Num 21:21-35 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Num 21:21-35: 21:21-35 The Israelite victories over King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan were previews of the Hebrew conquest of Canaan and came to represent God’s promise to assist his people in their time of need (cp. 13:10-12 ; Deut 2:24–3:7 ; Josh 2:10 ; 9:10 ; 12:1-6 ; Judg 11:19-22 ; Neh 9:22 ; Pss 135:10-12 ; 136:17-22 ; Jer 48:45-46 ). • Because Israel had left the wilderness (cp. Num 21:18 , 23 ) before arriving at Pisgah (21:20 ), this account is probably a flashback of something that took place before the movement described in 21:18-20 . Summary for Num 21:21-24: 21:21-24 The territory of King Sihon was sandwiched between Moab and Ammon. The Israelites were not to invade Ammon (Deut 2:19 ), Edom, or Moab (Deut 2:4-9 ) because they were kin (Gen 19:30-38 ; 32:3 ), but Israel needed to cross Transjordan to enter Canaan. Sihon’s territory was the natural route. Summary for Num 21:21-22: 21:21-22 Cp. 20:14-17 .

Summary for Num 21:21-35: 21:21-35 ^a The Israelite victories over King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan were previews of the Hebrew conquest of Canaan and came to represent God’s promise to assist his people in their time of need (cp. 13:10-12 ^b; Deut 2:24–3:7 ^c; Josh 2:10 ^d; 9:10 ^e; 12:1-6 ^f; Judg 11:19-22 ^g; Neh 9:22 ^h; Pss 135:10-12 ⁱ; 136:17-22 ^j; Jer 48:45-46 ^k).

• Because Israel had left the wilderness (cp. Num 21:18 ^l, 23 ^m) before arriving at Pisgah (21:20 ⁿ), this account is probably a flashback of something that took place before the movement described in 21:18-20 ^o.
Summary for Num 21:21-24: 21:21-24 ^p The territory of King Sihon was sandwiched between Moab and Ammon. The Israelites were not to invade Ammon (Deut 2:19 ^q), Edom, or Moab (Deut 2:4-9 ^r) because they were kin (Gen 19:30-38 ^s; 32:3 ^t), but Israel needed to cross Transjordan to enter Canaan. Sihon’s territory was the natural route.
Summary for Num 21:21-22: 21:21-22 ^u Cp. 20:14-17 ^v.
21:25 ^w The area conquered at this time became home to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (cp. ch 32 ^x).
21:26 ^y King Sihon of the Amorites had taken the area north of the Arnon from the Moabites, who earlier controlled it. After Israel occupied this region for several hundred years, it was reclaimed by King Mesha of Moab (see 2 Kgs 3:4-27 ^z) through a campaign described in detail around 830 BC on the Mesha Inscription (also known as the Moabite Stone).

• Heshbon is usually identified with Tell Hesban, which has not yielded evidence of Late Bronze Age occupation; see study note on Num 21:1.
Summary for Num 21:27-30: 21:27-30 ^aa This ancient ballad was apparently an old Amorite song focusing on the exploits of King Sihon. Other interpreters assume that Israelite balladeers created it as a taunt song to ridicule Sihon’s defeat and celebrate Israel’s victory. The logical flow of thought from 21:26 ^ab to 21:27 ^ac would favor the former interpretation, with Israel applying the song to their own victory: Sihon and the Amorites had defeated Moab; now Israel had defeated them! Cp. Judg 11:12-28 ^ad.
21:28 ^ae King Sihon had destroyed Moab’s towns from his center of operations at Heshbon.
21:29 ^af From the ancient point of view, even Moab’s supreme god Chemosh suffered defeat at the hands of the Amorite conquerors, while the people of Moab became refugees and captives.
21:30 ^ag The area described here is the one that Israel had just conquered (21:24 ^ah), making the ballad celebrating Sihon a fitting tribute to Israel’s victory.
Summary for Num 21:33-35: 21:33-35 ^ai Ancient Bashan was located east of the Sea of Galilee.

• King Og, like Sihon, was an Amorite (see study note on 21:13). This brief account of Israel’s defeat of Og is expanded in Deut 3:1-11 ^aj.
21:35 ^ak Then Israel occupied their land: See ch 32 ^al.