The Defeat of Sihon
The LORD gives Israel its first clear command to take land, naming Sihon and promising that fear of Israel will spread among the nations. The long restraint of the chapter gives way to appointed conquest.
“24Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.”
Moses first offers Sihon peaceful passage on ordinary terms, like the arrangements made with other peoples. Sihon's refusal stands inside the LORD's purpose, and his resistance becomes the doorway to Israel's possession of his land.
26So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, 27“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. 28You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, 29just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.” 30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day. 31Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”
Sihon comes out to fight and is defeated completely, as his cities fall before Israel and the land opens before them. Even in victory, Israel does not cross into places the LORD has forbidden, so conquest remains bounded by command.
32So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. 33And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army. 34At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. 35We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured. 36From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. 37But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden.