.
YLT
4`And the people command
thou, saying, Ye are passing over into the border of your brethren, sons of
Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, and they are afraid of you; and ye have been
very watchful,
And command thou the people,.... Give them a strict
charge:
saying, ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the
children or Esau: not through the midst of their country, for that the king of
Edom would not admit of, but by or on the border of it:
and they shall be afraid of you; lest such a numerous
body of people as Israel were should seize upon their country, and dispossess
them of it, they having been so long, wanderers in a wilderness near them:
take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; that they did
not take any advantage of their fears, and fall upon them, and do them
mischief, or that they did not provoke them to battle and overcome them.
Deuteronomy 2:5 5 Do
not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not
so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a
possession.
YLT
5ye do not strive with them,
for I do not give to you of their land even the treading of the sole of a foot;
for a possession to Esau I have given mount Seir.
Contend
not with them in battle, nor provoke them to it:
for I will not give you of their land, no not so much as a foot
breadth; or as the sole of a man's foot can tread on, signifying that
they should not have the least part of it, not any at all. Jarchi makes mention
of an exposition of theirs, that he would give them nothing of it until should
come the day of the treading of the sole of the foot in the mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:4,
meaning not till the days of the Messiah, when Edom should be a possession of
Israel; see Numbers 24:18, Obadiah 1:19.
because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession; and therefore
not to be taken away from them; they have a right of inheritance of it; see Genesis 36:8.
Deuteronomy 2:6 6 You
shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy
water from them with money, that you may drink.
YLT
6`Food ye buy from them with
money, and have eaten; and also water ye buy from them with money, and have
drunk,
That
is, if they would, as Aben Ezra observes; for though they had manna daily, yet
if they would they might buy other food when they had an opportunity, as they
would now have of Edom; but then they were not to take it by force or stealth,
but pay for it, which they were able to do. The same writer observes, that some
read the words with an interrogation, "shall ye buy meat?" no, there
is no need of it; for the Lord had blessed them with a sufficiency of it:
and ye shall also buy water of them for money; that ye may drink; which was
usual in those hot countries; See Gill on Numbers 20:19 or
dig waterF25תכרו "fodietis",
Montanus. that is, pay for digging of wells for water, or buy water out of
wells dug in the land of Edom. Jarchi says in maritime places they express
buying by this word, and so it is used in the Arabic language; See Gill on Hosea 3:2.
Deuteronomy 2:7 7 “For
the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows
your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”’
YLT
7for Jehovah thy God hath
blessed thee in all the work of thy hands; He hath known thy walking in this
great wilderness these forty years; Jehovah thy God [is] with thee; thou hast
not lacked anything.
For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thine
hands,.... Had increased their cattle and substance, even though in a
wilderness:
he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness; every step
they took, and he owned them and prospered them in all things in which they
were concerned:
these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee: not only to
protect and defend them, but to provide all things necessary for them. This
number of years was not fully completed, but the round number is given instead
of the broken one:
thou hast lacked nothing: and since they had
wherewith to pay for their food and drink, they are directed to do it, and not
take anything from the Edomites in an unjust way; nor make themselves look poor
when they were rich, as Jarchi says.
Deuteronomy 2:8 8 “And
when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir,
away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and
passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab.
YLT
8`And we pass by from our
brethren, sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, by the way of the plain, by
Elath, and by Ezion-Gaber; and we turn, and pass over the way of the wilderness
of Moab;
And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau,
which dwelt in Self,.... Along their coasts, by the borders of their country:
through the way of the plain; the wilderness of Zin,
where Kadesh was:
from Elath and Eziongeber; the two ports on the
shore of the Red sea in the land of Edom; it was from the latter they came to
Kadesh; see Numbers 33:35.
Elath was ten miles from Petra, the metropolis of Edom, to the east of it, as
Jerom saysF26De loc. Heb. fol. 91. E. ; it is by JosephusF1Antiqu.
l. 8. c. 6. sect. 4. called Aelana, and by the Septuagint here Ailon; from
whence the Elanitic bay has its name; he speaks of it as not far from
Eziongeber, which he says was then called Berenice:
we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab; the
wilderness which is before Moab, towards the sun rising or the east, Numbers 21:11.
Deuteronomy 2:9 9 Then
the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle,
for I will not give you any of their land as a possession,
because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’”
YLT
9and Jehovah saith unto me,
Do not distress Moab, nor stir thyself up against them [in] battle, for I do
not give to thee of their land [for] a possession; for to the sons of Lot I
have given Ar [for] a possession.'
And the Lord said unto me,.... When upon the
borders of Moab:
distress not the Moabites, neither contend with than in battle; besiege not
any of their cities, nor draw them into a battle, or provoke them to fight:
for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; at least not
as yet, the measure of their sins not being fully up, and the time of their
punishment not come; otherwise in David's time they were subdued, and became
tributaries to him, and the Edomites also, 2 Samuel 8:2,
because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession; so the
Moabites were, they sprung from Moab, a son of Lot by his firstborn daughter, Genesis 19:37. Ar
was the metropolis of Moab, called Ar of Moab, Isaiah 15:1 and is
here put for the whole country of Moab; so Aben Ezra interprets it of Moab.
Jarchi says it is the name of the province; in the Septuagint version it called
Aroer.
Deuteronomy 2:10 10 (The
Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as
the Anakim.
YLT
10`The Emim formerly have
dwelt in it, a people great, and numerous, and tall, as the Anakim;
The Emims dwelt there in time past,.... We read of them as
early as the times of Chedorlaomer, Genesis 14:5 when
their dwelling was in Kirjathaim, a city which Sihon king of the Amorites took
from the Moabites, and which being taken from him, was with others given to the
tribe of Reuben, Numbers 32:37.
These are by some thought to be the same with the Yemim which Anah found and
met with in the wilderness, and defeated, which we render "mules", Genesis 36:24. They
had their name from the fear and terror they put men into because of their
gigantic stature and great strength, as follows: it is probable they were the
descendants of Ham:
a people great and many, and tall as the Anakims; who were very
numerous, of a very bulky size of body, and of high stature, like the giants
the spies had seen at Hebron, the sons of Anak, a noted giant there, Numbers 13:22.
Deuteronomy 2:11 11 They
were also regarded as giants,[a] like the
Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
YLT
11Rephaim they are reckoned,
they also, as the Anakim; and the Moabites call them Emim.
Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims,.... Because
of their bulky size and tall stature; or,"the Rephaim were they accounted,
even they as the Anakims;'they were reckoned Rephaim, a name for giants in
early times, even as the Anakims were; see Genesis 14:5.
but the Moabites called them Emims; to distinguish them from
the Rephaim; so that it seems this name of Emims was not originally their name,
but they are called so by a prolepsis, or anticipation, in Genesis 14:5 since
they had it from the Moabites, a people of a later date.
Deuteronomy 2:12 12 The
Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them
and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel
did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave
them.)
YLT
12And in Seir have the Horim
dwelt formerly; and the sons of Esau dispossess them, and destroy them from
before them, and dwell in their stead, as Israel hath done to the land of his
possession, which Jehovah hath given to them;
The Horims also dwelt in Seir before time,.... Which is
the name of a mount, and so of the country, from it; so called from Seir the
Horite, who dwelt in it before it was possessed by Esau and his sons; but who
the Horim or Horites were, from whence they had their name, is difficult to
say; they were as early as the times of Chedorlaomer, Genesis 14:6. They
seem to be so called from their dwelling in holes and caves in rocks, which the
southern part of Edom or Idumea was full of, and to be the same the Greeks call
Troglodytae:
but the children of Esau succeeded them; Esau and his
sons marrying among them, made way for getting the country into their
possession, as appears from Genesis 36:2 and in
which they afterwards settled themselves by the dint of sword, since it
follows:
when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their
stead; even in Seir where they had dwelt, afterwards called Edom, from
one of the names of Esau, Genesis 36:8.
as Israel did in the land of his possession, which the Lord gave
unto them; because this is said before the Canaanites were drove out of
their land, and it was possessed by the Israelites, some think this was written
by Ezra, or some other hand; but there is no need to suppose that; Moses, by a
spirit of prophecy, and in faith of the promises and prophecies of God relating
to this affair, which were just now about to be fulfilled, might write this;
besides, it may refer to what was already done to the kingdoms of Sihon and Og,
kings of the Amorites; which had been taken from them, and given to the tribes
of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; and the above instances as
well as this may be observed, to encourage the people of Israel that they
should succeed in dispossessing the Canaanites, and settling in their land, in
like manner as dispossessions of this kind had already been made.
Deuteronomy 2:13 13 “‘Now
rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of
the Zered.
YLT
13now, rise ye, and pass over
for yourselves the brook Zered; and we pass over the brook Zered.
Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered,.... It is
called the valley of Zered, Numbers 21:12, the
word used signifying both a valley and a brook; and it is very probable there
were both a valley and a brook of the same name; it must be near Dibongad,
since in one place it is said the Israelites came from Ijim and pitched in
Zered; and in another place that they came from thence, and pitched in Dibongad,
Numbers 21:11 and
and we went over the brook Zered; which was fordable, or
perhaps at this time dried up.
Deuteronomy 2:14 14 And
the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of
the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of
war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them.
YLT
14`And the days which we have
walked from Kadesh-Barnea until that we have passed over the brook Zered, [are]
thirty and eight years, till the consumption of all the generation of the men
of battle from the midst of the camp, as Jehovah hath sworn to them;
And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea,.... The space
of time; or, "the days"F2והימים
"et dies", Montanus; "dies autem", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. ; the number of them:
until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight
years; that is, from the time that the spies were sent and searched the
land, and brought a report of it; for they were sent from Kadeshbarnea, Numbers 32:8 unto
the passage of the Israelites over Zered, were thirty eight years; so long they
had been travelling in the wilderness, after they were come to the borders of
the land:
until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from
among the host; all that were twenty years old and upwards, and fit to go out to
war upon occasion, when the people were first numbered after they came out of
Egypt; all that generation was now consumed within the above space of time,
excepting two, Caleb and Joshua:
as the Lord sware unto them; Numbers 14:21.
Deuteronomy 2:15 15 For
indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy
them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.
YLT
15and also the hand of
Jehovah hath been against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp,
till they are consumed.
For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them,.... His power
was exerted in a way of wrath and vengeance on them, for their murmurings at
the report of the spies; and therefore, it is no wonder they were consumed, for
strong is his hand, and high is his right hand; and when lifted up it falls
heavy, and there is no standing up under it, or against it: it smote them with
one disease or another, or brought one judgment or another upon them: as the
sword of Amalek, by which many were cut off, and the plague at Shittim in the
plains of Moab, in which died 24,000; besides the destruction of Korah and his
company, which was quickly after the affair of the spies, and the plague at
that time, of which died 14,700; and thus, by one stroke after another, he went
on to
destroy them from among the host until they were consumed, even all of
them but two, as follows.
Deuteronomy 2:16 16 “So
it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people,
YLT
16`And it cometh to pass,
when all the men of battle have finished dying from the midst of the people,
So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed,.... By
wasting diseases and judgments of one kind or another:
and dead from among the people; the rising and surviving
generation.
Deuteronomy 2:17 17 that
the Lord spoke to me, saying:
YLT
17that Jehovah speaketh unto
me, saying,
That the Lord spoke unto me,.... At the brook Zered,
having passed that, or at Dibongad, which was their next station:
saying; as follows.
Deuteronomy 2:18 18 ‘This
day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab.
YLT
18Thou art passing over
to-day the border of Moab, even Ar,
Thou art to pass over through Ar,.... That is, over the
river Arnon, by the city Ar of Moab, which was situated by it; see Deuteronomy 2:9 and
so Moses and the people of Israel were to pass along by that:
and by the coast of Moab; for they were not
admitted to enter the land and pass through it; only to travel on the borders
of it, and that they were to begin to do this day; the day the Lord spake to
Moses.
Deuteronomy 2:19 19 And
when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle
with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of
Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot
as a possession.’”
YLT
19and thou hast come near
over-against the sons of Ammon, thou dost not distress them, nor stir up
thyself against them, for I do not give [any] of the land of the sons of Ammon
to thee [for] a possession; for to the sons of Lot I have given it [for] a
possession.
And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon,.... Who dwelt
near the Moabites, and were brethren, both descending from Lot, Genesis 19:37.
distress them not, nor meddle with them: lay no siege
to any of their cities, nor provoke them to war, nor engage in battle with them:
for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any
possession; that is, any part of it which was now in their hands; otherwise
half their land was given to the tribe of Gad; but then that was what Sihon
king of the Amorites had taken from them, and which Israel retook from him, and
so possessed it not as the land of the Ammonites, but of the Amorites, one of
the seven nations, whose land they were to inherit; see Joshua 13:25,
because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession; the Ammonites
were the children of Lot by his second daughter, Genesis 19:38.
Deuteronomy 2:20 20 (That
was also regarded as a land of giants;[b] giants
formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
YLT
20`A land of Rephaim it is
reckoned, even it; Rephaim dwelt in it formerly, and the Ammonites call them
Zamzummim;
That also was accounted a land of giants,.... Ammon was
so reckoned as well as Moab, Deuteronomy 2:10.
giants dwelt therein in old time; the Rephaim dwelt there,
as they did also in Ashteroth Karnaim, Genesis 14:5.
and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; they are
thought to be the same with the Zuzims in Genesis 14:5 who
had their name, as HillerusF3Onomastic. Sacr. p. 158, 288, 289.
thinks, from Mezuzah, a door post, from their tall stature, being as high as
one; and for a like reason Saph the giant might have his name, 2 Samuel 21:18. The
word Zamzummims, according to himF4Onomastic. Sacr. p. 161, 310,
428. , signifies contrivers of evil and terrible things; they were inventors of
wickedness, crafty and subtle in forming wicked and mischievous designs, which
struck terror into people, and made them formidable to them.
Deuteronomy 2:21 21 a
people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in
their place,
YLT
21a people great, and
numerous, and tall, as the Anakim, and Jehovah destroyeth them before them, and
they dispossess them, and dwell in their stead,
A people great and many, and tall as the Anakims,.... As the
Emims were, Deuteronomy 2:10
but the Lord destroyed them before them; destroyed the Zamzummims before the
children of Amman; or otherwise they would have been an too much for them,
being so numerous, and of such a gigantic stature:
and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead; and in this
way, and by these means, he gave them their land for a possession, Deuteronomy 2:19.
Deuteronomy 2:22 22 just
as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He
destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in
their place, even to this day.
YLT
22as He hath done for the
sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, when He destroyed the Horim from before
them, and they dispossess them, and dwell in their stead, unto this day.
As he did to the children of Esau which dwelt in Seir,.... He did
the like things for them as he did for the Ammonites:
when he destroyed the Horims from before them: which is
repeated from Deuteronomy 2:12,
other instances of the like kind being here recited:
and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead, even unto this
day; See Gill on Deuteronomy 2:12.
Deuteronomy 2:23 23 And
the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—the Caphtorim, who came from
Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)
YLT
23`As to the Avim who are
dwelling in Hazerim unto Azzah, the Caphtorim -- who are coming out from
Caphtor -- have destroyed them, and dwell in their stead.
And the Avim, which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah,.... The same
with the Avites, who appear to have inhabited some part of the land of the
Philistines, in which Azzah or Gaza was, which was one of the five lordships of
the Philistines, Joshua 13:3. The
word Hazerim signifies courts, and a learned manF5Clayton's
Chronology of the Hebrew Bible, p. 65. interprets it of tents or huts placed in
a square or circular form, so as to have an area in the middle; and in such the
Avim may be supposed to dwell, while in Palestine, as far as Gaza:
the Caphtorim, which came from out of Caphtor, destroyed them; according to
the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin
versions, these were Cappadocians, that came out of Cappadocia; but it seems
manifest that they were originally of Egypt, see Genesis 10:14 and
BochartF6Phaleg. l. 4. c. 32. col. 291, 292. thinks they went from
thence into that part of Cappadocia that was near Colchis; but things not
answering their expectations, they returned, and drove out the Avim from their
country:
and dwelt in their stead; See Gill on Jeremiah 47:4, Amos 9:7. Though it
seems as if they were not utterly destroyed, but some escaped into Assyria, and
settled there, where was a place called Ava from them; and from whence they
were sent by the king of Assyria to repeople the cities of Samaria, after the
captivity of the ten tribes; see 2 Kings 17:24. Now
these several instances are observed to encourage the children of Israel to
hope and believe that they should be able to dispossess the Canaanites, and
inherit their land; such dispossessions having been very frequent, when it was
the will of God they should take place.
Deuteronomy 2:24 24 “‘Rise,
take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your
hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it,
and engage him in battle.
YLT
24`Rise ye, journey and pass
over the brook Arnon; see, I have given into thy hand Sihon king of Heshbon,
the Amorite, and his land; begin to possess, and stir up thyself against him
[in] battle.
Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon,.... Which was
on the border of Moab, and divided between Moab and the Amorites, Numbers 21:13.
behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon, the Amorite, king of
Heshbon, and his land; that is, he had determined to give it to the
Israelites, for as yet it was not actually given; of this king, and the place
he was king of; see Gill on Numbers 21:21, Numbers 21:26 begin
to possess it, and contend with him in battle; provoke him to war, fight with
him, take his land from him, and enter upon the possession of it, hereby
assuring of victory.
Deuteronomy 2:25 25 This
day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the
whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in
anguish because of you.’
YLT
25This day I begin to put thy
dread and thy fear on the face of the peoples under the whole heavens, who hear
thy fame, and have trembled and been pained because of thee.
This day will I begin to put the dread of thee,.... And so
fulfil the prophecies delivered by Moses in Exodus 15:14.
and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole
heaven; not only the neighbouring nations, the Edomites, Moabites,
Ammonites, Philistines, and Canaanites, but nations more remote even throughout
the whole world:
who shall report of thee; of what was done for
Israel in Egypt, and at the Red sea, and in the wilderness; and particularly of
the delivery of Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and of their kingdoms into
their hands:
and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee; lest they
should proceed on, and make conquests of their lands also; see Joshua 2:9.
Deuteronomy 2:26 26 “And
I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon,
with words of peace, saying,
YLT
26`And I send messengers from
the wilderness of Kedemoth, unto Sihon king of Heshbon, -- words of peace --
saying,
And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth,.... A city in
the tribe of Reuben, and given by them to the Levites in later times, having
been taken from the Amorites with others; near this lay a wilderness, which
took its name from it, and seems to be the same with Jeshimon, Numbers 21:20. Aben
Ezra takes it to be the wilderness of Matthanah, which according to JeromF7De
loc. Heb. fol. 93. C. was situated on Arnon, twelve miles to the east of
Medeba; see Numbers 21:18 from
hence messengers were sent by Moses:
unto Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace; in a
peaceable and respectful manner, desiring to be at peace and in friendship with
him, and a continuance of it, which was done to leave him inexcusable; as
afterwards a like method was ordered to be taken, when they came to any city,
to proclaim peace, and if an answer of peace was given, no hostilities were to
be committed, Deuteronomy 20:10,
saying; as follows.
Deuteronomy 2:27 27 ‘Let
me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn
neither to the right nor to the left.
YLT
27Let me pass over through
thy land; in the several ways I go; I turn not aside -- right or left –
Let me pass through thy land,.... See Gill on Numbers 21:22,
I will go along by the highway; the king's highway, as
in the place referred to, the public road:
I will neither turn to the right hand nor to the left; to go into
his fields and vineyards, and gather the fruit, or tread down the corn and
vines, or do any manner of mischief to them; see the above place.
Deuteronomy 2:28 28 You
shall 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 foot,
YLT
28food for money thou dost
sell me, and I have eaten; and water for money thou dost give to me, and I have
drunk; only, let me pass over on my feet, --
Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat,.... If they
thought fit to have provision of them, they desired no other but to pay for it:
and give me water for money, that I may drink; see Deuteronomy 2:6,
only I will pass through on my feet; for they were all
footmen, Numbers 11:21, of
the phrase; see Gill on Numbers 20:19.
Deuteronomy 2:29 29 just
as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar
did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’
YLT
29as the sons of Esau who are
dwelling in Seir, and the Moabites who are dwelling in Ar, have done to me --
till that I pass over the Jordan, unto the land which Jehovah our God is giving
to us.
As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites
which dwell in Ar, did unto me,.... Which respects, as Jarchi observes, not
the affair of passing through their land requested, for neither of them granted
that, but buying food and drink; for though the Edomites at first seem not to
have granted that, yet afterwards they did. The mountain of Seir, and the city
Ar, are put for the whole countries of Edom and Moab:
until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the Lord our
God giveth us; this is observed to remove any suspicion or jealousy of their
seizing his country, and taking possession of it, and dwelling in it; since
they only proposed to pass through it on their journey to the land of Canaan,
which lay on the other side Jordan, over which they must pass in order to
possess it, which they had a right unto by the gift of God.
Deuteronomy 2:30 30 “But
Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He
might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.
YLT
30`And Sihon king of Heshbon
hath not been willing to let us pass over by him, for Jehovah thy God hath
hardened his spirit, and strengthened his heart, so as to give him into thy
hand as at this day.
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him,.... Or
through his country, as was desired:
for the Lord had hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate; as he did
Pharaoh's, for whom he will he hardens; so that he would not listen to the
proposals made to him, nor grant the requests asked of him, but with pride and
haughtiness of spirit despised and disdained Israel:
that he might deliver him into thine hand; that so an
opportunity might offer of fighting with him, and taking his country from him;
whereas, had he been peaceable and flexible, he had continued in the enjoyment
of his land, and Israel would not have had that advantage against him; but God,
who has the hearts of kings and of all men in his hands, so wrought upon him
that he should take the steps he did, which made way for the delivery of him
and his country into the hands of the Israelites:
as appeareth this day: for when Moses made this
speech, the kingdom of Sihon was possessed by the Israelites, Numbers 21:24.
Deuteronomy 2:31 31 “And
the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to
you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’
YLT
31`And Jehovah saith unto me,
See, I have begun to give before thee Sihon and his land; begin to possess --
to possess his land.
And the Lord said unto me,.... After or about the
time when the messengers were sent to Sihon, perhaps when they had returned and
had brought his answer:
behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee; by hardening
his heart, which was a sure token of his ruin, and a leading step to the
delivery of him into the hands of Israel:
begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land; move towards
it and enter into it, not fearing any opposition made by him.
Deuteronomy 2:32 32 Then
Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz.
YLT
32`And Sihon cometh out to
meet us, he and all his people, to battle to Jahaz;
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.
Deuteronomy 2:33 33 And
the Lord our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and
all his people.
YLT
33and Jehovah our God giveth
him before us, and we smite him, and his sons, and all his people;
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.
Deuteronomy 2:34 34 We
took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and
little ones of every city; we left none remaining.
YLT
34and we capture all his
cities at that time, and devote the whole city, men, and the women, and the infants
-- we have not left a remnant;
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.
Deuteronomy 2:35 35 We
took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities
which we took.
YLT
35only, the cattle we have
spoiled for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we have captured.
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.
Deuteronomy 2:36 36 From
Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city
that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too
strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us.
YLT
36`From Aroer, which [is] by
the edge of the brook Arnon, and the city which [is] by the brook, even unto
Gilead there hath not been a city which [is] too high for us; the whole hath
Jehovah our God given before us.
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 adjacent to
it, which belonged to Og king of Bashan:
there was not one city too strong for us; that could
hold out against them, when attacked and besieged by them, but presently
surrendered:
the Lord our God delivered all unto us; Moses
ascribes all the victories and success they had unto the Lord, not to their own
might and power, but to the power of God with them, and his blessing on them.
Deuteronomy 2:37 37 Only
you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River
Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.
YLT
37`Only, unto the land of the
sons of Ammon thou hast not drawn near, any part of the brook Jabbok, and
cities of the hill-country, and anything which Jehovah our God hath [not]
commanded.
Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not,.... Which was
then in their possession; otherwise what Sihon had took away from them, that
the children of Israel came into and enjoyed, as before observed, Deuteronomy 2:19.
nor unto any place of the river Jabbok; any town or
city situated on this river, which was the border of the children of Ammon, Deuteronomy 3:16;
see Gill on Genesis 32:22,
nor unto the cities in the mountains; much less did
they penetrate into the innermost parts of their country, the mountainous part
thereof, and the cities there:
nor unto whatsoever the Lord our God forbad us: whether in
Edom, Moab, or Ammon, particularly the latter, of which he is more especially
and peculiarly speaking.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)