New Living Translation
Numbers 21:24
24But the Israelites slaughtered them with their swords and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They went only as far as the Ammonite border because the boundary of the Ammonites was fortified.
Numbers 21:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
- New International Version (NIV)Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified.
Context of Numbers 21:24
22“Let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road until we have passed through your territory.” 23But King Sihon refused to let them cross his territory. Instead, he mobilized his entire army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, engaging them in battle at Jahaz. But the Israelites slaughtered them with their swords and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They went only as far as the Ammonite border because the boundary of the Ammonites was fortified. 25So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages. 26Heshbon had been the capital of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had defeated a former Moabite king and seized all his land as far as the Arnon River.
Read all of Numbers 21Numbers 21:24 word by word
וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב וַיִּירַ֨שׁ אֶת־אַרְצ֜וֹ מֵֽאַרְנֹ֗ן עַד־יַבֹּק֙ עַד־בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן כִּ֣י עַ֔ז גְּב֖וּל בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- smoteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- him with the edgeפֶּהpeh · lip: edgeH6310
- of the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- and possessedיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
- his landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- from Arnonאַרְנוֹן'arnôn 'arnôn · ArnonH769
- unto Jabbokיַבֹּקyabbôq · JabbokH2999
- even unto the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Ammonעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
- for the borderגְּבוּלgebûl gebûl · border: boundaryH1366
- strongעַז‛az · strongH5794
Cross-references for Numbers 21:24
- Numbers 32:1The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,
- Deuteronomy 2:31“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Look, I have begun to hand King Sihon and his land over to you. Begin now to conquer and occupy his land.’
- Deuteronomy 29:7“When we came here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them.
- Joshua 9:10We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth).
- Joshua 12:1These are the kings east of the Jordan River who had been killed by the Israelites and whose land was taken. Their territory extended from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon and included all the land east of the Jordan Valley.
- Joshua 13:8Half the tribe of Manasseh and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their grants of land on the east side of the Jordan, for Moses, the servant of the Lord, had previously assigned this land to them.
- Joshua 24:8“Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.
- Judges 11:21But the Lord, the God of Israel, gave his people victory over King Sihon. So Israel took control of all the land of the Amorites, who lived in that region,
- Judges 12:1Then the people of Ephraim mobilized an army and crossed over the Jordan River to Zaphon. They sent this message to Jephthah: “Why didn’t you call for us to help you fight against the Ammonites? We are going to burn down your house with you in it!”
- Nehemiah 9:22“Then you helped our ancestors conquer kingdoms and nations, and you placed your people in every corner of the land. They took over the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and the land of King Og of Bashan.
- Psalms 135:10He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings—
- Psalms 136:19Sihon king of the Amorites, His faithful love endures forever.
- Amos 2:9“But as my people watched, I destroyed the Amorites, though they were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. I destroyed the fruit on their branches and dug out their roots.
- Numbers 21:13Then they moved out and camped on the far side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness adjacent to the territory of the Amorites. The Arnon is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites.
- Genesis 32:22During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.
- Deuteronomy 3:16But I also gave part of Gilead to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The area I gave them extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge in the south to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier.
Commentaries on Numbers 21:24
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24Jabbok (now Wady Zerka: compare Genesis 32:22) runs eastward under Rabbah of the children of Ammon, thence westward, and reaches the Jordan, 45 miles north of the Arnon. It was between Rabbah and Gerasa that it formed the Ammonite boundary.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-35Verses 21-35 Sihon went with his forces against Israel, out of his own borders, without provocation, and so ran upon his own ruin. The enemies of God's church often perish by the counsels they think most wisely taken. Og, king of Bashan, instead of being warned by the fate of his neighbours, to make peace with Israel, makes war with them, which proves in like manner his destruction. Wicked men do their utmost to secure themselves and their possessions…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-24King Sihon's land was between Moab and Ammon. God would not allow the Israelites to invade Ammon, Edom, or Moab (Deuteronomy 2:19; Deuteronomy 2:4–9). This was because they were relatives (Genesis 19:30–38; 32:3). Yet, Israel needed to cross Transjordan (the region across the Jordan River) to enter Canaan. Sihon's territory was the natural route.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. from Arnon unto Jabbok--now the Zurka. These rivers formed the southern and northern boundaries of his usurped territory. for the border of ... Ammon was strong--a reason stated for Sihon not being able to push his invasion further.Read the comment
Topics related to Numbers 21:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Numbers 21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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