Chapter Two
Years in the Wilderness
2:1 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the LORD told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. 2 Then the LORD said to me, 3 ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward 4 and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. 5 Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. 7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’ 8 So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. “And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab.
Moses reports that at that time they turned around and headed back in the direction of the Red Sea. They were traveling around Mount Seir when God told Moses to head north to pass through Edom, the territory established by Jacob’s brother Esau. God tells Moses that they are not to engage the Edomites in battle, nor expect to occupy their land as He has given Mount Seir as a possession to Esau (see Genesis 32:3; 36:8-9; Joshua 24:4). Instead of conquering, they are to purchase food and water from them with money (Hebrew ‘kě’·sěp’,[1] silver). Moses used this as an example of God’s guidance and provision during their forty years in the wilderness, saying they lacked nothing, God always provided. He then continued the story of their trek, saying they left Seir and headed towards the wilderness of Moab.
In this brief review of the history of the past forty years, Moses leaves out several key events including:
As discussed earlier, the book of Deuteronomy is more like a supplement instead of another detailed account. It does offer some clarification and added information, however, here in this section the account of their interaction with Edom (people of Esau) reads very different than the account given in Numbers (see Numbers 20:14-21). In the book of Numbers account, they were refused passage and were ultimately met with force and not allowed in. Some believe that the two accounts are mutually exclusive, they are not.
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 (Deut. 2:8). God had warned Israel that as they would pass along the eastern border, they should not provoke the Edomites to war (Deut. 2:5).[2]
2:9 And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or 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 people of Lot for a possession.’
God did not want the Israelites to battle the Moabites over their land as He had given Ar (a town in Moab, see Numbers 21:15) to the people of Lot (Moab was the son of Lot, after his daughters got him drunk and had become pregnant by him, see Genesis 19:30-38).
2:10 (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the LORD gave to them.)
These three verses are somewhat of a mystery. This parenthetical set of three historic points seemingly have little to do with the story except to perhaps emphasize the fact that no enemy is invincible, or to provide information that this new generation may not have otherwise known. These are:
This third point has become a source of much debate as it is often questioned because, if Moses is the author of the book and they haven’t entered the Promised Land yet, how could he make such a statement? There are several viewpoints to consider, beginning with the simplest answer:
However, there is no reason to automatically jump to a conclusion that the text was revised or even edited. The simplest answer is often, and usually, the correct answer (remember Occam’s Razor); the answer would most likely be that they currently were in the land of their possession east of the Jordan River taken from the Amorites (note the language of verses 24 and 31 below). We will encounter a similar parenthetical passage in verses 20-23 below, also relating to people groups being conquered or dispossessed.
2:13 ‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.
The Israelites then headed in the direction of the river (or valley) of Zered (located near the south end of Moab between Edom and Moab, see Numbers 21:12). Thirty-eight years had elapsed between when they left Kadesh-barnea before crossing the Zered (having to travel south towards the northern tip of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, around Edom and then north towards Moab). One full generation of the men of war (those twenty years old and older) had died during the trek.
2:16 “So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, 17 the LORD said to me, 18 ‘Today you are to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19 And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend 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 sons of Lot for a possession.’
Once the men from the generation that left Egypt were all dead, God told Moses to cross the border into Moab at Ar. He also told him to not engage the people of Ammon in battle as their land was given to the descendants of Lot as a possession.
2:20 (It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim— 21 a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. 23 As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.)
Verse twenty begins another three-point parenthetical statement involving people groups that were conquered, or their land occupied by others. The land of the people of Ammon was ‘counted’ (Hebrew ‘tē·ḥā·šēḇ’,[5] to reckon or account for)[6] or considered, the land of the Rephaim, called Zamzummim by the Ammonites. The word ‘Zamzummiym’[7] only appears this once, the exact meaning or etymology is unknown, many have offered several ideas including long-necked, strong and big, obstinate, noisy, evil-thinking, humming, buzzing, or some other onomatopoetic (a word that imitates a sound). They were once a people large, tall, and many in number and as tall as the Anakim, but YHWH destroyed them for the Ammonites to settle there, just like He did for the people of Esau who lived in Seir by destroying the Horites. The Avvim (first appearance of this word in Scripture, see Joshua 13:3-4; 18:21-28) once lived in villages as far west as Gaza (see Genesis 10:19) were dispossessed and conquered by the Caphtorim from Caphtor (see Genesis 10:14; Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7).
2:24 ‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’
Once crossed into the land of Moab, the Israelites were to take possession of the Amorite land that was being ruled by Sihon, the king of Heshbon (see Numbers 21:21-30). At that time God instilled dread (Hebrew ‘pǎḥǎḏ’,[8] terror) and fear of the Israelites in all other people groups on earth, when anyone hears about them, they would begin to tremble and be in great anguish as they approach.
Considerations
God would not allow Moses and the people of Israel to battle the sons of Esau or the Ammonites for their land, as He had given that land to Esau and Lot as their possession for the time He has allotted. The apostle Paul offers this explanation: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” (Acts17:24-26)
King Sihon Defeated
2:26 “So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. 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, 29 as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving to us.’
While at Kedemoth, Moses sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, offering words of peace. The name Kedemoth is referenced both as a pastureland (see 1 Chronicles 6:79) and as a city, later given to the tribe of Reuben (see Joshua 13:18). It is believed that the Israelites had just crossed the Arnon River into the south end of Sihon’s territory. The message Moses sent requested passage through his land. He promised that they would stay on the road and would purchase from them food and water, until they reached the Jordan River. Moses compares the request to previous requests he made to the sons of Esau and Moabites in Ar. Even though the sons of Esau did not allow them to enter, the Israelites went around Edom without incident. The word ‘pass’ in verses 27 and 28 is the Hebrew word ‘ě’·berā(h)’,[9] which can also be translated as to pass over, to go beyond, or to go away.
2:30 But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. 31 And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’
Sihon refused to let the Israelites pass through his land. We are told that YHWH hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, a fact that was not revealed in the account recorded in the book of Numbers (see Numbers 21:23). The word ‘hardened’ is the Hebrew word ‘hiq·šāh’,[10] meaning to be hard, difficult, severe, stiff-necked, etc. While this word was used twice in the narrative regarding Pharaoh’s responses to Moses’ many requests to let the people of Israel go while they were in Egypt, it is a different word than the one that was most often translated as ‘hardened’ in that narrative (‘ǎḥǎz·zēq’[11]) God had reason to prevent the Israelites from battling the Edomites and Ammonites, but not the Amorites as they were to be destroyed, so He made Sihon obstinate (Hebrew ‘im·mēṣ’,[12] to be strong, determined, to show courage). God gave the people of Israel Sihon’s land to take possession and occupy it.
2:32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. 33 And the LORD our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. 35 Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The LORD our God gave all into our hands. 37 Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the LORD our God had forbidden us.
King Sihon and his army came to Jahaz (near the southern border) and engaged in battle with the Israelites and God provided the people of Israel victory over them. The Israelites went on to capture all Sihon’s cities and destroyed everything and everyone, no survivors remained. They took their livestock and spoil as they plundered the cities.
The campaign went from Aroer at the edge of the Valley of the Arnon River (southern end) to Gilead in the north. None of the walls protecting their cities were too high to penetrate, as God gave each of them to the people of Israel, except the land of Ammon that began at the Jabbok River (see Numbers 21:24; Deuteronomy 3:16; Joshua 12:2) and the hill country.
Considerations
One of the greatest barriers to the acceptance of the gospel message comes from the Old Testament. Many people have difficulty in understanding the bloodshed of innocent animals,[13] but more impactful is the perceived cruelty of the bloodshed of “innocent people” (starting with Numbers 21:35 and proceeding through the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges).
Horrified by the idea of killing innocent men, women, and children, readers often stop reading the Bible (or may not even begin reading as they may have been previously informed of that content) and ask, “How can a loving God be so cruel?” However, instead of researching, or examining the Scriptures for that answer, most simply stop and reject God and His Word.
So why would God want the Israelites to kill all human life as they conquer Canaan? First, the answer can only make sense if the problem of sin is understood.[14] The Promised Land had been ‘polluted’ through the vile practices and rituals of these “innocent” people.[15] In the simplest of terms, God did not consider them to be innocent (see Deuteronomy 7:1-6; 20:16-18). Note the reason given in Deuteronomy 20:18, “That they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the LORD your God.” If we look at Deuteronomy 7:6, it reminds us that the people of Israel were holy to YHWH and, as a result, must refrain from doing anything that God detests. Plus, God knew that the Israelites would turn away from Him if these people remained in their midst, which sadly, is exactly what happened later in the Old Testament.
Many then ask why would God not give these people a second chance? Why kill them? Here again we need to remember that mankind cannot think like God. Since God, and God alone, knows all things, we must accept the fact that God knew their hearts.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 3701.
[2] Geisler, N. L., & Howe, T. A. (1992). When critics ask : a popular handbook on Bible difficulties (p. 107). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.
[3] See commentary under Genesis 14:5-7.
[4] Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe provide a comprehensive viewpoint countering the criticism regarding these verses, see “When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties” (pp. 115–117). (1992) Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2803.
[6] See commentary under Genesis 15:2-6.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 2157.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 6343.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 5674.
[10] Strong’s Hebrew 7185.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 2388. See commentary under Exodus 4:21.
[12] Strong’s Hebrew 553.
[13] As discussed in the Introduction to the book of Leviticus.
[14] See Sin Revisited in the Brief Introduction to God’s Law after Exodus chapter 19.
[15] See commentary under Genesis 9:25-27; Exodus 23:32 and Leviticus 18:24-28, see also Act One Scene One before Genesis chapter three; Sacrifices and Offerings to God Revisited in the Introduction of the book of Leviticus; Considerations under Leviticus 26:46; and the More than Numbers section found in the Introduction to the book of Numbers.