1Und wir wandten uns und brachen auf nach der Wüste auf dem Wege nach dem Schilfmeer, wie Jehovah zu mir redete, und umzogen das Gebirge Seir viele Tage. 2Und Jehovah sprach zu mir und Er sagte: 3Es ist viel für euch, das Gebirge zu umziehen; wendet euch gegen Mitternacht. 4Und dem Volke gebiete und sprich: Ihr durchziehet nun die Grenze eurer Brüder, der Söhne Esau, die in Seir wohnen, und sie fürchten euch. Hütet euch aber sehr! 5Hebe nicht Streit an mit ihnen, denn keinen fußbreit von ihrem Land werde Ich euch geben, denn das Gebirge Seir habe Ich Esau zum Erbbesitz gegeben. 6Speise sollt ihr um Silber von ihnen kaufen, auf daß ihr esset, und auch das Wasser sollt ihr um Silber von ihnen einkaufen und trinken. 7Denn Jehovah, dein Gott, hat dich gesegnet in allem Tun deiner Hand; Er wußte um dein Ziehen in dieser großen Wüste. Die vierzig Jahre war Jehovah, dein Gott, mit dir, und es mangelte dir an nichts. 8Und wir zogen vorüber an unseren Brüdern, den Söhnen Esaus, die auf Seir wohnen, ab von dem Wege durch das Flachland, von Elath und von Ezion Geber, und wandten uns und zogen hin auf dem Wege nach der Wüste Moab. 9Und Jehovah sprach zu mir: Bedränge nicht Moab und hebe nicht Streit an mit ihnen, denn Ich will dir nichts von seinem Land zum Erbbesitz geben, weil Ich den Söhnen Lots Ar zum Erbbesitz gegeben. 10Die Emim hatten vordem darin gewohnt, ein Volk, groß und viel und hoch, wie die Enakim. 11Auch sie wurden, wie die Enakim, unter die Riesen gerechnet, die Moabiter aber nannten sie Emim. 12In Seir aber hatten vordem die Choriter gewohnt; und die Söhne Esaus trieben sie aus und vernichteten sie vor sich her, und wohnten an ihrer Statt, wie Israel mit dem Lande seines Erbbesitzes tat, das Jehovah ihnen gegeben hat. 13Nun machet euch auf und setzet über den Bach Sered. Und wir setzten über den Bach Sered. 14Und die Tage, in denen wir von Kadesch Barnea zogen, bis daß wir über den Bach Sered setzten, waren achtunddreißig Jahre, bis das ganze Geschlecht der Kriegsleute aus der Mitte des Lagers alle ward, wie Jehovah ihnen geschworen hatte. 15Und auch die Hand Jehovahs war wider sie, auf daß Er sie aus der Mitte des Lagers austilgte, bis sie alle wurden. 16Und es geschah, als alle Kriegsleute aus der Mitte des Volkes alle waren, daß sie gestorben, 17Daß Jehovah zu mir redete und sprach: 18Du setzest heute über Moabs Grenze, an Ar vorbei. 19Und wirst nahe kommen gegenüber den Söhnen Ammons. Bedränge sie nicht und hebe nicht Streit an mit ihnen, denn Ich werde dir nichts vom Lande der Söhne Ammon zum Erbbesitze geben, denn Ich gab es den Söhnen Lots zum Erbbesitz. 20Als ein Land von Riesen ward auch dieses gerechnet, Riesen wohnten vordem darinnen; und die Ammoniter nannten sie Samsummim. 21Ein Volk war es, groß und viel und hoch, wie die Enakim; aber Jehovah vernichtete sie vor ihnen und trieb sie aus und sie wohnten an ihrer Statt, 22Wie Er getan hatte für die Söhne Esaus, die da wohnen in Seir, vor denen Er die Choriter vernichtete und sie austrieb; und sie wohnten an ihrer Statt bis auf diesen Tag. 23Und die Avim, die in Dörfern wohnten bis Gazah, die Kaphthorim, die von Kaphthor ausgingen, vernichteten sie; und sie wohnten an ihrer Statt. 24Machet euch auf, brechet auf und setzet über den Bach Arnon. Siehe, Ich habe Sichon, den König von Cheschbon, den Amoriter und sein Land in deine Hand gegeben. Fang an, nimm es ein, hebe Streit an mit ihm. 25Diesen Tag will Ich anfangen zu geben Schauer und Furcht vor dir über die Völker unter dem ganzen Himmel, und sie werden zittern und beben vor deinem Angesicht, wenn sie das Gerücht von dir hören. 26Und ich sandte Boten aus der Wüste Kedemoth an Sichon, den König von Cheschbon, mit Worten des Friedens und sprach: 27Ich will dein Land durchziehen, will nur auf dem Wege gehen, weder zur Rechten, noch zur Linken abweichen. 28Speise sollst du mir um Silber verkaufen, daß ich esse, und Wasser mir geben um Silber, daß ich trinke. Nur laß mich durchziehen zu Fuß; 29Wie mir Esaus Söhne taten, die da wohnen in Seir, und die Moabiter, die da wohnen in Ar, bis daß ich über den Jordan übersetze in das Land, das Jehovah, unser Gott, uns gibt. 30Und Sichon, Cheschbons König, war nicht willens, uns da durchziehen zu lassen, weil Jehovah, dein Gott, seinen Geist verhärtete und sein Herz verstockte, auf daß Er ihn in deine Hand gebe, wie es heutzutage ist. 31Und Jehovah sprach zu mir: Siehe, Ich habe angefangen, Sichon und sein Land vor dir zu geben. Fange an, nimm ein, um sein Land einzunehmen. 32Und Sichon ging aus, uns entgegen, er und all sein Volk zum Streite nach Jahza. 33Und Jehovah, unser Gott, gab ihn vor uns, und wir schlugen ihn und seine Söhne und all sein Volk. 34Und wir eroberten zu selbiger Zeit alle seine Städte und bannten in jeder Stadt Männer, Weiber und Kindlein und ließen keinen Rest verbleiben. 35Nur das Vieh raubten wir für uns und die Beute der Städte, die wir eroberten. 36Von Aroer an, das am Ufer des Baches Arnon, und die Stadt, die in dem Bachtale liegt, und bis Gilead war keine Stadt zu erhaben für uns; alle gab Jehovah vor uns hin. 37Nur dem Land der Söhne Ammons bist du nicht nahe gekommen, allem, das am Ufer des Baches Jabboks ist, noch den Städten auf dem Gebirge, noch irgend etwas, das Jehovah, unser Gott, verboten hat.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE STORY IS CONTINUED. (Deu. 2:1-37)
Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea--After their unsuccessful attack upon the Canaanites, the Israelites broke up their encampment at Kadesh, and journeying southward over the west desert of Tih as well as through the great valley of the Ghor and Arabah, they extended their removals as far as the gulf of Akaba.
we compassed mount Seir many days--In these few words Moses comprised the whole of that wandering nomadic life through which they passed during thirty-eight years, shifting from place to place, and regulating their stations by the prospect of pasturage and water. Within the interval they went northward a second time to Kadesh, but being refused a passage through Edom and opposed by the Canaanites and Amalekites, they again had no alternative but to traverse once more the great Arabah southwards to the Red Sea, where turning to the left and crossing the long, lofty mountain chain to the eastward of Ezion-geber (
Num 21:4-
Num 21:5), they issued into the great and elevated plains, which are still traversed by the Syrian pilgrims in their way to Mecca. They appear to have followed northward nearly the same route, which is now taken by the Syrian hadji, along the western skirts of this great desert, near the mountains of Edom [ROBINSON]. It was on entering these plains they received the command, "Ye have compassed this mountain (this hilly tract, now Jebel Shera) long enough, turn ye northward" [
Deut 2:3].
4 the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir . . . shall be afraid of you--The same people who had haughtily repelled the approach of the Israelites from the western frontier were alarmed now that they had come round upon the weak side of their country.
5 Meddle not with them--that is, "which dwell in Seir" (
Deut 2:4) --for there was another branch of Esau's posterity, namely, the Amalekites, who were to be fought against and destroyed (
Gen 36:12;
Exod 17:14;
Deut 25:17). But the people of Edom were not to be injured, either in their persons or property. And although the approach of so vast a nomadic horde as the Israelites naturally created apprehension, they were to take no advantage of the prevailing terror to compel the Edomites to accept whatever terms they imposed. They were merely to pass "through" or along their border, and to buy meat and water of them for money (
Deut 2:6). The people, kinder than their king, did sell them bread, meat, fruits, and water in their passage along their border (
Deut 2:29), in the same manner as the Syrian caravan of Mecca is now supplied by the people of the same mountains, who meet the pilgrims as at a fair or market on the hadji route [ROBINSON]. Although the Israelites still enjoyed a daily supply of the manna, there was no prohibition against their eating other food when opportunity afforded. Only they were not to cherish an inordinate desire for it. Water is a scarce commodity and is often paid for by travellers in those parts. It was the more incumbent on the Israelites to do so, as, by the blessing of God, they possessed plenty of means to purchase, and the long-continued experience of the extraordinary goodness of God to them, should inspire such confidence in Him as would suppress the smallest thought of resorting to fraud or violence in supplying their wants.
8 we passed . . . through the way of the plain--the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
Ezion-geber--now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea. They had been forbidden by divine command to molest the Moabites in any way; and this special honor was conferred on that people not on their own account, for they were very wicked, but in virtue of their descent from Lot. (See on
Deut 23:3). Their territory comprised the fine country on the south, and partly on the north of the Arnon. They had won it by their arms from the original inhabitants, the Emims, a race, terrible, as their name imports, for physical power and stature (
Gen 14:5), in like manner as the Edomites had obtained their settlement by the overthrow of the original occupiers of Seir, the Horims (
Gen 14:6), who were troglodytes, or dwellers in caves. Moses alluded to these circumstances to encourage his countrymen to believe that God would much more enable them to expel the wicked and accursed Canaanites. At that time, however, the Moabites, having lost the greater part of their possessions through the usurpations of Sihon, were reduced to the small but fertile region between the Zered and the Arnon.
13 Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered--The southern border of Moab, Zered ("woody"), now Wady Ahsy, separates the modern district of Kerak from Jebal, and, indeed, forms a natural division of the country between the north and south. Ar, called in later times Rabbah, was the capital of Moab and situated twenty-five miles south of the Arnon on the banks of a small but shady stream, the Beni Hamed. It is here mentioned as representative of the country dependent on it, a rich and well-cultivated country, as appears from the numerous ruins of cities, as well as from the traces of tillage still visible on the fields.
16 all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people--The outbreak at Kadesh on the false report of the spies had been the occasion of the fatal decree by which God doomed the whole grown-up population to die in the wilderness [
Num 14:29]; but that outbreak only filled up the measure of their iniquities. For that generation, though not universally abandoned to heathenish and idolatrous practices, yet had all along displayed a fearful amount of ungodliness in the desert, which this history only hints at obscurely, but which is expressly asserted elsewhere (
Ezek 20:25-
Ezek 20:26;
Amos 5:25,
Amos 5:27;
Acts 7:42-
Acts 7:43).
19 when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number of small Canaanitish tribes, namely, the Zamzummins, a bullying, presumptuous band of giants, as their name indicates; and the Avims, the aborigines of the district extending from Hazerim or Hazeroth (El Hudhera) even unto Azzah (Gaza), but of which they had been dispossessed by the Caphtorim (Philistines), who came out of Caphtor (Lower Egypt) and settled in the western coast of Palestine. The limits of the Ammonites were now compressed; but they still possessed the mountainous region beyond the Jabbok (
Josh 11:2). What a strange insight does this parenthesis of four verses give into the early history of Palestine! How many successive wars of conquest had swept over its early state--what changes of dynasty among the Canaanitish tribes had taken place long prior to the transactions recorded in this history!
24 Rise ye up . . . and pass over the river Arnon--At its mouth, this stream is eighty-two feet wide and four deep. It flows in a channel banked by perpendicular cliffs of sandstone. At the date of the Israelitish migration to the east of the Jordan, the whole of the fine country lying between the Arnon and the Jabbok including the mountainous tract of Gilead, had been seized by the Amorites, who, being one of the nations doomed to destruction (see
Deut 7:2;
Deut 20:16), were utterly exterminated. Their country fell by right of conquest into the hands of the Israelites. Moses, however, considering this doom as referring solely to the Amorite possessions west of Jordan, sent a pacific message to Sihon, requesting permission to go through his territories, which lay on the east of that river. It is always customary to send messengers before to prepare the way; but the rejection of Moses' request by Sihon and his opposition to the advance of the Israelites (
Num 21:23;
Judg 11:26) drew down on himself and his Amorite subjects the predicted doom on the first pitched battlefield with the Canaanites. It secured to Israel not only the possession of a fine and pastoral country, but, what was of more importance to them, a free access to the Jordan on the east.