Deuteronomy2

The Israelites, after circling Mount Seir, are commanded by God to turn northward. God instructs them not to attack the Edomites, Moabites, or Ammonites, as these lands were given to Esau and Lot's descendants. After the generation of men of war had perished, God commanded Israel to conquer Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, whom they utterly defeated and dispossessed.
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The Long Circuit Around Mount Seir

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Then 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. ​
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And Jehovah spake unto me, saying,
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Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. ​
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And 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;
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contend 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. ​
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Ye 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.
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For 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. ​
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So 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.

Prohibition Against Attacking Moab

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And 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. ​
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(The Emim dwelt therein aforetime, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim:
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these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.
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The 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). ​

The End of the Wilderness Generation

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Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered. ​
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And 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. ​
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Moreover the hand of Jehovah was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed. ​
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So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,
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that Jehovah spake unto me, saying,

Prohibition Against Attacking Ammon

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Thou art this day to pass over Ar, the border of Moab:
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and 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. ​
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(That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim dwelt therein aforetime; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, ​
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a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but Jehovah destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead;
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as 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.
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And 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.)

Command to Conquer Sihon the Amorite

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Rise 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. ​
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This 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. ​
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And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, ​
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Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither unto the right hand nor to the left.
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Thou 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;
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as 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.
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But 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. ​
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And 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.
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Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Jahaz.
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And Jehovah our God delivered him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
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And 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: ​
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only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
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From 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: ​
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only 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 Notes for Deuteronomy 2

Verse 1

This verse opens Moses' historical recollection, covering the 38-year period of wandering which began after the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea (Num 14). The route compassed Mount Seir, the territory of Edom.

Verse 3

This divine command marks the end of the punitive wandering period. The generation under judgment had finally died off, and God was now ready to direct the new generation toward the promised land.

Verse 5

God’s sovereignty is highlighted here; He had already distributed the territories of Edom (descendants of Esau) and Israel (descendants of Jacob), and Israel was forbidden to violate the established boundaries of their kin.

Verse 7

Moses reminds Israel of God’s steadfast provision during the forty years. Because the LORD had supplied all their needs miraculously, they had no justification for plundering or seizing Edomite resources.

Verse 9

Similar to the Edomites, the Moabites were spared because they were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. This demonstrates that God’s covenant protection extended to the relatives of the patriarchs.

Verse 12

This verse offers a theological precedent. Just as God enabled the Edomites to displace the Horims, He will enable Israel to displace the Canaanites. God is sovereign over the fate of all nations.

Verse 13

The brook Zered served as a geographical marker that the Israelites crossed to leave the wilderness behind and enter the territory adjacent to the Transjordan kingdoms.

Verse 14

This chronological note confirms that 38 years elapsed between the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea and the arrival at the Zered, fulfilling the divine oath that the generation of fighting men would perish (Num 14:29).

Verse 15

The death of the old generation was not merely natural attrition but a direct punitive act of the LORD. This emphasizes the seriousness of unbelief and the necessity of purification before conquest.

Verse 19

The Ammonites, also descendants of Lot, were protected just like the Moabites and Edomites. This principle of respecting boundaries highlights God’s controlled and purposeful distribution of land.

Verse 20

The parenthetical notes (vv. 20-23) reinforce the theme that God controls history and conquest. The Ammonites’ ability to conquer the formidable Zamzummim was entirely due to God’s intervention, paralleling Israel's situation.

Verse 24

This verse marks the shift from peaceful passage to mandated holy war. The Amorites, unlike the kin nations (Edom, Moab, Ammon), were explicitly designated for destruction and their land for possession.

Verse 25

God initiates the conquest by instilling terror (dread and fear) in the local inhabitants. This illustrates that the victory is secured not by Israel's strength, but by God’s psychological warfare and divine power.

Verse 26

Moses follows the standard protocol of offering peaceful passage first (cf. Deut 20:10). This demonstrates that Israel only resorted to battle after their diplomatic request was rejected.

Verse 30

Sihon’s obstinate rejection of the peace overture was divinely orchestrated. God hardened his heart to ensure a conflict, thereby providing the legal and theological justification for Israel to seize his land.

Verse 34

The 'utterly destroyed' (Hebrew: *herem*) command applied to the Amorites. This practice ensured the removal of pagan influence and cultic practices from the land God intended for His people.

Verse 36

The conquest of Sihon’s territory (from the Arnon River north to Gilead) served as a powerful sign of God's faithfulness and a rehearsal for the greater conquest west of the Jordan.

Verse 37

Moses reiterates that Israel strictly obeyed God's geographical boundaries, respecting the land God had designated for the descendants of Lot (Ammon).

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