Deuteronomy 2:16-25
New English Translation
Instructions Concerning Ammon
16 So it was that after all the military men had been eliminated from the community,[a] 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar.[b] 19 But when you come close to the Ammonites, do not harass or provoke them because I am not giving you any of the Ammonites’ land as your possession; I have already given it to Lot’s descendants[c] as their possession.”
20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites.[d] The Rephaites lived there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites.[e] 21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaites[f] in advance of the Ammonites,[g] so they dispossessed them and settled down in their place. 22 This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and settle in their area to this very day. 23 As for the Avvites[h] who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtorites[i] who came from Crete[j] destroyed them and settled down in their place.)
24 “Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look, I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon,[k] and his land. Go ahead—take it! Engage him in war! 25 This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the earth[l] with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.”[m]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 2:16 tn Heb “and it was when they were eliminated, all the men of war, to die from the midst of the people.”
- Deuteronomy 2:18 sn Ar. See note on this word in Deut 2:9.
- Deuteronomy 2:19 sn Lot’s descendants. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:9.
- Deuteronomy 2:20 sn Rephaites. See note on this word in Deut 2:11.
- Deuteronomy 2:20 sn Zamzummites. Just as the Moabites called Rephaites by the name Emites, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (or Zazites; Gen 14:5).
- Deuteronomy 2:21 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Rephaites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 2:21 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Ammonites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 2:23 sn Avvites. Otherwise unknown, these people were probably also Anakite (or Rephaite) giants who lived in the lower Mediterranean coastal plain until they were expelled by the Caphtorites.
- Deuteronomy 2:23 sn Caphtorites. These peoples are familiar from both the OT (Gen 10:14; 1 Chr 1:12; Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7) and ancient Near Eastern texts (Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:37-38; ANET 138). They originated in Crete (OT “Caphtor”) and are identified as the ancestors of the Philistines (Gen 10:14; Jer 47:4).
- Deuteronomy 2:23 tn Heb “Caphtor”; the modern name of the island of Crete is used in the translation for clarity (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
- Deuteronomy 2:24 sn Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tel Hesbān, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south southwest of Amman, Jordan). Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26-30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
- Deuteronomy 2:25 tn Heb “under heaven” (so NIV, NRSV).
- Deuteronomy 2:25 tn Heb “from before you.”
Deuteronomy 2:16-25
Christian Standard Bible
Journey past Ammon
16 “When all the fighting men had died among the people, 17 the Lord spoke to me, 18 ‘Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19 When you get close to the Ammonites, don’t show any hostility to them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the Ammonites’ land as a possession; I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.’”(A)
20 This too used to be regarded as the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim,(B) 21 a great and numerous people, tall as the Anakim. The Lord destroyed the Rephaim at the advance of the Ammonites, so that they drove them out and settled in their place. 22 This was just as he had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them; they drove them out and have lived in their place until now. 23 The Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor,[a](C) destroyed the Avvites, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, and settled in their place.
Defeat of Sihon the Amorite
24 “The Lord also said, ‘Get up, move out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have handed the Amorites’ King Sihon of Heshbon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession of it; engage[b] him in battle.(D) 25 Today I will begin to put the fear and dread of you on the peoples everywhere under heaven. They will hear the report about you, tremble, and be in anguish because of you.’(E)
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