24 'Rise ye, journey and pass over the brook Arnon; see, I have given into thy hand Sihon king of Heshbon, the Amorite, and his land; begin to possess, and stir up thyself against him 'in' battle. 25 This day I begin to put thy dread and thy fear on the face of the peoples under the whole heavens, who hear thy fame, and have trembled and been pained because of thee.
26 'And I send messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth, unto Sihon king of Heshbon,—words of peace—saying, 27 Let me pass over through thy land; in the several ways I go; I turn not aside—right or left— 28 food for money thou dost sell me, and I have eaten; and water for money thou dost give to me, and I have drunk; only, let me pass over on my feet,— 29 as the sons of Esau who are dwelling in Seir, and the Moabites who are dwelling in Ar, have done to me—till that I pass over the Jordan, unto the land which Jehovah our God is giving to us. 30 'And Sihon king of Heshbon hath not been willing to let us pass over by him, for Jehovah thy God hath hardened his spirit, and strengthened his heart, so as to give him into thy hand as at this day. 31 'And Jehovah saith unto me, See, I have begun to give before thee Sihon and his land; begin to possess—to possess his land. 32 'And Sihon cometh out to meet us, he and all his people, to battle to Jahaz; 33 and Jehovah our God giveth him before us, and we smite him, and his sons, and all his people; 34 and we capture all his cities at that time, and devote the whole city, men, and the women, and the infants—we have not left a remnant; 35 only, the cattle we have spoiled for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we have captured. 36 'From Aroer, which 'is' by the edge of the brook Arnon, and the city which 'is' by the brook, even unto Gilead there hath not been a city which 'is' too high for us; the whole hath Jehovah our God given before us. 37 'Only, unto the land of the sons of Ammon thou hast not drawn near, any part of the brook Jabbok, and cities of the hill-country, and anything which Jehovah our God hath 'not' commanded.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Deuteronomy 2:24-37
Commentary on Deuteronomy 2:24-37
(Read Deuteronomy 2:24-37)
God tried his people, by forbidding them to meddle with the rich countries of Moab and Ammon. He gives them possession of the country of the Amorites. If we keep from what God forbids, we shall not lose by our obedience. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof; and he gives it to whom he pleases; but when there is no express direction, none can plead his grant for such proceedings. Though God assured the Israelites that the land should be their own, yet they must contend with the enemy. What God gives we must endeavour to get. What a new world did Israel now come into! Much more joyful will the change be, which holy souls will experience, when they remove out of the wilderness of this world to the better country, that is, the heavenly, to the city that has foundations. Let us, by reflecting upon God's dealings with his people Israel, be led to meditate upon our years spent in vanity, through our transgressions. But happy are those whom Jesus has delivered from the wrath to come. To whom he hath given the earnest of his Spirit in their hearts. Their inheritance cannot be affected by revolutions of kingdoms, or changes in earthly possessions.