Deuteronomy 2

Their marching up from Kades-Barnea verse 1 7c. how they were to demean themselves in their march against the Edomites 4 Moabites 9 and Amorites 19 in the mean while is related how long this march lasted and the destruction of the disobedient 14 lastly how the Israelites vanquished Sihon the king of the Amorites and took possession of his land,24.

1. Then we turned and took our journey towards the wilderness by the way of the reed-sea[that is back again towards the red-sea which they passed over when they came out of Egypt] as the Lord had spoken unto me and compassed mount Seir many days[some maps do place next unto mount Seir or the mount of the Edomites in which they properly dwelt lying along the southern borders of Canaan yet another mountain extending from the reed-sea to the mount that properly the mount Edom and called likewise mount Seir and the mountain of the Amorites because they went along the same unto the Edomites and unto the Amorites by the which the Israelites going back again towards the red-sea made a long journey until God commanded then to turn northwards along by the land of the Edomites and so on towards the land of the Moabites the reader may be pleased to compare verse 3,4,8.]

2. Then the LORD spake unto me saying:

3. Yea have compassed this mountain enough [Heb. It hath been much or sufficient for you to go about &c.] Turn you northwards [of the reed-sea which lay in the south back again toward the land of Edom and Moab to pass by both them.]

4. And command the people saying ye shall march through by the border of your brethren the children of Esau [the Amalekites were also indeed Edomites or descended from Esau Genesis 36:12 but were excluded by God a special ordinance see Exodus 17.24 and below chapter 25,17] that dwell in Seir they will indeed be afraid of you [to wit remembering the wrong that their forefather Esau formerly did unto his brother Jacob or Israel your forefather or they shall be afraid of your power and the help of God that is with you see Numbers 22:3] but ye shall take good heed unto yourselves.

5. Meddle not with them [to wit in the battle that ye should go to war with them as below verse 9 and 24 that now afterwards the contrary appeared the Edomites Amorites and Moabites were the cause of it by their enmity and hatred against the Israelites see 1samuel 14.47 2 Samuel 8:14 1 Kings 11:15,16 2kings 8.21 2 Chronicles 20:2 ,10,11 Psalms 83:7,8,9 7c. compare 2 Samuel 8 on verse 2] for I will not give ye for their land even not to the treading of the foot sole [that is so much as the sole of the foot may tread on that is not so much as a foot breadeth] for I have given mount Seir unto Esau for an inheritance [see Genesis 36:8]

6. Ye shall buy meat [which besides the heavenly manna ye may desire] of them for money that ye may eat and ye shall buy water of them for money that ye may drink.

7. For the LORD God hath blessed thee in all the work of thine hand he knoweth the walking through this great wilderness [that is he hath taken care for thee in all this journeying and marching of thine that nothing might be wanting unto thee see this signification of the word knowing Psalms 1:6 and 31.8 Nahum 1:7 and elsewhere] these forty years the ORD thy God hath been with thee [see Genesis 21 on verse 22] nothing hath been lacking to thee.

8. Now when we had passed by from our brethren the children of Esau that dwelt in Seir from the way of the plain from Elath from Ezeon-Geber [Elath and Ezeon-geber are placed by some close by the reed-sea] so we turned and passed through the way of the wilderness of Moab.

9. Then the LORD spake unto me distress not unto me Moab neither mingle thyself with them in the battle for I will not give thee any inheritance of their land because I have given Ar [the metropolis or chief city of the Moabites see Numbers 21:28]unto the children of Lot for an inheritance.

10. The Emims [see Genesis 14 on verse 5 so called as conceived because they were dreadful and terrible] dwealt there in times past a great numerous and tall people like Enakims [see above chapter 1.28 and Numbers 13:23.]

11. These were also accounted Giants [Heb. Rephaim see Genesis 14. On verse 5] as the Enakims and the Moabites called thou Emims.

12. The Horites [see Genesis 14 on verse 6 and 36.20] also dwealt in Seir before time but the children of Esau drave them out of the possession and destroyed them from their face and dwealt in their stead according as Israel had done unto the land of his inheritance [understand here the lands of Sihon and Og which were already taken by the children of Israel then when Moseh spake or wrote this] which the LORD gave unto them.

13. Now get ye up and pass over the brook Zered [see Numbers 21:12] so we passed over the brook Zered.

14. Now the days that we waked from Kades-Barnea until we have passed over the brok Zered were eight and thirty years until al the generation f men of war [that were numbered by Gods appointment being twenty years ld and upward see Numbers 1:3] were consumed out of the midst of the host as the LORD had sworn unto them [see above chapter 1.35 and Numbers 14:21 &c.]

15. So the hand of the LORD was against them to smite them from the midst of the host until they were consumed.

16. And it came to pass when the men of Warre were consumed dying away from the middest of the host.

17. That the LORD spake unto me saying:

18. Thou shalt pass over at Ar [see above verse 9] the border of Moab this day .

19. And thou shalt draw nigh over against the children of Amon distress them not nor mingle thyself with them [see above on verse 5] for I will give thee any inheritance of the land of the children of Ammon for I have given it to the children of Lot for an inheritance.

20. This was also accounted a land of Giants dwelt therein in the former time and the Ammonites called the them Zamzummims [that is abominable varlets, rogue, thieves, robbers of everyone is afraid.]

21. A great and numerous and tall people as Enakim and the LORD destroyed them before their face so that they drove them out of the possession and dwelt in their stead.

22. As he [namely the LORD] did to the children of Esau that dwell in Seir before whose face he destroyed the Horites and they drove them out of possession and dwelt in their stead until this day.

23. Also the Caphtorims [see Genesis 10 on verse 14] which came forth out of Caphtor destroyed the Avites that dwealt in Hazerim unto Gaza [that is which dwelt times past in the Philistines land see Joshua 13:3 and 2Kings 17.24,31 of Gaza see Genesis 10 on verse 19] and dwelt in their stead.

24. Get ye up take your journey and pass over the brook Arnon behold I have given Sihon the king of Hesbon the Amorite and his land into thine hand begin to inherit [Heb. Begin inherit] and mingle thyself with them in battle.

25. This day I will begin to put the dread and thy fear [that is wherewith they shall dread and be afraid of thee so below chapter 11.25] upon the face of the nations under the heaven they that shall hear thy report they shall tremble and be in anguish from thy face.

26. Then I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kademoth unto Sihon the king of Hesbon with words of peace [that is offering him terms of peace which they refusing to accept of where the cause of their destruction see Exodus 20:10] saying:

27. Let me pass through thy land I will only pass along by the way [or pass along steadily straight on without turning on either side or giving out of the road way as the following words also declare Heb. In the way in the way] I will neither turn aside to the right hand nor to the left.

28. Sell me meat for money that I may eat and give me water for money that I may drink only let me pass through on my feet [that is on foot as we commonly say see the same phrase Numbers 20:19 Judges 4:15,17 2 Samuel 15:17 &c.]

29. As the children of Esau which dwelt in Seir and the Moabites which dwealt in Ar did unto me [that which is affirmed here of the former of these nations to wit the Edomites must be understood of the selling of the bread and water that is meat and drink unto the Israelites for they denied them passage through their country Numbers 20:18 Judges 11:17 the Moabites they indeed met not Israel with bread and water see below chapter 23.4 but yet possible have sold the same unto them at least might not have driven them away from their borders] until I pass over the Jordan unto the land which the Lord our God shall give us.

30. But Sihon the king of Hesbon would not let us pass through him [that is through his land] for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit [see Exodus 4 on verse 21] and made his heart obstinate that he might deliver into thine hand as it is at this day.

31. And the LORD said unto behold I have begun to give unto Sihon and his land before thy face [see above chapter 1 on verse 8] begin then to inherit for to possess his land hereditarily.

32. And Sihon came forth to meet us he and his people to the battle at Jahaz.

33. And the Lord our God gave him before our face and we smote him and his sons and all his people.

34. And we took all his cities at that time and we banned all the cities men and women and little children [that is we destroyed and rooted them out at once so is this word banning also taken below chapter 3.6 and chapter7.2 and elsewhere this banning was to be done to all that continued obstinate in enmity and idolatry compare below chapter and Joshua 6:17,18,21 and 9.18,19 1 Kings 20:42 &c.] we left none to remain.

35. Only the cattle we took for a prey for ourselves and spoil of the cities which we took.

36. From Aroer which is by the bank [Heb. Lip] of the brook Arnon, and the city which is by the brook even unto Gilead, there was no city that was too high for us [Or, no city that would defend itself against us]; the Lord our God gave all that before our face.

37. Saving to the land of the children of Ammon thou drew not near; nor (to) all the country of the brook Jabbok nor to the cities of the mountain [Heb. Unto all the sides of the brook Jabbok and unto the cities &c.] nor to anything that the LORD our God had forbidden us [Heb. Commanded us that is forbidden us see of this use of word of commanding Leviticus 4 on verse 23 although those words might be likewise here thus translated whereof the LORD had commanded us to wit that we should not come nigh them.]