✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

Deuteronômio 2

ARC · Chapter 2/34

1Depois virámo-nos, e caminhámos ao deserto, caminho do Mar Vermelho, como o Senhor me tinha dito, e muitos dias rodeámos a montanha de Seir.

2Então o Senhor me fallou, dizendo:

3Assás tendes rodeado esta montanha: virae-vos para o norte.

4E dá ordem ao povo, dizendo: Passareis pelos termos de vossos irmãos, os filhos de Esaú, que habitam em Seir: e elles terão medo de vós; porém guardae-vos bem,

5Não vos entremettaes com elles, porque vos não darei da sua terra nem ainda a pisada da planta de um pé: porquanto a Esaú tenho dado a montanha de Seir por herança.

6Comprareis d'elles, por dinheiro, comida para comerdes: e tambem agua para beber d'elles comprareis por dinheiro.

7Pois o Senhor teu Deus te abençoou em toda a obra das tuas mãos; elle sabe que andas por este grande deserto: estes quarenta annos o Senhor teu Deus esteve comtigo, coisa nenhuma te faltou.

8Passando pois de nossos irmãos, os filhos de Esaú, que habitavam em Seir, desde o caminho da planicie de Elath e de Ezeon-geber, nos virámos e passámos o caminho do deserto de Moab.

9Então o Senhor me disse: Não molestes a Moab, e não contendas com elles em peleja, porque te não darei herança da sua terra; porquanto tenho dado a Ar aos filhos de Lot por herança.

10(Os emeos d'antes habitaram n'ella: um povo grande e numeroso, e alto como os gigantes;

11Tambem estes foram contados por gigantes como os enaquins: e os moabitas os chamavam emeos.

12D'antes os horeos tambem habitaram em Seir: porém os filhos de Esaú os lançaram fóra, e os destruiram de diante de si, e habitaram no seu logar, assim como Israel fez á terra da sua herança, que o Senhor lhes tinha dado.

13Levantae-vos agora, e passae o ribeiro de Zered: assim passámos o ribeiro de Zered.

14E os dias que caminhámos, desde Cades-barnea até que passámos o ribeiro de Zered, foram trinta e oito annos, até que toda aquella geração dos homens de guerra se consumiu do meio do arraial, como o Senhor lhes jurara.

15Assim tambem foi contra elles a mão do Senhor, para os destruir do meio do arraial até os haver consumido.

16E succedeu que, sendo já consumidos todos os homens de guerra, pela morte, do meio do arraial.

17O Senhor me fallou, dizendo:

18Hoje passarás a Ar, pelos termos de Moab;

19E te chegarás até defronte dos filhos de Ammon: não os molestes, e com elles não contendas: porque da terra dos filhos de Ammon te não darei herança, porquanto aos filhos de Lot a tenho dado por herança.

20(Tambem esta foi contada por terra de gigantes; d'antes n'ella habitavam gigantes, e os ammonitas os chamavam zamzummeos:

21Um povo grande, e numeroso, e alto, como os gigantes: e o Senhor os destruiu de diante de si, e elles os lançaram fóra, e habitaram no seu logar;

22Assim como fez com os filhos d'Esaú, que habitavam em Seir, de diante dos quaes destruiu os horeos, e elles os lançaram fóra, e habitaram no seu logar até este dia

23Tambem os caftoreos, que sairam de Caftor, destruiram os aveos, que habitavam em Kazerim até Gaza, e habitaram no seu logar).

24Levantae-vos, parti e passae o ribeiro d'Arnon; eis-aqui na tua mão tenho dado a Sehon, amorrheo, rei de Hesbon, e a sua terra; começa a possuil-a, e contende com elles em peleja.

25N'este dia começarei a pôr um terror e um temor de ti diante dos povos que estão debaixo de todo o céu: os que ouvirem a tua fama tremerão diante de ti e se angustiarão.

26Então mandei mensageiros desde o deserto de Quedemoth a Sehon, rei de Hesbon, com palavras de paz, dizendo:

27Deixa-me passar pela tua terra: sómente pela estrada irei; não me desviarei para a direita nem para a esquerda.

28A comida que eu coma vender-m'a-has por dinheiro, e dar-me-has por dinheiro a agua que beba: tão sómente deixa-me passar a pé;

29Como fizeram comigo os filhos d'Esaú, que habitam em Seir, e os moabitas que habitam em Ar: até que eu passe o Jordão, a terra que o Senhor nosso Deus nos ha de dar.

30Mas Sehon, rei de Hesbon, não nos quiz deixar passar por si, porquanto o Senhor teu Deus endurecera o seu espirito, e fizera obstinado o seu coração, por t'o dar na tua mão, como n'este dia se vê.

31E o Senhor me disse: Eis-aqui, tenho começado a dar-te Sehon, e a sua terra diante de ti: começa pois a possuil-a, para que herdes a sua terra.

32E Sehon saiu-nos ao encontro, elle e todo o seu povo, á peleja, a Jahaz:

33E o Senhor nosso Deus nol-o deu diante de nós, e o ferimos a elle, e a seus filhos, e a todo o seu povo.

34E n'aquelle tempo tomámos todas as suas cidades, e destruimos todas as cidades, homens, e mulheres e creanças: não deixámos a ninguem.

35Sómente tomámos em presa o gado para nós, e o despojo das cidades que tinhamos tomado.

36Desde Aroer, que está á borda do ribeiro d'Arnon, e a cidade que está junto ao ribeiro, até Gilead, nenhuma cidade houve que de nós escapasse: tudo isto o Senhor nosso Deus nos entregou diante de nós.

37Sómente á terra dos filhos de Ammon não chegaste: nem a toda a borda do ribeiro de Jabbok, nem ás cidades da montanha, nem a coisa alguma que nos prohibira o Senhor nosso Deus.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses recalls how Israel passed peacefully through the territories of Edom, Moab, and Ammon (Israel's distant relatives) without war, but then defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, taking his land by God's command.

Explanation

This chapter reveals an interesting principle of biblical international policy: God instructs Israel to respect the lands of related peoples (descendants of Lot and Esau) even though Israel had the military power to seize them, showing that the conquest of the promised land was not unlimited territorial conquest, but the fulfillment of a specific, bounded purpose. Sihon's refusal to allow peaceful passage, despite Israel's respectful request, is presented as the rightful trigger for the war that followed — Israel did not seek the conflict but responded to a direct provocation. The application for today: having clarity about the limits of what God calls a person or community to pursue guards against both excessive passivity and unchecked ambition beyond one's genuine purpose.

Fun facts

  • The reference to the 'Emim' and 'Rephaim' as ancient giant inhabitants of Moab and Ammon (vv. 10-11, 20-21) links this passage to the same category of peoples mentioned in Genesis 14:5, suggesting a shared historical memory of pre-Israelite populations of great stature in the region.
  • The iron bedstead of King Og of Bashan, mentioned in chapter 3 but historically tied to this context, measuring about 4 meters (roughly 13 feet) in length, is often cited as textual evidence for the tradition that he belonged to a lineage of great physical stature.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 2:1After the defeat in the previous chapter, the people finally obey and turn back toward the wilderness, toward the Red Sea, circling the hill country of Seir for a long time.
  2. Deuteronômio 2:2A simple introduction to a new word from God to Moses, marking the start of a new stage of the wilderness journey.
  3. Deuteronômio 2:3After so long circling the same mountain, the order comes to change direction: head north.
  4. Deuteronômio 2:4God has Moses warn the people that they are about to pass near the territory of the Edomites, descendants of Esau — distant relatives of Israel, since Esau was Jacob’s brother.
  5. Deuteronômio 2:5The order is clear: not even a foot of Edom’s land may be taken, because God had already given that region as an inheritance to Esau’s descendants.
  6. Deuteronômio 2:6Passing through Edom, Israel was to buy food and water instead of plundering — a sign of respect for the territory of a related people.
  7. Deuteronômio 2:7Moses recalls that, despite the hardship, God blessed the people’s work and took care of them through all forty years, so that nothing essential was ever lacking.
  8. Deuteronômio 2:8The people continue on, going around the territory of Edom, coming from the region of Elath and Ezion-geber, now heading toward the wilderness of Moab.
  9. Deuteronômio 2:9Just as He did with Edom, God also forbids attacking Moab, because that land had been given to the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew.
  10. Deuteronômio 2:10The Emims, the Horites, and the Anakims appear here as peoples of giants who already lived in those lands before being driven out by other neighboring peoples, such as the Moabites and Edomites. The text is showing that the conquest of Canaan is not a one-of-a-kind case: other peoples also defeated giants and took land before Israel did.
  11. Deuteronômio 2:11This ancient people, the Emims, were seen as belonging to the same giant lineage as the Anakims — except the Moabites used another name to call them.
  12. Deuteronômio 2:12The text notes that the Edomites did to the Horites the very thing Israel was about to do in Canaan: drive out the people who already lived there and take their place.
  13. Deuteronômio 2:13The order to cross the brook Zered marks another concrete step of the journey, carried out without drama by the people.
  14. Deuteronômio 2:14The text does the math: thirty-eight years passed between Kadesh-barnea and this crossing — enough time for the entire generation of rebellious warriors to die, exactly as God had sworn.
  15. Deuteronômio 2:15The death of that generation in the wilderness is not treated as chance: the text attributes the removal of the rebels from the camp directly to the hand of God.
  16. Deuteronômio 2:16As soon as the last of the warriors of that generation dies, the narrative signals that a new phase, with new people, can begin.
  17. Deuteronômio 2:17Another introduction of a direct word from God to Moses, setting up the next instruction about the path to follow.
  18. Deuteronômio 2:18God points out the next stretch of the route: crossing the region of Ar, within the territory of Moab.
  19. Deuteronômio 2:19The same ban on attacking also applies to the Ammonites, another people descended from Lot, whose land likewise would not be given to Israel.
  20. Deuteronômio 2:20A parenthetical note explains that the land of the Ammonites had also once been the land of giants, the Zamzummims, before they were driven out.
  21. Deuteronômio 2:21It describes this giant people as great, many, and tall, destroyed by God to make room for the Ammonites — the same historical pattern repeated across several neighboring regions.
  22. Deuteronômio 2:22The text draws a direct comparison: just as the Edomites took the place of the Horites, the Ammonites took the place of the giants who had lived there before.
  23. Deuteronômio 2:23One more example of the same pattern: the Caphtorims, coming from Caphtor, drove out the Avims and occupied the region as far as Gaza — showing that peoples replacing peoples through conquest was common in that world.
  24. Deuteronômio 2:24The turning point arrives: unlike Edom, Moab, and Ammon, the order now is to attack Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, because this land, unlike the others, had indeed been handed over to Israel.
  25. Deuteronômio 2:25God promises that, from then on, the fear of Israel will spread among the neighboring peoples, who will tremble just at the news of them.
  26. Deuteronômio 2:26Before attacking, Moses tries the peaceful route first: he sends messengers to Sihon asking for safe passage through his territory.
  27. Deuteronômio 2:27Moses’ request is modest: only to pass along the main road, without turning aside or invading anything off the path.
  28. Deuteronômio 2:28Israel offers to pay for food and water during the passage, asking only for the right to cross on foot.
  29. Deuteronômio 2:29Moses recalls that the Edomites and the Moabites had already allowed this same simple passage, so the request to Sihon was nothing unusual.
  30. Deuteronômio 2:30God hardens Sihon’s heart the same way He did with Pharaoh in Exodus: the king refuses to let Israel pass through his land, and that stubbornness opens the way for the war that hands his kingdom over to Israel. It is a way of showing that even the enemy’s resistance ends up serving the plan already announced.
  31. Deuteronômio 2:31God reveals the true reason behind Sihon’s refusal, already stated in the previous verse: it was God Himself opening the way to hand that land over to Israel.
  32. Deuteronômio 2:32Sihon does not accept the offer of peace and goes to war, meeting Israel in battle at Jahaz with his whole army.
  33. Deuteronômio 2:33The battle ends in total victory for Israel: Sihon, his sons, and all his people are defeated with God’s help.
  34. Deuteronômio 2:34The total destruction of Sihon’s cities — “the women, and the little ones” included — is the so-called herem, a war of extermination dedicated to God, a practice common among ancient peoples who credited their victories to their own gods. The text describes the war custom of that world without any middle ground.
  35. Deuteronômio 2:35After the destruction of the cities, the only plunder Israel keeps for itself is the livestock and the goods taken, not people.
  36. Deuteronômio 2:36The victory is described as complete: from the region of Aroer all the way to Gilead, no city resists, and everything falls into Israel’s hands.
  37. Deuteronômio 2:37A final note closes the chapter: Israel respects the limit set by God and does not advance into Ammonite territory, carrying out the command to the letter.

Chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play