Why does Israel pass some neighboring lands without fighting but take Sehon’s land?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord forbids taking the lands he gave to Esau’s descendants and Lot’s children. He then gives Sehon and his land into Israel’s hand and commands war. Moses sends a peaceable request to pass through, but Sehon refuses and comes out to fight. Israel defeats him while still avoiding the places the Lord forbade.

Chapter breakdown

Moses recalls leaving for the wilderness by the Red Sea route, as the Lord had told him, and going around mount Seir for a long time. The Lord then says they have gone around the mountain long enough and must turn north. They will pass their brothers, Esau’s descendants in Seir, who will fear them. Israel must take great care not to stir against them. The Lord will not give Israel even a footstep of their land, because he gave mount Seir to Esau as a possession. Israel must buy food and water from them for money. The Lord has blessed all the work of Israel’s hands. Dwelling in them, he knows their journey through the great wilderness. For these forty years he has been with them, and they have lacked nothing.

They pass their brothers, Esau’s descendants in Seir, by the plain route from Elath and Asiongaber, and go toward the wilderness of Moab. The Lord forbids fighting Moab or beginning war against them. He will give Israel none of their land, because he gave Ar to Lot’s children as a possession. The Emims were its first inhabitants: a great, strong people, tall like the Enacims. They were regarded as giants like the Enacims, and the Moabites called them Emims. The Horrhites had formerly lived in Seir. Esau’s descendants drove them out, destroyed them, and settled in their place, as Israel did in the land of its possession that the Lord gave it. These are the histories the chapter states; it does not assign them a further purpose or invent the people’s response to them.

The Lord tells them to rise and cross the torrent Zared, and they come to it. Thirty-eight years pass between leaving Cadesbarne and crossing Zared. By then the whole generation of men fit for war has been consumed from the camp, as the Lord had sworn. His hand was against them so that they would perish from the camp.

After all the fighting men have died, the Lord tells Moses that this day Israel will cross Moab’s borders at Ar. When they come near the children of Ammon, they must not fight them or even move against them in war. The Lord will give Israel none of Ammon’s land, because he gave it to Lot’s children. This land was also regarded as a land of giants. Giants formerly lived there, called Zomzommims by the Ammonites: a great, numerous people, tall like the Enacims. The Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, who settled in their place. He did the same for Esau’s descendants in Seir, destroying the Horrhites before them; they still hold that possession to the day of the account. The Hevites lived in Haserim as far as Gaza. The Cappadocians who came from Cappadocia drove them out, destroyed them, and settled in their place.

The Lord commands Israel to rise and cross the torrent Arnon. He has delivered Sehon the Amorrhite, king of Hesebon, and his land into their hand. They must begin to possess it and make war against him. This day the Lord will begin to put fear and dread of Israel among the nations under the whole heaven. On hearing Israel’s name, they will fear and tremble and feel pain like women in labor.

Moses sends messengers from the wilderness of Cademoth to Sehon with peaceable words. He asks to pass through Sehon’s land along the highway without turning right or left. Sehon is to sell them food and provide water for money. Moses asks only for passage, as Esau’s descendants in Seir and the Moabites in Ar have done, until Israel crosses the Jordan into the land the Lord will give them. The chapter reports this message before Sehon’s response. It does not introduce a separate law requiring a peace offer before every war.

Sehon refuses to let Israel pass. The account says the Lord has hardened his spirit and fixed his heart so that he might be delivered into Israel’s hands, as they now see. Challoner’s note separately explains this as punishment for Sehon’s past sins: God left him to his own stubborn and perverse disposition, which drew him to ruin. The note refers the reader to Exodus 7:3. The Lord then gives a further assurance to Moses: he has begun to deliver Sehon and his land, and Israel must begin to possess it. The note’s explanation is kept distinct from the words of Scripture.

Sehon and all his people come out to fight Israel at Jasa. The Lord delivers him to Israel, and they kill him, his sons, and all his people. They take all his cities at that time and kill their inhabitants, men, women, and children, leaving nothing except cattle for the captors’ share and the spoils of the cities. From Aroer on the bank of Arnon, and the town in the valley, as far as Galaad, no village or city escapes. The Lord delivers all of them. Israel does not approach the children of Ammon, any part of the torrent Jeboc’s border, the mountain cities, or any place the Lord forbade. The reported conquest therefore retains the stated limits.

The story inside

The account draws a clear boundary between the lands Israel must leave alone and the land it is told to take. Seir belongs to Esau’s descendants by the Lord’s gift; Ar and Ammon’s land belong to Lot’s children by his gift. Israel must pass without taking those possessions. The instruction changes at Arnon: the Lord gives Sehon and his land into Israel’s hand and commands war. Moses’ message nevertheless asks for highway passage and paid supplies. Sehon refuses, and the account explains his hardening; the Lord then repeats that he has begun to deliver Sehon. Sehon comes out at Jasa, and Israel defeats him and takes the stated cities. The chapter ends by naming the lands and places Israel still did not approach. The peaceable message and the later response are recorded events, not choices in an invented decision exercise.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The earlier land grants set limits on Israel’s movement. The Lord expressly forbids taking Esau’s or Lot’s descendants’ lands and gives those grants as the reason.
2
The journey includes a stated judgment on the fighting generation. Thirty-eight years pass from Cadesbarne to Zared, and that generation dies from the camp as the Lord swore.
3
The victory does not erase the prohibitions. Even after Sehon’s defeat, Israel avoids Ammon, Jeboc’s border, the mountain cities, and all other places the Lord forbade.

Test your recall

Why was Israel forbidden to take land from Esau’s descendants and the children of Moab and Ammon?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 18714–18741
Deuteronomy Chapter 2 They are forbid to fight against the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. Their victory over Sehon king of Hesebon. 2:1. And departing from thence we came into the wilderness that leadeth to the Red Sea, as the Lord had spoken to me: and we compassed mount Seir a long time. 2:2. And the Lord said to me: 2:3. You have compassed this mountain long enough: go toward the north: 2:4. And command thou the people, saying: You shall pass by the borders of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. 2:5. Take ye then good heed that you stir not against them. For I will not give you of their land so much as the step of one foot can tread upon, because I have given mount Seir to Esau, for a possession. 2:6. You shall buy meats of them for money and shall eat: you shall draw waters for money, and shall drink. 2:7. The Lord thy God hath blessed thee in every work of thy hands: the Lord thy God dwelling with thee, knoweth thy journey, how thou hast passed through this great wilderness, for forty years, and thou hast wanted nothing.
Lines 18743–18759
2:8. And when we had passed by our brethren the children of Esau, that dwelt in Seir, by the way of the plain from Elath and from Asiongaber, we came to the way that leadeth to the desert of Moab. 2:9. And the Lord said to me: Fight not against the Moabites, neither go to battle against them: for I will not give thee any of their land, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot in possession. 2:10. The Emims first were the inhabitants thereof, a people great, and strong, and so tall, that like the race of the Enacims, 2:11. They were esteemed as giants, and were like the sons of the Enacims. But the Moabites call them Emims. 2:12. The Horrhites also formerly dwelt in Seir: who being driven out and destroyed, the children of Esau dwelt there, as Israel did in the land of his possession, which the Lord gave him.
Lines 18761–18769
2:13. Then rising up to pass the torrent Zared, we came to it. 2:14. And the time that we journeyed from Cadesbarne till we passed over the torrent Zared, was thirty-eight years: until all the generation of the men that were fit for war was consumed out of the camp, as the Lord had sworn: 2:15. For his hand was against them, that they should perish from the midst of the camp.
Lines 18771–18795
2:16. And after all the fighting men were dead, 2:17. The Lord spoke to me, saying: 2:18. Thou shalt pass this day the borders of Moab, the city named Ar: 2:19. And when thou comest nigh the frontiers of the children of Ammon, take heed thou fight not against them, nor once move to battle: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession. 2:20. It was accounted a land of giants: and giants formerly dwelt in it, whom the Ammonites call Zomzommims, 2:21. A people great and many, and of tall stature, like the Enacims whom the Lord destroyed before their face: and he made them to dwell in their stead, 2:22. As he had done in favour of the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, destroying the Horrhites, and delivering their land to them, which they possess to this day. 2:23. The Hevites also, that dwelt in Haserim as far as Gaza, were expelled by the Cappadocians: who came out of Cappadocia, and destroyed them and dwelt in their stead.
Lines 18797–18803
2:24. Arise ye, and pass the torrent Arnon: Behold I have delivered into thy hand Sehon king of Hesebon the Amorrhite, and begin thou to possess his land and make war against him. 2:25. This day will I begin to send the dread and fear of thee upon the nations that dwell under the whole heaven: that when they hear thy name they may fear and tremble, and be in pain like women in travail.
Lines 18805–18816
2:26. So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Cademoth to Sehon the king of Hesebon with peaceable words, saying: 2:27. We will pass through thy land, we will go along by the highway: we will not turn aside neither to the right hand nor to the left. 2:28. Sell us meat for money, that we may eat: give us water for money and so we will drink. We only ask that thou wilt let us pass through, 2:29. As the children of Esau have done, that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites, that abide in Ar: until we come to the Jordan, and pass to the land which the Lord our God will give us.
Lines 18818–18827
2:30. And Sehon the king of Hesebon would not let us pass: because the Lord thy God had hardened his spirit, and fixed his heart, that he might be delivered into thy hands, as now thou seest. Hardened, etc.... That is, in punishment of his past sins he left him to his own stubborn and perverse disposition, which drew him to his ruin. See the note on Ex. 7.3. 2:31. And the Lord said to me: Behold I have begun to deliver unto thee Sehon and his land, begin to possess it.
Lines 18829–18850
2:32. And Sehon came out to meet us with all his people to fight at Jasa. 2:33. And the Lord our God delivered him to us: and we slew him with his sons and all his people. 2:34. And we took all his cities at that time, killing the inhabitants of them, men and women and children. We left nothing of them: 2:35. Except the cattle which came to the share of them that took them: and the spoils of the cities, which we took: 2:36. From Aroer, which is upon the bank of the torrent Arnon, a town that is situate in a valley, as far as Galaad. There was not a village or city, that escaped our hands: the Lord our God delivered all unto us: 2:37. Except the land of the children of Ammon, to which we approached not: and all that border upon the torrent Jeboc, and the cities in the mountains, and all the places which the Lord our God forbade us.