The story is continued, that they were not to meddle with the Edomites, 1-8; nor with the Moabites, 9-15; nor with the Ammonites, 16-23; but Sihon the Amorite was subdued by them, 24-37.
1 "Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me. And we compassed mount Seir many days. 2 And the LORD spoke to me, saying, 3 'You have compassed this mountain long enough. Turn northward. 4 And command the people, saying, "You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. Therefore, take good heed to yourselves. 5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you of their land, not even so much as a foot-breadth, because I have given mount Seir to Esau for a possession. 6 You shall buy food from them with money, so that you may eat. And you shall also buy water from them with money, so that you may drink. 7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the works of your hand. He knows your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing."'
8 "And when we passed by from our brothers, the children of Esau, who 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. 9 And the LORD said to me, 'Do not distress the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.' 10 (The Emims dwelt in it in times past, a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakims, 11 Who also were accounted Rephaim, as the Anakims, but the Moabites call them Emims. 12 The Horims also dwelt formerly in Seir, but the children of Esau succeeded them when they had destroyed them from before them and dwelt in their stead, as Israel did to the land of his possession, which the LORD gave to them.) 13 'Now rise,' I said, 'and pass over the brook Zered.' And we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we passed the brook Zered, was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war were wasted from among the host, as the LORD swore to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.
16 "So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, 17 That the LORD spoke to me, saying, 18 'You are to pass over through Ar, the border of Moab, this day. 19 And when you come near over against the children of Ammon, do not distress them, nor meddle with them, for I will not give you any possession of the land of the children of Ammon, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.' 20 (That also was accounted a land of Rephaim. Rephaim dwelt in it in old time, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims, 21 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 As he did to the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir when he destroyed the Horims from before them, and they succeeded them and dwelt in their stead even to this day. 23 And the Avims who dwelt in Hazerim even to Azzah, the Caphtorims, who came forth from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their stead.) 24 'Arise, take your journey and pass over the Arnon River. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it and contend with him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you upon the nations who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of you, shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.'
26 "And I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 'Let me pass through your land. I will go along by the highway. I will neither turn to the right hand nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, so that I may eat, and give me water for money, so that I may drink. Only let me pass through on my feet 29 (As the children of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did to me), until I pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.' 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, so that he might deliver him into your hand, as appears this day. 31 And the LORD said to me, 'Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess it, so that you may inherit his land.'
32 "Then Sihon came out against us—he and all his people—to fight at Jahaz. 33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us, and we smote him, his sons, and all his people. 34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, the women, and the little ones of every city. We left no one to remain. 35 Only the cattle we took as plunder for ourselves, with the loot of the cities which we took. 36 From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even to Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us. The LORD our God delivered all to us. 37 Only to the land of the children of Ammon you did not come, nor to any place of the Jabbok River, nor to the cities on the mountains, nor to whatever the LORD our God had forbidden us."
Matthew Henry Commentary - Deuteronomy, Chapter 2[➚]