Deu 2:4-9 | TNotes

2:5 ^a I have given them: God’s gift of a promised land was not limited to Israel. He also distributed lands to Edom, Moab (2:9 ^b), Ammon (2:19 ^c), and the Caphtorites (2:22-23 ^d). Although God had chosen Israel as a special nation (1:31 ^e; see also 7:6 ^f; 14:2 ^g; Exod 19:5 ^h), he is also the God of all nations and has a place and purpose for each (Deut 32:8 ⁱ; Acts 17:26 ^j)—even for those that do not recognize his sovereignty (Rom 1:16-23 ^k).
2:8 ^l our relatives: Isaac had two sons, Esau, the firstborn, and Jacob, who obtained Esau’s birthright and blessing as the firstborn (Gen 25:27-34 ^m; 27:1-36 ⁿ). The result was intense hostility between Esau and Jacob and between their descendants. Israel still recognized and honored the kinship, however; out of fraternal good faith, if not affection, Israel bypassed Edom and did not engage the Edomites in battle (see Num 20:14-21 ^o).

• Arabah Valley: See study note on Deut 1:1.

• Elath and Ezion-geber were twin port cities on the Red Sea. They later harbored the merchant ships of Solomon (1 Kgs 9:26 ^p), Jehoshaphat (1 Kgs 22:48 ^q), and Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22 ^r).
2:9 ^s Following the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain, Lot (Abraham’s nephew and Isaac’s cousin) and his two unmarried daughters sheltered in a cave east of the Dead Sea (see Gen 19:30-38 ^t), where Lot’s daughters plied their father with drink until he had sexual relations with them. Their descendants became the nations of Moab and Ammon. Because of their kinship with Israel, the Moabites were to be left undisturbed. David’s great-grandmother Ruth descended from Moab (Ruth 1:4 ^u), and David sent his own family to the land of Moab for protection when he was pursued by Saul (1 Sam 22:3-5 ^v).

• Ar was probably the capital of Moab.