וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מַלְאָכִ֔ים אֶל־סִיחֹ֥ן מֶֽלֶךְ־הָאֱמֹרִ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃

Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Emorites, saying:

אֶעְבְּרָ֣ה בְאַרְצֶ֗ךָ לֹ֤א נִטֶּה֙ בְּשָׂדֶ֣ה וּבְכֶ֔רֶם לֹ֥א נִשְׁתֶּ֖ה מֵ֣י בְאֵ֑ר בְּדֶ֤רֶךְ הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ עַ֥ד אֲשֶֽׁר־נַעֲבֹ֖ר גְּבֻלֶֽךָ׃

Let me pass in your land; we will not turn to a field or to a vineyard; we will not drink well water from your wells; we will go on the king’s way, the public thoroughfares that pass through the cities. Alternatively, we will go on whatever road you instruct us to use, until we will pass your border on the way to Canaan.

וְלֹא־נָתַ֨ן סִיחֹ֣ן אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ עֲבֹ֣ר בִּגְבֻלוֹ֒ וַיֶּאֱסֹ֨ף סִיחֹ֜ן אֶת־כָּל־עַמּ֗וֹ וַיֵּצֵ֞א לִקְרַ֤את יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ הַמִּדְבָּ֔רָה וַיָּבֹ֖א יָ֑הְצָה וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Sihon did not allow Israel to pass in his border. Perhaps he was emboldened to refuse Israel safe passage because they

וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב וַיִּירַ֨שׁ אֶת־אַרְצ֜וֹ מֵֽאַרְנֹ֗ן עַד־יַבֹּק֙ עַד־בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן כִּ֣י עַ֔ז גְּב֖וּל בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃

Israel smote him by sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon Ravine, on the border of Moav, until the Yabok Ravine, until the children of Amon; for the border of the children of Amon was strongly defended and closed to them.

וַיִּקַּח֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֥ת כָּל־הֶעָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּכָל־עָרֵ֣י הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י בְּחֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן וּבְכָל־בְּנֹתֶֽיהָ׃

Israel took all these cities in Sihon’s land, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Emorites, in the city of Heshbon, and in all its environs.

כִּ֣י חֶשְׁבּ֔וֹן עִ֗יר סִיחֹ֛ן מֶ֥לֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִ֖י הִ֑וא וְה֣וּא נִלְחַ֗ם בְּמֶ֤לֶךְ מוֹאָב֙ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן וַיִּקַּ֧ח אֶת־כָּל־אַרְצ֛וֹ מִיָּד֖וֹ עַד־אַרְנֹֽן׃

For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Emorites; he, Sihon, fought against the first king of Moav, and took all his land from his possession, until Arnon, including the city of Heshbon, which changed hands several times.

עַל־כֵּ֛ן יֹאמְר֥וּ הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים בֹּ֣אוּ חֶשְׁבּ֑וֹן תִּבָּנֶ֥ה וְתִכּוֹנֵ֖ן עִ֥יר סִיחֽוֹן׃

Therefore, the allegorists will say. These allegorists were ancient poets who spoke in metaphor and parable, and sang songs of the heroism displayed by the Emorites during their victorious wars against Moav. They will say: Come, let us go to conquer Heshbon. The city of Sihon will be built and established in this place, on the spot of the Moavite Heshbon.

כִּי־אֵשׁ֙ יָֽצְאָ֣ה מֵֽחֶשְׁבּ֔וֹן לֶהָבָ֖ה מִקִּרְיַ֣ת סִיחֹ֑ן אָֽכְלָה֙ עָ֣ר מוֹאָ֔ב בַּעֲלֵ֖י בָּמ֥וֹת אַרְנֹֽן׃

For a fire emerged from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. After Heshbon was captured by the Emorites, it became known as the city of Sihon. The allegorists called for the heat of battle to continue from Heshbon to the other Moavite cities: It consumed Ar, a city of Moav, and the shrines of the high places of Arnon. The ancient song reiterated the small territory held by Moav at that time: Arnon was its northern border, as Heshbon, further north and formerly a Moavite city, had already been conquered by the Emorites.

אוֹי־לְךָ֣ מוֹאָ֔ב אָבַ֖דְתָּ עַם־כְּמ֑וֹשׁ נָתַ֨ן בָּנָ֤יו פְּלֵיטִם֙ וּבְנֹתָ֣יו בַּשְּׁבִ֔ית לְמֶ֥לֶךְ אֱמֹרִ֖י סִיחֽוֹן׃

Woe to you, Moav, you are lost, people of Kemosh, god of Moav. He, Kemosh, has rendered his sons refugees, and his daughters are in captivity, to the Emorite king, Sihon.

וַנִּירָ֛ם אָבַ֥ד חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן עַד־דִּיב֑וֹן וַנַּשִּׁ֣ים עַד־נֹ֔פַח אֲשֶׁ֖רׄ עַד־מֵֽידְבָֽא׃

Their fields were lost from Heshbon until Divon, another Moavite city. Alternatively, the verse means: Their authority was lost from Heshbon and removed from Divon. Or the verse means: We cast them from Heshbon until Divon. And we laid waste till Nofah that reaches to Medva. The poets depict Sihon’s great victory over Moav, in which the border of Moav was pushed southward, and the entire region between the Arnon and Yabok Ravines became Emorite territory. When the Israelites conquered Sihon, they settled in this area.

וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּאֶ֖רֶץ הָאֱמֹרִֽי׃

Israel dwelt in the land of the Emorites, which was not densely populated, but was mainly pasture and farmland.

וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ לְרַגֵּ֣ל אֶת־יַעְזֵ֔ר וַֽיִּלְכְּד֖וּ בְּנֹתֶ֑יהָ ויירש [וַיּ֖וֹרֶשׁ] אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֥י אֲשֶׁר־שָֽׁם׃

Moses sent to spy out Yazer, which was also in the land of Sihon. They first captured its environs, the small settlements surrounding the city, after which they captured Yazer itself, and dispossessed the Emorites who were there.

וַיִּפְנוּ֙ וַֽיַּעֲל֔וּ דֶּ֖רֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֑ן וַיֵּצֵ֣א עוֹג֩ מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֨ן לִקְרָאתָ֜ם ה֧וּא וְכָל־עַמּ֛וֹ לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה אֶדְרֶֽעִי׃

Once the children of Israel had conquered the land of Sihon, they continued to move northward. Later, they would travel back south, cross the Jordan River,and enter the land of Canaan near Jericho They turned and ascended via the Bashan, the broad and fertile region which includes the modern-day Golan Heights. The Bashan extends from the Yarmuk River in the south to Mount Hermon, with the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee on the west and Jabal al-Druze on the east. And Og, king of Bashan, also an Emorite king, came out against them, he and his entire people, to the battle against Israel at the city of Edre’i.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֤ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ אַל־תִּירָ֣א אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֣י בְיָדְךָ֞ נָתַ֧תִּי אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־אַרְצ֑וֹ וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ לּ֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֗יתָ לְסִיחֹן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּחֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃

The Lord said to Moses: Do not fear him. Og, and perhaps those in the surrounding areas, were “from the rest of the Refaim,” a race of giants. Some members of this race lived on the western side of the Jordan, and it is they who caused the spies of Israel to be afraid (13:33). God therefore tells Moses not to fear. For I have delivered him into your hand, him and his entire people, and his land; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Emorites, who lives in Heshbon.

וַיַּכּ֨וּ אֹת֤וֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּ֔וֹ עַד־בִּלְתִּ֥י הִשְׁאִֽיר־ל֖וֹ שָׂרִ֑יד וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ אֶת־אַרְצֽוֹ׃

They smote him, and his sons, and his entire people, until they left no remnant of him; and they took possession of his land.

וַיִּסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹת מוֹאָ֔ב מֵעֵ֖בֶר לְיַרְדֵּ֥ן יְרֵחֽוֹ׃ (ס)

The children of Israel traveled southward, and encamped on the plains of Moav across the Jordan River from Jericho.