This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter. Israel turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed Moses and for a long time Israel made their way around the hill country of Seir, Deuteronomy 2:1. God told Moses that they have made their way around this hill country long enough and so, now turn north, Deuteronomy 2:2. Israel were commanded to hold back from any engagement of war with Edom because Edom was a relative to Israel, Deuteronomy 2:3-5 / Numbers 20:14-21.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Though the descendants of Esau were conquered by David, 2 Samuel 8:14, yet they were not dispossessed of their land, and in the reign of Jehoshaphat they regained their independence, 2 Kings 8:20-22.’
Note that Numbers 20:21, tells us that Israel went around Edom but Deuteronomy 2:4 says they passed through it. Is this a contradiction?
Defending Inerrancy, says the following.
God would not allow Israel to do battle with the Edomites because He had given the land of Edom to Esau as an everlasting possession. Numbers 20:21 states that ‘Israel turned away from him.’ However, when Moses reviews these events in Deuteronomy 2:4, he states that the Lord said, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau.’ Likewise, Deuteronomy 2:8 says Israel ‘passed beyond our brethren the descendants of Esau.’ Did they pass through Edom or did they go around it?
In one sense it can be said that Israel passed through Edom when they entered it in order to make the request to continue their journey along the King’s highway that ran through their land. However, the text never actually says that they did, or that they would pass through the land. Actually, the same Hebrew word ‘abar’ is used in each case. It can be used to mean pass through or pass by. The historical record clearly describes their journey as passing along the eastern border of Edom, Deuteronomy 2:8. God had warned Israel that as they would pass along the eastern border, they should not provoke the Edomites to war, Deuteronomy 2:5.’
Moses tells us that Israel purchased both food and water from the Edomites, Deuteronomy 2:6 / Deuteronomy 2:28-29. God had blessed Israel in all the work of their hands and He has watched over their journey through this vast wilderness and for forty years God has been with them, and they have not lacked anything, Deuteronomy 2:7.
Because of Israel’s fear and unwillingness to fulfil God’s commandments regarding taking possession of the land, they were sent into the wilderness to wander for forty years, Numbers 14:29-45. Moses doesn’t go over the events that transpired in the wilderness wanderings such as Korah’s rebellion, Numbers 16:1-35, Aaron’s rod budding, Numbers 17:5-8, and Moses’ sin at the waters of Meribah, Numbers 20:2-13.
Israel went on past their relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir and they turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and travelled along the desert road of Moab, Deuteronomy 2:8. After Israel travels around Edom, Numbers 20:14-21, they head northward toward Moab and the Lord commands Moses not to wage war with Moab due to the fact that He had given it as a possession to Ar the children of Lot, the Moabites were descendants of Lot, Deuteronomy 2:9 / Genesis 19:30-38.
God had given the land of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, as a possession, Acts 17:26. For this reason, Israel were not to invade any of the territories that belonged to the Edomites, for it was a God-given possession.
The Rephaites, Emites, and the Anakites, Deuteronomy 2:10-11, were a people of great stature, Numbers 13:33, they were strong and tall, Genesis 11:27-28 / Genesis 19:30:38, and they inhabited portions of Palestine at the time Israel was in the wilderness.
Seeing these people who inhabited the land of Canaan certainly brought fear to the Israelites who were a people of short stature. The Horites, Deuteronomy 2:12, were possibly a great civilized people who populated part of Palestine, Genesis 14:5-6.
God commands Israel to travel to the brook Zered, Deuteronomy 2:13, which was a dry riverbed that was the border between Edom and Moab, Numbers 21:12. From the time Israel left Kadesh Barnea to the time they passed over the brook Zered into the Moabite territory, a period of thirty-eight years had passed, Deuteronomy 2:14.
By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the God had sworn to them, Deuteronomy 2:14. God’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp, Deuteronomy 2:15.
In Deuteronomy 1:3, Moses marks the eleventh month of the fortieth year as the time from leaving Egypt to their current place in Moab. They had spent three months getting to Sinai from Egypt, Exodus 12:2-Exodus 19:1. Israel spends approximately twelve months at Sinai receiving the law, Numbers 10:11-13. Thirty-eight years later Israel finds themselves in the plains of Moab, Numbers 33:38 / Deuteronomy 2:14, but yet to enter Canaan.
From the fifteenth day of the first month in which their fathers came out of Egypt, Numbers 14:33, to the tenth day of the same month in which they went over Jordan into Canaan, Numbers 33:3 / Joshua 4:19, was but five days short of a complete forty years.
Israel is now commanded to pass over Moab because God had given the land to the descendants of Lot and they are commanded not to wage war with Edom because God had destroyed the Horites before them and he blessed Esau with Edom, Deuteronomy 2:16-19.
As with Edom and Moab, Israel were to treat the Ammonites as relatives. The Ammonites were also called Zamzummims, Deuteronomy 2:20 / Genesis 14:5, a word which means ‘a distant and confused noise’ and they too were a people who were strong, Deuteronomy 2:21.
Nevertheless, they were expelled from the land by the strength of the Lord working in an Israelite army of soldiers who were small in stature, Deuteronomy 2:21. The fact that the smaller people of Israel were able to expel the Anakims and Ammonites from the land is evidence that Israel did not work alone in this effort.
The nations around surely concluded that the God of Israel was working with Israel to take the land because of the conquering power of a small and inexperienced army of Israelites. When we remember that all the people who descended from Abraham knew that the land had been promised to the sons of Jacob, Genesis 12:1-3. The Ammonites fought to retain the land, but they knew that they were fighting against the will of the God of Abraham who gave the land to Israel. As with the Edomites and the Moabites, the land of the Ammonites was also not for the people of Israel.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Deuteronomy 2:22-23.
‘Seir once belonged to the Horites, the cave-dwellers, but the wickedness of the Horites caused God to give Mount Seir to Esau. Moab once belonged to the Emites, the terrible ones, but their terrorism caused God to give the area to Moabites, descendants of Lot. The area of the Ammonites also once belonged to the Rephaim, but God gave it to the Ammonite descendants of Lot. Both the Emites and the Rephaim were evil. In the case of the Philistines, we have three successful examples of God replacing people because of their wickedness.
1. The Avvites once lived along the Palestine coast. They became wicked.
2. They were driven out by the Caphtorim who were the Philistines of later tunes, and who also became wicked.
3. The Philistines were also driven out by Israel in the time of David king of Israel.
Also, Sihon and Og were driven out to make room for Reuben, Gad and Manasseh!’
These verses point us back to the time when God had commanded Israel to take the journey to Canaan from Mount Sinai, Deuteronomy 1:19, and to go up and possess the land of Canaan without fear, Deuteronomy 1:21. This first attempt at taking possession of the land failed, however, now we find a generation of men who believe in the omnipotence of God.
Israel set out to cross the Arnon Gorge, and God says, He has given into their hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country, they are to begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle, Deuteronomy 2:24. God says He will begin to put the terror and fear of Israel on all the nations under heaven and they will hear reports of Israel and will tremble and be in anguish because of them, Deuteronomy 2:25.
From the Desert of Kedemoth God sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace, they will tell him, let Israel pass through his country and Israel will stay on the main road and they we will not turn aside to the right or to the left, Deuteronomy 2:26-27. The messengers tell him to sell Israel food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver, only let them pass through on foot as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us, until they cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving them, Deuteronomy 2:28-29.
When Israel sent out messengers to request permission to pass through the land God hardened the heart of the king of Heshbon in that he would not allow Israel to pass by their land Numbers 20:21, nor would he sell them water and food, Deuteronomy 2:30. As with the Pharaoh of Egypt, Exodus 4:21 / Exodus 9:15, Moses’ request became the opportunity for Sihon to harden his heart against the will of God.
God says, He has begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to Israel and so, begin to conquer and possess his land, Deuteronomy 2:31. When Sihon and all his army came out to meet Israel in battle at Jahaz, God delivered him over to Israel and they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, Deuteronomy 2:32-33.
Israel took all his towns and completely destroyed them, men, women and children and they left no survivors, Deuteronomy 2:34. Israel took the livestock and any plunder they found in the towns they had captured, Deuteronomy 2:35. From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us because God gave Israel all of them, Deuteronomy 2:36 / Numbers 21:13.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There were three degrees of this war ban, as it came to be called.
1. This was the most severe. Every man, woman, and child were destroyed, and all of their property of every kind was destroyed and none of it was permitted to become spoil or booty for the victors.
2. This second degree of the ban stopped with the destruction of all the people and permitted their property to become the spoil of the conquerors.
3. This third degree issued in the destruction of all the men, the women, and children, along with the property becoming the property and slaves of the victors. The Deuteronomic law describing this is in Deuteronomy 20:10-15. It was the second of these bans that was executed against Sihon.’
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Aroer stood on the north bank of the river, and was assigned, Joshua 13:9 / Joshua 13:16, to the tribe of Reuben, of which it formed the most southerly city. The valley of the Arnon is here deep, and the descent to it abrupt. In Roman times it was spanned by a viaduct, the ruins of which still remain, and which was probably built on the lines of the original structure of Mesha, 2 Kings 3:5.’
The victory over Sihon and Og, the Amorites, was the beginning of the conquest of Canaan, Numbers 21:21-25. The conquest of this great nation was a signal to Israel that God was working in their army to conquer a great people.
Not only did the victory of the great nation of the Amorites bring fear into the hearts of the inhabitants of Canaan, but it also increased the morale of the army of Israel.
Because of the stubborn heart of the king of Heshbon, Deuteronomy 2:30, and the faith of Israel the Lord routed the enemy before the people. Israel’s faith remained strong because the Lord was with them. The high walls of the Canaanite cities had intimidated Israel thirty-eight years before, Deuteronomy 1:28, but walking in faith, they were now nothing before the LORD.
There were apparently areas in Ammon that God prohibited Israel from taking, Deuteronomy 2:37. All other lands from the river Arnon as far north as the River Jabbok belonged unto Israel. God gave the land of Ammon to the descendants of Lot just beyond the River Arnon. Northward would belong to Israel.