CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Deuteronomy 2
Chapter 2 of 34
Chapter Overview
What happens in Deuteronomy 2
Moses continues recounting Israel's journey. God told them not to fight certain nations because he had given those lands to them. But God gave Israel victory over King Sihon of the Amorites.
Scripture
Deuteronomy 2
Wandering Near Edom
Study note
After being turned away from the Promised Land, the Israelites wandered south and spent years circling Mount Seir. God told them to head north again. He warned them not to provoke the Edomites, descendants of Esau, because he had given that land to Esau's family.
1 "After that, we turned around and headed back into the desert toward the Red Sea, exactly as the Lord had instructed. We spent many years circling around Mount Seir. Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.
2 Finally the Lord spoke to me and said, And the LORD spake unto me, saying,
3 'You have been wandering around this mountain area long enough. Head north now. Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
4 Give the people these instructions: You are about to travel through the territory of your relatives, the people of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be frightened of you, but you need to be very careful. And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:
5 Do not pick a fight with them. I am not giving you even one square foot of their land. Mount Seir belongs to Esau and his family -- I gave it to them.' Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
6 'Pay them for any food you eat and any water you drink.' Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.
7 "Remember, the Lord your God has taken care of you in everything you have done. He has been watching over you during your journey through this huge wilderness. The Lord your God has been there with you for forty years, and you have never gone without anything you needed." For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
8 "So we traveled past our relatives, the descendants of Esau in Seir. We left the road near Elath and Ezion-geber and turned onto the highway through the Moabite desert. And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.
Passing Through Moab and Ammon
Study note
God gave similar instructions about Moab and Ammon, descended from Lot. Thirty-eight years had passed since Kadesh-barnea. The entire unfaithful generation of fighting men had died, just as God had warned.
9 The Lord warned me, 'Do not bother the people of Moab or pick a fight with them. I am not giving you any of their territory, because I have already given the region of Ar to Lot's descendants.' And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
10 A group called the Emim had lived there before. They were a large, strong group of people who stood as tall as the Anakim. The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;
11 People thought of them as giants, just like the Anakim, but the Moabites had their own name for them: the Emim. Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.
12 The Horites had also lived in Seir at one time, but Esau's descendants pushed them out, wiped them out, and moved into their territory. Israel would later do the same thing in the land the Lord gave them. The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.
13 The Lord told us, 'Now get up and cross the Zered Brook.' So we crossed it. Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.
14 From the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Brook, thirty-eight years had gone by. By then, every last fighting man from that earlier generation had died off, just as the Lord had promised would happen. And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.
15 The Lord himself worked against them, sweeping them out of the camp until none of them remained. For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.
16 "Once all those soldiers had died and were gone, So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,
17 the Lord spoke to me again. That the LORD spake unto me, saying,
18 He said, 'Today you are passing through the Moabite territory near the town of Ar. Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:
19 When you get close to the Ammonites, do not bother them or start a war. I am not giving you any of their land either, because I have already given it to Lot's descendants.' And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
20 That region was also once known as a land where giants lived. Long ago, a group of giants called the Zamzummim made their home there. (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;
21 They were a mighty, numerous people, as tall as the Anakim. But the Lord wiped them out so the Ammonites could have their land. A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:
22 The Lord did something like this for Esau's family in Seir. He wiped out the Horites so Esau's family could live there. They still live there today. As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:
23 Something like that also happened to the Avvim, who lived in villages near Gaza. People from the island of Caphtor came and destroyed them, then settled on their land." And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)
Victory Over King Sihon
Study note
At the Arnon River, God told Israel to begin taking land. Moses offered King Sihon a peaceful passage, but Sihon attacked. God gave Israel the victory, and they captured all of Sihon's territory while leaving Ammon's land untouched.
24 "The Lord told me, 'Get going! Cross the Arnon River. I am putting Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and all his territory into your hands. Start claiming his land and engage him in battle. Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
25 From this day forward, I will make people everywhere on earth afraid of you. Whenever they hear your name, they will tremble and be terrified.' This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.
26 "From the desert of Kedemoth, I sent men to King Sihon of Heshbon. I offered peace. I said, And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
27 'Please let us walk through your country. We will stick to the main road without stepping off it to the right or left. Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.
28 We will pay cash for food to eat and water to drink. All we want is permission to walk through. Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;
29 Esau's descendants in Seir and the Moabites in Ar both allowed us to pass through. Let us continue walking until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.' (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.
30 "But King Sihon of Heshbon would not let us through. The Lord your God had made him stubborn and hardened his heart, all so God could deliver him into your hands, which is exactly what happened. But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.
31 The Lord said to me, 'Watch -- I have already started the process of giving Sihon and his land to you. Go ahead and begin taking his territory.' And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.
32 Sihon brought his whole army out to meet us at Jahaz. Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.
33 But the Lord our God delivered him right to us. We defeated Sihon, his sons, and every one of his soldiers. And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34 We took every one of his cities at that time and completely wiped them out -- every man, woman, and child. No one was left alive. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
35 The only things we kept for ourselves were the animals and the goods we found in the captured cities. Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.
36 Starting from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley and going all the way to Gilead, no city was strong enough to hold us back. The Lord our God handed every one of them to us. From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:
37 But we kept away from the Ammonite land. We stayed away from the land along the Jabbok River. We left the hill towns alone. We obeyed every place the Lord our God told us to leave alone." Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbad us.
Key Themes
Themes in Deuteronomy 2
God's sovereignty over all nationsRespecting other people's god-given boundariesPatience through long wanderingGod fights for his people
Apply This Today
Living Deuteronomy 2
God told Israel not to touch Edom, Moab, or Ammon because He had given those lands to other peoples. This shows that God's care extends beyond Israel to all nations. Sometimes God leads us on long detours, but every step is under His sovereign direction, and when the time is right, He opens the way forward.
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