1Dann wandten wir uns und zogen in die Wüste, den Weg zum Schilfmeer, wie der Ewige zu mir geredet hatte, und zogen lange Zeit um das Gebirge Sëir herum. 2Dann sprach der Ewige zu mir: 3,Genug seid ihr nun um dies Gebirge herumgezogen, wendet euch nach Norden! 4Dem Volk aber gebiete und sprich: Ihr zieht nun durch das Gebiet eurer Brüder, der Söhne Esaws, die in Sëir wohnen, und sie werden vor euch fürchten; seid also wohl auf der Hut, 5fordert sie nicht heraus, denn ich werde euch von ihrem Land auch nicht den Tritt eines Fußballens geben; denn zum Erbbesitz an Esaw habe ich das Gebirge Sëir gegeben. 6Nahrung sollt ihr für Geld von ihnen kaufen, daß ihr eßt, und selbst Wasser sollt ihr von ihnen für Geld erhandeln, daß ihr trinkt.' 7Denn der Ewige, dein Gott, hat dich gesegnet in allem Werk deiner Hand, er hat gewußt um deinen Zug durch diese große Wüste; während dieser vierzig Jahre war der Ewige, dein Gott, mit dir, nichts fehlte dir! 8So zogen wir hinweg von unsern Brüdern, den Söhnen Esaws, die in Sëir wohnen, hinweg von dem Weg durch die Niederung, von Elat und von Ezjon-Geber; und wir wandten uns und zogen weiter, den Weg nach der Wüste Moab. 9Da sprach der Ewige zu mir: ,Du sollst Moab nicht bedrängen und keinen Krieg mit ihnen herausfordern; denn ich werde dir von seinem Land nicht Erbbesitz geben; denn den Söhnen Lots habe ich Ar zum Erbbesitz gegeben. 10- Die Emiter hatten vormals dort gewohnt, ein Volk, groß und zahlreich und von hohem Wuchs wie die Anakiter. 11Zu den Refaim wurden auch sie gerechnet wie die Anakiter, und die Moabiter nannten sie Emiter. 12In Sëir aber hatten vormals die Horiter gewohnt, die Söhne Esaws aber vertrieben sie und tilgten sie vor sich hinweg und setzten sich fest an ihrer Statt, wie Jisraël getan mit dem Land seines Erbbesitzes, das der Ewige ihnen gegeben hat. - 13So macht euch nun auf und durchschreitet den Bach Sered!' Und wir durchschritten den Bach Sered. 14Die Zeit aber, die wir wanderten von Kadesch-Barnea, bis wir den Bach Sered durchschritten, war achtunddreißig Jahre, bis das ganze Geschlecht, die wehrfähigen Männer, aus dem Lager geschwunden waren, wie es der Ewige ihnen geschworen hatte. 15Auch war die Hand des Ewigen gegen sie gewesen, sie aus dem Lager zu tilgen, bis sie dahingeschwunden waren. 16Es war nun, als alle wehrfähigen Männer aus der Mitte des Volkes hingestorben waren, 17da redete der Ewige zu mir und sprach: 18,Du ziehst heute durch das Gebiet Moabs, durch Ar, 19und näherst dich den Söhnen Ammons; bedränge sie nicht und fordere sie nicht heraus! Denn ich werde dir vom Land der Söhne Ammons nicht Erbbesitz geben, denn den Söhnen Lots habe ich es zum Erbbesitz gegeben. 20- Als Land der Refaim gilt auch dieses, Refaim hatten vormals darin gewohnt, die Ammoniter aber nannten sie Samsummiter, 21ein Volk, groß, zahlreich und von hohem Wuchs wie die Anakiter, aber der Ewige tilgte sie vor ihnen hinweg, und sie vertrieben sie und setzten sich fest an ihrer Statt, 22so wie er es den Söhnen Esaws getan, die in Sëir wohnen, da er die Horiter hinwegtilgte vor ihnen, daß sie sie vertrieben und sich festsetzten an ihrer Statt, bis auf diesen Tag. 23Und die Awwiter, die in Gehöften bis Asa hin wohnten, Kaftoriter, die aus Kaftor kamen, tilgten sie hinweg und setzten sich fest an ihrer Statt. 24Macht euch auf, zieht aus und durchschreitet den Arnonfluß! Sieh, ich habe Sihon, den König von Heschbon, den Emoriter, und sein Land in deine Hand gegeben, beginne, erobere es und fordere Krieg mit ihm heraus! 25An diesem Tag will ich beginnen, Schreck und Furcht vor dir zu legen auf die Völker unter dem ganzen Himmel, daß sie, da sie deinen Ruf vernehmen, vor dir zittern und beben.' 26Und ich sandte Boten von der Wüste Kedemot aus an Sihon, den König von Heschbon, mit Worten des Friedens, und ließ ihm sagen: 27,Ich möchte durch dein Land ziehen! Auf der Straße, immer auf der Straße, will ich wandern, nicht abbiegen rechts noch links. 28Nahrung sollst du für Geld mir verkaufen, daß ich esse, und Wasser für Geld mir geben, daß ich trinke; nur: Mit den Füßen will ich hindurchschreiten, 29so wie mir die Söhne Esaws getan haben, die in Sëir, und die Moabiter, die in Ar wohnen, bis daß ich den Jarden durchschreite in das Land, das der Ewige, unser Gott, uns gibt.' 30Doch Sihon, der König von Heschbon, wollte uns nicht bei sich durchziehn lassen, denn der Ewige, dein Gott, hatte seinen Sinn verhärtet und sein Herz ermutigt, um ihn in deine Hand zu geben, wie diesen Tag geschehen. 31Da sprach der Ewige zu mir: ,Sieh, ich habe begonnen, dir preiszugeben Sihon und sein Land; beginne, erobere, sein Land in Besitz zu nehmen.' 32Da zog Sihon uns entgegen, er und sein ganzes Volk, zum Kampf nach Jahaz. 33Und der Ewige, unser Gott, gab ihn uns preis, und wir schlugen ihn und seine Söhne und sein ganzes Volk. 34Und wir eroberten damals alle seine Städte und bannten jegliche Stadt, Männer, Frauen und Kinder; wir ließen keinen Entronnenen übrig. 35Nur das Vieh erbeuteten wir für uns und die Beute aus den Städten, die wir erobert hatten. 36Von Aroër, das am Ufer des Arnonflusses liegt, und der Stadt, die im Tal liegt, bis zum Gil'ad hin, gab es keine Burg, die uns zu hoch gewesen wäre; alles gab der Ewige, unser Gott, uns preis. 37Nur dem Land der Söhne Ammons bist du nicht genaht, dem ganzen Bereich des Jabbokflusses und den Städten des Gebirges und allem, wovon der Ewige, unser Gott, geboten hatte.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE STORY IS CONTINUED. (Deu. 2:1-37)
Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea--After their unsuccessful attack upon the Canaanites, the Israelites broke up their encampment at Kadesh, and journeying southward over the west desert of Tih as well as through the great valley of the Ghor and Arabah, they extended their removals as far as the gulf of Akaba.
we compassed mount Seir many days--In these few words Moses comprised the whole of that wandering nomadic life through which they passed during thirty-eight years, shifting from place to place, and regulating their stations by the prospect of pasturage and water. Within the interval they went northward a second time to Kadesh, but being refused a passage through Edom and opposed by the Canaanites and Amalekites, they again had no alternative but to traverse once more the great Arabah southwards to the Red Sea, where turning to the left and crossing the long, lofty mountain chain to the eastward of Ezion-geber (
Num 21:4-
Num 21:5), they issued into the great and elevated plains, which are still traversed by the Syrian pilgrims in their way to Mecca. They appear to have followed northward nearly the same route, which is now taken by the Syrian hadji, along the western skirts of this great desert, near the mountains of Edom [ROBINSON]. It was on entering these plains they received the command, "Ye have compassed this mountain (this hilly tract, now Jebel Shera) long enough, turn ye northward" [
Deut 2:3].
4 the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir . . . shall be afraid of you--The same people who had haughtily repelled the approach of the Israelites from the western frontier were alarmed now that they had come round upon the weak side of their country.
5 Meddle not with them--that is, "which dwell in Seir" (
Deut 2:4) --for there was another branch of Esau's posterity, namely, the Amalekites, who were to be fought against and destroyed (
Gen 36:12;
Exod 17:14;
Deut 25:17). But the people of Edom were not to be injured, either in their persons or property. And although the approach of so vast a nomadic horde as the Israelites naturally created apprehension, they were to take no advantage of the prevailing terror to compel the Edomites to accept whatever terms they imposed. They were merely to pass "through" or along their border, and to buy meat and water of them for money (
Deut 2:6). The people, kinder than their king, did sell them bread, meat, fruits, and water in their passage along their border (
Deut 2:29), in the same manner as the Syrian caravan of Mecca is now supplied by the people of the same mountains, who meet the pilgrims as at a fair or market on the hadji route [ROBINSON]. Although the Israelites still enjoyed a daily supply of the manna, there was no prohibition against their eating other food when opportunity afforded. Only they were not to cherish an inordinate desire for it. Water is a scarce commodity and is often paid for by travellers in those parts. It was the more incumbent on the Israelites to do so, as, by the blessing of God, they possessed plenty of means to purchase, and the long-continued experience of the extraordinary goodness of God to them, should inspire such confidence in Him as would suppress the smallest thought of resorting to fraud or violence in supplying their wants.
8 we passed . . . through the way of the plain--the Arabah or great valley, from Elath ("trees") (the Ailah of the Greeks and Romans). The site of it is marked by extensive mounds of rubbish.
Ezion-geber--now Akaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moab on the southeast of the Salt Sea. They had been forbidden by divine command to molest the Moabites in any way; and this special honor was conferred on that people not on their own account, for they were very wicked, but in virtue of their descent from Lot. (See on
Deut 23:3). Their territory comprised the fine country on the south, and partly on the north of the Arnon. They had won it by their arms from the original inhabitants, the Emims, a race, terrible, as their name imports, for physical power and stature (
Gen 14:5), in like manner as the Edomites had obtained their settlement by the overthrow of the original occupiers of Seir, the Horims (
Gen 14:6), who were troglodytes, or dwellers in caves. Moses alluded to these circumstances to encourage his countrymen to believe that God would much more enable them to expel the wicked and accursed Canaanites. At that time, however, the Moabites, having lost the greater part of their possessions through the usurpations of Sihon, were reduced to the small but fertile region between the Zered and the Arnon.
13 Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered--The southern border of Moab, Zered ("woody"), now Wady Ahsy, separates the modern district of Kerak from Jebal, and, indeed, forms a natural division of the country between the north and south. Ar, called in later times Rabbah, was the capital of Moab and situated twenty-five miles south of the Arnon on the banks of a small but shady stream, the Beni Hamed. It is here mentioned as representative of the country dependent on it, a rich and well-cultivated country, as appears from the numerous ruins of cities, as well as from the traces of tillage still visible on the fields.
16 all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people--The outbreak at Kadesh on the false report of the spies had been the occasion of the fatal decree by which God doomed the whole grown-up population to die in the wilderness [
Num 14:29]; but that outbreak only filled up the measure of their iniquities. For that generation, though not universally abandoned to heathenish and idolatrous practices, yet had all along displayed a fearful amount of ungodliness in the desert, which this history only hints at obscurely, but which is expressly asserted elsewhere (
Ezek 20:25-
Ezek 20:26;
Amos 5:25,
Amos 5:27;
Acts 7:42-
Acts 7:43).
19 when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them--The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north from that of Moab. It extended as far as the Jabbok, having been taken by them from a number of small Canaanitish tribes, namely, the Zamzummins, a bullying, presumptuous band of giants, as their name indicates; and the Avims, the aborigines of the district extending from Hazerim or Hazeroth (El Hudhera) even unto Azzah (Gaza), but of which they had been dispossessed by the Caphtorim (Philistines), who came out of Caphtor (Lower Egypt) and settled in the western coast of Palestine. The limits of the Ammonites were now compressed; but they still possessed the mountainous region beyond the Jabbok (
Josh 11:2). What a strange insight does this parenthesis of four verses give into the early history of Palestine! How many successive wars of conquest had swept over its early state--what changes of dynasty among the Canaanitish tribes had taken place long prior to the transactions recorded in this history!
24 Rise ye up . . . and pass over the river Arnon--At its mouth, this stream is eighty-two feet wide and four deep. It flows in a channel banked by perpendicular cliffs of sandstone. At the date of the Israelitish migration to the east of the Jordan, the whole of the fine country lying between the Arnon and the Jabbok including the mountainous tract of Gilead, had been seized by the Amorites, who, being one of the nations doomed to destruction (see
Deut 7:2;
Deut 20:16), were utterly exterminated. Their country fell by right of conquest into the hands of the Israelites. Moses, however, considering this doom as referring solely to the Amorite possessions west of Jordan, sent a pacific message to Sihon, requesting permission to go through his territories, which lay on the east of that river. It is always customary to send messengers before to prepare the way; but the rejection of Moses' request by Sihon and his opposition to the advance of the Israelites (
Num 21:23;
Judg 11:26) drew down on himself and his Amorite subjects the predicted doom on the first pitched battlefield with the Canaanites. It secured to Israel not only the possession of a fine and pastoral country, but, what was of more importance to them, a free access to the Jordan on the east.