Deu 2:24-3:7 | TNotes | STEP | 2:24 The Arnon Gorge is the deep canyon formed by the Arnon River; it sometimes marked the border between Moab and Edom (see Num 21:13 ). It rises deep in the Arabian Desert and empties into the Dead Sea midway along its eastern shore. • Sihon the Amorite controlled the area east of the Jordan, north of the Arnon, and south of the Ammonite territories (see Num 21:21-35 ). He is not known outside of the Bible. His capital, Heshbon , was probably about fifteen miles southwest of Rabbath Ammon and is usually identified with the impressive ruins at Tell Hesban.

2:24 ^a The Arnon Gorge is the deep canyon formed by the Arnon River; it sometimes marked the border between Moab and Edom (see Num 21:13 ^b). It rises deep in the Arabian Desert and empties into the Dead Sea midway along its eastern shore.

• Sihon the Amorite controlled the area east of the Jordan, north of the Arnon, and south of the Ammonite territories (see Num 21:21-35 ^c). He is not known outside of the Bible. His capital, Heshbon, was probably about fifteen miles southwest of Rabbath Ammon and is usually identified with the impressive ruins at Tell Hesban.
Summary for Deut 2:26-37: 2:26-37 ^d See Num 21:21-32 ^e. 2:26 ^f The wilderness of Kedemoth might refer to the area north of the Arnon Gorge between Dibon and Mattanah (Josh 13:18 ^g; 21:37 ^h).
2:30 ⁱ made Sihon stubborn and defiant (literally had hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart): Like Pharaoh (see Exod 7:13 ^j), Sihon was incorrigibly unrepentant and thus experienced God’s wrath. God knew that any further extension of grace to these rulers would be useless. Mystery surrounds the relationship between statements that people harden their own hearts (e.g., Exod 7:13 ^k, 22 ^l; 8:15 ^m) and statements that God hardens people’s hearts (e.g., Exod 4:21 ⁿ; 7:3 ^o; 9:12 ^p). What is clear is that God appeals for repentance and is ready to forgive, but when people continually ignore or reject his appeals, they can become incapable of hearing and obeying God (see thematic note for Hardened Hearts at end of chapter; Rom 1:21-28 ^q; 9:17-24 ^r).
2:34 ^s completely destroyed (Hebrew kharam): The Hebrew term refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering. The underlying rationale was to maintain the Lord’s holiness in the face of pagan idolatry and moral corruption (see also Lev 27:28-29 ^t).
2:36 ^u Aroer, on the north rim of the Arnon Gorge three miles from Dibon, marked the southernmost extent of the Amorite kingdom (3:12 ^v; 4:48 ^w; Josh 12:2 ^x; 13:9 ^y, 16 ^z, 25 ^aa).

• The identity of the town in the gorge is uncertain.

• Gilead, famous for its balm and other aromatic spices (Jer 8:22 ^ab; 46:11 ^ac), lay north of the Jabbok River, the northernmost border of the Amorites under Sihon.
2:37 ^ad Like the Moabites, the Ammonites were related to Israel and were thus to be left undisturbed (cp. 2:9 ^ae).

• The Jabbok River, a great tributary of the Jordan River, marked the border between Gilead to the north and the Amorite kingdom of Sihon to the south. The Ammonites lived east and south of the Jabbok (2:19 ^af). It was somewhere at the Jabbok that Jacob wrestled with the stranger at night (Gen 32:22-32 ^ag).

Thematic note: Hardened Hearts
Exodus repeatedly states that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exod 4:21 ^ah; 9:12 ^ai; 10:1 ^aj, 20 ^ak; 11:10 ^al; 14:4 ^am, 8 ^an). These statements can be troubling. Was Pharaoh forced to sin against God?
Other factors need to be taken into account: (1) The Lord knew ahead of time that Pharaoh would harden his heart (3:19 ^ao); (2) Pharaoh himself became stubborn (8:15 ^ap, 32 ^aq); and (3) Pharaoh remained stubborn despite clear warnings (8:19 ^ar). Pharaoh was not a well-meaning, misguided individual who was not allowed to repent. Although God was ultimately in control of Pharaoh, Pharaoh himself was accountable for his actions.
This interplay between human choice and divine sovereignty is found in other places in Scripture. The Israelites hardened their hearts and refused to believe God in the wilderness (Ps 95:8-10 ^as). God hardened the hearts of the Canaanites so that they did not seek to make peace with the Hebrews (Josh 11:20 ^at). The message God gave to Isaiah hardened the hearts of his hearers (Isa 6:9-10 ^au); similarly in the New Testament, many people hardened their hearts in response to the message of the gospel (Matt 13:15 ^av; John 12:40 ^aw; Acts 28:27 ^ax). People are responsible for their choices, but no one makes choices in a vacuum. Rather, they make them in the context of how God has made his world and providentially directs it.
The emphasis in Exodus on God’s control of Pharaoh puts the conflict between two belief systems into stark contrast. Pharaoh believed that he was sovereign and divine, able to do whatever he pleased. God demonstrated that this was not the case: Pharaoh was dependent, as much the prisoner of his choices as any other creature on the planet. There is only one absolutely independent “I Am,” and that is Yahweh, the Lord (see 3:6-14 ^ay; 6:2-8 ^az; 20:2 ^ba; 34:6-7 ^bb; Isa 45:3-7 ^bc; 48:17 ^bd; Mark 14:62 ^be; John 8:23-28 ^bf).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 8:21 ^bg; Exod 3:19 ^bh; 4:21 ^bi; 8:15 ^bj, 19 ^bk, 32 ^bl; 9:12 ^bm; 10:1 ^bn, 20 ^bo; 11:10 ^bp; 14:4 ^bq, 8 ^br; Josh 11:19-20 ^bs; 2 Chr 36:11-13 ^bt; Ps 95:8-11 ^bu; Isa 6:9-10 ^bv; Ezek 11:18-21 ^bw; 36:22-27 ^bx; Matt 12:34-35 ^by; 13:10-17 ^bz; Luke 8:4-15 ^ca; John 12:37-40 ^cb; Acts 28:23-28 ^cc; Rom 2:14-16 ^cd; 11:7-12 ^ce; 2 Cor 3:13-18 ^cf; Eph 4:17-24 ^cg; Heb 3:6-19 ^ch; 6:4-8 ^ci

‏ Deuteronomy 3:1-7

Summary for Deut 3:1-11: 3:1-11 ^cj See Num 21:33-35 ^ck.
3:4 ^cl Argob might be synonymous with Bashan or might refer to a heavily populated part of Bashan.