Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Deuteronomy 2 Study Notes

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General

True or False: Deuteronomy 2:21 says it was the LORD who destroyed the Zamzummites so the Ammonites could live in their land.

Answer: True

This is true. After the fighting men had died, God told Moses that Israel would pass Moab at Ar, and that when they came near the Ammonites they must not provoke them, because He had given that land to Lot's descendants (2:18-19). A note explains that the region had belonged to the Rephaim, whom the Ammonites called Zamzummites, a tall and numerous people, whom the LORD wiped out ahead of the Ammonites so they could take their place (2:20-21). God rules over the rise and fall of every nation, not only Israel (Psalm 22:28; Acts 17:26).

  • Deuteronomy 2:19-21 (BSB)
    “But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.” (That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place,”
    Israel must not provoke Ammon; the LORD destroyed the Zamzummites before the Ammonites.
  • Psalm 22:28 (BSB)
    “For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.”
    The psalm declares that dominion belongs to the LORD, who rules over the nations.
  • Acts 17:26 (BSB)
    “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”
    Paul teaches that God set the times and boundaries of every nation.

Theological

True or False: According to Deuteronomy 2:21, the LORD destroyed the Zamzummites ahead of the Ammonites, who then occupied their land.

Answer: True

This is true. Israel was forbidden to provoke Ammon, whose land God had given to the sons of Lot (2:18-19). The accompanying note identifies the former inhabitants as Rephaim, called Zamzummites by Ammon, a great and tall people whom the LORD destroyed before the Ammonites (2:20-21). The text attributes the displacement of nations directly to God's governance, the same sovereignty affirmed in Psalm 22:28 and Acts 17:26.

  • Deuteronomy 2:19-21 (BSB)
    “But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.” (That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place,”
    Israel must not provoke Ammon; the LORD destroyed the Zamzummites before the Ammonites.
  • Psalm 22:28 (BSB)
    “For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.”
    The psalm declares that dominion belongs to the LORD, who rules over the nations.
  • Acts 17:26 (BSB)
    “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”
    Paul teaches that God set the times and boundaries of every nation.

General

True or False: After defeating Sihon, Israel also seized the Ammonite cities along the Jabbok River.

Answer: False

This is false. From Aroer at the edge of the Arnon gorge all the way to Gilead, no city was too strong for Israel, because God handed every one of them over (2:36). But Israel kept away from Ammonite territory, the Jabbok riverbanks, the highland towns, and anywhere else God had forbidden (2:37). Israel's obedience extended to the limits God set, not only to His commands to advance. Centuries later Jephthah pointed to this very history, telling the Ammonite king that Israel had not taken Ammonite land (Judges 11:15), and Joshua describes Sihon's territory as reaching the Jabbok, the Ammonite border (Joshua 12:2).

  • Deuteronomy 2:36-37 (BSB)
    “From 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. But 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.”
    God gives Israel every city from Aroer to Gilead, but Israel stays away from Ammonite land as commanded.
  • Judges 11:15 (BSB)
    “to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.”
    Jephthah reminds Ammon that Israel had not taken the land of the Ammonites.
  • Joshua 12:2 (BSB)
    “Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along the middle of the valley, up to the Jabbok River (the border of the Ammonites), that is, half of Gilead,”
    Sihon's territory is described as reaching the Jabbok, the Ammonite border.

Theological

True or False: Deuteronomy 2:37 reports that Israel extended its conquest into the Ammonite territory along the Jabbok.

Answer: False

This is false. The LORD gave Israel every city from Aroer by the Arnon to Gilead, none too fortified for them (2:36), yet Israel kept away from the Ammonite land, the Jabbok riverbanks, the hill-country towns, and every place God had forbidden (2:37). Obedience meant honoring God's boundaries as well as His summons to fight. Jephthah later appeals to this restraint (Judges 11:15), and Joshua 12:2 marks the Jabbok as the Ammonite border of Sihon's realm.

  • Deuteronomy 2:36-37 (BSB)
    “From 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. But 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.”
    God gives Israel every city from Aroer to Gilead, but Israel stays away from Ammonite land as commanded.
  • Judges 11:15 (BSB)
    “to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.”
    Jephthah reminds Ammon that Israel had not taken the land of the Ammonites.
  • Joshua 12:2 (BSB)
    “Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along the middle of the valley, up to the Jabbok River (the border of the Ammonites), that is, half of Gilead,”
    Sihon's territory is described as reaching the Jabbok, the Ammonite border.

General

According to 2:23, who destroyed the Avvim, the village-dwellers whose land reached Gaza?

Answer: The Caphtorites, newcomers from Caphtor

The last historical note in this section says the Avvim, a village people whose territory reached Gaza, were wiped out by the Caphtorites, newcomers from Caphtor who then occupied their land (2:23). Elsewhere in Scripture Caphtor is linked with the Philistines: God says through Amos that He led the Philistines out of Caphtor (Amos 9:7), and Jeremiah speaks of the Philistines as the survivors from Caphtor's shores (Jeremiah 47:4). The point matches the earlier notes: God directs the movements of all peoples.

  • Deuteronomy 2:23 (BSB)
    “And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor and settled in their place.)”
    The Avvim near Gaza were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who settled in their place.
  • Amos 9:7 (BSB)
    ““Are you not like the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel?” declares the LORD. “Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?”
    God says He brought the Philistines from Caphtor, showing His rule over other nations' migrations.
  • Jeremiah 47:4 (BSB)
    “For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.”
    Jeremiah calls the Philistines the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.

Theological

Whom does Deuteronomy 2:23 name as the destroyers of the Avvim near Gaza?

Answer: The Caphtorites, newcomers from Caphtor

The final parenthetical note records that the Caphtorites, migrating from Caphtor, destroyed the Avvim, a village population extending to Gaza, and occupied their land (2:23). Caphtor is associated elsewhere with the Philistines (Amos 9:7; Jeremiah 47:4), and Amos makes the same theological point: the LORD who brought Israel from Egypt also directed the migration of the Philistines. The series of notes in 2:10-23 presents God as sovereign over the histories of all nations.

  • Deuteronomy 2:23 (BSB)
    “And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor and settled in their place.)”
    The Avvim near Gaza were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who settled in their place.
  • Amos 9:7 (BSB)
    ““Are you not like the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel?” declares the LORD. “Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?”
    God says He brought the Philistines from Caphtor, showing His rule over other nations' migrations.
  • Jeremiah 47:4 (BSB)
    “For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.”
    Jeremiah calls the Philistines the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.

General

Where did Sihon and his army come out to fight Israel (2:32)?

Answer: At Jahaz

God told Moses He had begun to give Sihon and his territory to Israel (2:31). Sihon and all his army came out to meet Israel in battle at Jahaz, where the LORD delivered him to them, so they struck down Sihon, his sons, and all his troops (2:32-33). Numbers also names Jahaz as the battle site (Numbers 21:23-24). Israel later sang of this victory as God's own work, praising Him for striking down the Amorite king and giving his land to His people (Psalm 135:10-12). Edrei was where Og was defeated, and Heshbon was Sihon's royal city, not the battlefield.

  • Deuteronomy 2:32-33 (BSB)
    “So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.”
    Sihon comes out to fight at Jahaz, and the LORD gives Israel victory over him.
  • Numbers 21:23-24 (BSB)
    “But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.”
    Numbers also places the battle with Sihon at Jahaz and records Israel taking his land.
  • Psalm 135:10-12 (BSB)
    “He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings: Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.”
    The psalm praises God for striking down Sihon and giving his land to Israel.

Theological

According to Deuteronomy 2:32, at what location did Sihon attack Israel?

Answer: At Jahaz

Having told Moses that He had begun to give Sihon over (2:31), the LORD delivered Sihon, his sons, and all his forces to Israel when they came out to battle at Jahaz (2:32-33). Numbers 21:23-24 likewise locates the battle at Jahaz. Israel's worship later celebrated the victory as the LORD's act, granting Sihon's land to His people as their inheritance (Psalm 135:10-12). Edrei was the site of Og's defeat, and Heshbon was Sihon's capital rather than the battlefield.

  • Deuteronomy 2:32-33 (BSB)
    “So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.”
    Sihon comes out to fight at Jahaz, and the LORD gives Israel victory over him.
  • Numbers 21:23-24 (BSB)
    “But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.”
    Numbers also places the battle with Sihon at Jahaz and records Israel taking his land.
  • Psalm 135:10-12 (BSB)
    “He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings: Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.”
    The psalm praises God for striking down Sihon and giving his land to Israel.

General

After Israel had spent many days going around Mount Seir, what did the LORD tell Moses (2:1-3)?

Answer: That they had circled long enough and must now go north

Following God's instruction after the failure at Kadesh, Israel turned back into the desert on the road toward the Red Sea and spent many days moving around the hill country of Mount Seir (2:1). Then God said they had circled that region long enough and must turn northward (2:2-3). This fulfilled what God had commanded when He sent them back into the wilderness (Numbers 14:25). Numbers later records Israel again setting out on the Red Sea route, this time to go around Edom's territory (Numbers 21:4). The long detour was a judgment, but it had an end set by God.

  • Deuteronomy 2:1-3 (BSB)
    “Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir. At this time the LORD said to me, “You have been wandering around this hill country long enough; turn to the north”
    Israel wanders around Mount Seir until God tells them to turn north.
  • Numbers 14:25 (BSB)
    “Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.””
    God had ordered Israel to turn back toward the wilderness on the Red Sea route.
  • Numbers 21:4 (BSB)
    “Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey”
    Later, Israel again takes the Red Sea route, this time to go around the land of Edom.

Theological

What did the LORD declare to Moses in Deuteronomy 2:2-3 after the long period around Mount Seir?

Answer: That they had circled long enough and must now go north

Obeying the sentence of 1:40, Israel headed back into the wilderness toward the Red Sea and spent many days skirting Mount Seir (2:1). The LORD then announced that this circling had lasted long enough and commanded a turn northward (2:2-3). The command answers the directive of Numbers 14:25 that sent them back into the wilderness, and Numbers 21:4 later records Israel again taking the Red Sea route, this time to bypass Edom. The period of judgment was real, yet its limits were fixed by God.

  • Deuteronomy 2:1-3 (BSB)
    “Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir. At this time the LORD said to me, “You have been wandering around this hill country long enough; turn to the north”
    Israel wanders around Mount Seir until God tells them to turn north.
  • Numbers 14:25 (BSB)
    “Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.””
    God had ordered Israel to turn back toward the wilderness on the Red Sea route.
  • Numbers 21:4 (BSB)
    “Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey”
    Later, Israel again takes the Red Sea route, this time to go around the land of Edom.

General

When God told Israel to cross the Arnon and fight Sihon, what did He say would happen among the nations (2:24-25)?

Answer: Every nation would hear of Israel and tremble

God commanded Israel to go over the Arnon gorge, saying He had already put Heshbon's Amorite ruler and his territory into their hands, and they should begin to take it (2:24). From that day He would begin to put fear and terror of Israel on the peoples everywhere, so that when they heard about Israel they would shake with anguish (2:25). Moses had sung about this after the Red Sea (Exodus 15:14-16), and forty years later Rahab in Jericho told the spies that the news about Sihon and Og had made their hearts melt (Joshua 2:9-11).

  • Deuteronomy 2:24-25 (BSB)
    ““Arise, 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. This 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.””
    God tells Israel to cross the Arnon, gives Sihon into their hand, and promises to make the nations fear them.
  • Exodus 15:14-16 (BSB)
    “The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away, and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.”
    The Song of the Sea foretold that the nations would hear and tremble.
  • Joshua 2:9-11 (BSB)
    “and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.”
    Rahab says the report of Sihon and Og made the people of Jericho melt with fear.

Theological

What did the LORD promise in Deuteronomy 2:25 concerning the nations as Israel began its conquest?

Answer: Every nation would hear of Israel and tremble

Commanding the crossing of the Arnon, the LORD declared Heshbon's king and his territory already delivered into Israel's hand (2:24) and promised to begin that very day to place the dread of Israel on the peoples under heaven, who would tremble at the report (2:25). The victory and its effect on the nations are God's work. The Song of the Sea anticipated this trembling (Exodus 15:14-16), and Rahab's confession shows its fulfillment, naming Sihon and Og explicitly (Joshua 2:9-11).

  • Deuteronomy 2:24-25 (BSB)
    ““Arise, 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. This 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.””
    God tells Israel to cross the Arnon, gives Sihon into their hand, and promises to make the nations fear them.
  • Exodus 15:14-16 (BSB)
    “The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away, and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.”
    The Song of the Sea foretold that the nations would hear and tremble.
  • Joshua 2:9-11 (BSB)
    “and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.”
    Rahab says the report of Sihon and Og made the people of Jericho melt with fear.

General

According to 2:10-11, what did the Moabites call the tall people who had lived in their land before them?

Answer: Emites

A historical note explains that the Emites had once lived in Moab. They were a large and numerous people, matching the Anakites in height, and were counted among the Rephaim, though Moab had its own name for them (2:10-11). The note reminds Israel that other peoples had faced very tall inhabitants and had still come to live in their land. The Emites appear much earlier, when a coalition of kings defeated them at Shaveh-kiriathaim (Genesis 14:5). Og, Bashan's king, is later described as the last of the Rephaim (Deuteronomy 3:11).

  • Deuteronomy 2:10-11 (BSB)
    “(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.”
    A note says the Emites, tall like the Anakites and counted as Rephaim, once lived in Moab.
  • Genesis 14:5-6 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.”
    The Emites appear in Genesis among the peoples defeated by an alliance of kings.
  • Deuteronomy 3:11 (BSB)
    “(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)”
    Og is described as the last of the Rephaim, the same group the Emites belonged to.

Theological

In the parenthetical note of Deuteronomy 2:10-11, what name did the Moabites use for the former inhabitants of their land?

Answer: Emites

The parenthetical note records that the Emites, a great, numerous people equal in stature to the Anakim, formerly inhabited Moab; they were reckoned among the Rephaim, though Moab called them Emites (2:10-11). The note sets Israel's fear of the Anakim (1:28) in perspective: God had already dispossessed such peoples before others. The Emites are mentioned in Genesis 14:5 among those defeated by Chedorlaomer's coalition, and Deuteronomy 3:11 names Og as the last survivor of the Rephaim.

  • Deuteronomy 2:10-11 (BSB)
    “(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.”
    A note says the Emites, tall like the Anakites and counted as Rephaim, once lived in Moab.
  • Genesis 14:5-6 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.”
    The Emites appear in Genesis among the peoples defeated by an alliance of kings.
  • Deuteronomy 3:11 (BSB)
    “(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)”
    Og is described as the last of the Rephaim, the same group the Emites belonged to.

General

Why were the Israelites told not to provoke Esau's offspring living in Seir (2:4-6)?

Answer: Because God had assigned Seir's hills to Esau's line

God told Israel that as they passed the territory of Esau's descendants, their relatives, those people would be afraid of them, so Israel had to be very careful not to start a fight (2:4-5). God would not give Israel any of Edom's land, not so much as the width of a sole of a foot, because Seir's hill country was Esau's by God's gift (2:5). Israel was even to buy food and water with silver (2:6). Esau (also called Edom) had settled in Seir long before (Genesis 36:8), and Joshua later recalls that God Himself gave it to him (Joshua 24:4). Elsewhere Moses tells Israel not to despise an Edomite because he is their brother (Deuteronomy 23:7). God rules the lands of other nations too, not only Israel's.

  • Deuteronomy 2:4-6 (BSB)
    “and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful. Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’””
    God forbids Israel to provoke Esau's descendants, since He gave Seir to Esau, and tells them to pay for food and water.
  • Genesis 36:8 (BSB)
    “So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.”
    Esau, also called Edom, settled in the region of Mount Seir.
  • Joshua 24:4 (BSB)
    “and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.”
    God states that He gave Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.
  • Deuteronomy 23:7 (BSB)
    “Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.”
    Israel is told not to despise an Edomite, because he is their brother.

Theological

On what ground does Deuteronomy 2:5 forbid Israel to provoke the sons of Esau in Seir?

Answer: Because God had assigned Seir's hills to Esau's line

Israel was to pass the territory of their brothers, Esau's sons, with great care, since the Edomites would fear them (2:4); they were not to provoke them, because God had allotted Seir to Esau and would give Israel none of it, not even a foot's breadth (2:5), and they were to pay silver for food and water (2:6). The command rests on God's sovereign allotment of lands, not on Edom's strength. Genesis records Esau's settlement in Seir (Genesis 36:8), Joshua 24:4 attributes it to God's gift, and Deuteronomy 23:7 grounds kindness to the Edomite in brotherhood.

  • Deuteronomy 2:4-6 (BSB)
    “and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful. Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’””
    God forbids Israel to provoke Esau's descendants, since He gave Seir to Esau, and tells them to pay for food and water.
  • Genesis 36:8 (BSB)
    “So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.”
    Esau, also called Edom, settled in the region of Mount Seir.
  • Joshua 24:4 (BSB)
    “and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.”
    God states that He gave Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.
  • Deuteronomy 23:7 (BSB)
    “Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.”
    Israel is told not to despise an Edomite, because he is their brother.

General

True or False: In 2:7 Moses reminds Israel that during their forty years in the wilderness they had lacked nothing.

Answer: True

This is true. Moses says God had blessed all their work, watched over their travels through the great wilderness, and been with them for forty years, so that they had lacked nothing (2:7). This explains why Israel could pay Edom for food and water instead of taking it. Even during years of judgment for unbelief, God faithfully provided for His people. Moses later adds that their garments never wore thin and their feet never became swollen (Deuteronomy 8:4), and the prayer of Nehemiah 9:21 remembers the same forty years of complete provision.

  • Deuteronomy 2:7 (BSB)
    “Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.”
    Moses reminds Israel that God blessed them and was with them for forty years, so they lacked nothing.
  • Deuteronomy 8:4 (BSB)
    “Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.”
    Moses notes that their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
  • Nehemiah 9:21 (BSB)
    “For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.”
    The prayer recalls God sustaining Israel for forty years in the wilderness so they lacked nothing.

Theological

True or False: Deuteronomy 2:7 states that throughout the forty years Israel had lacked nothing.

Answer: True

This is true. Moses grounds the command to pay Edom in God's blessing: He had prospered their labor, watched over their journey through the great wilderness, and been with them forty years, so they lacked nothing (2:7). Even in the years of judgment God's covenant care did not lapse. Deuteronomy 8:4 adds that neither garments nor feet gave out, and Nehemiah 9:21 confesses the same unbroken provision.

  • Deuteronomy 2:7 (BSB)
    “Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.”
    Moses reminds Israel that God blessed them and was with them for forty years, so they lacked nothing.
  • Deuteronomy 8:4 (BSB)
    “Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.”
    Moses notes that their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
  • Nehemiah 9:21 (BSB)
    “For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.”
    The prayer recalls God sustaining Israel for forty years in the wilderness so they lacked nothing.

General

Who drove the Horites out of Seir, according to 2:12 and 2:22?

Answer: Esau's offspring, as God cleared the way

The Horites had once lived in Seir, but Esau's descendants expelled them and took their place (2:12). Verse 22 adds that it was the LORD who destroyed the Horites before them. The comparison in verse 12 is pointed: Edom's settlement is likened to Israel taking the land God gave it. Genesis lists the Horite clans descended from Seir who lived there before Edom (Genesis 36:20) and mentions the Horites of Mount Seir in the time of Abraham (Genesis 14:5-6). The God who gave Canaan to Israel was also the God who settled other nations in their places.

  • Deuteronomy 2:12 (BSB)
    “The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)”
    The Horites lived in Seir until Esau's descendants drove them out, as Israel would do in its land.
  • Deuteronomy 2:22 (BSB)
    “just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.”
    The LORD destroyed the Horites before Esau's descendants, who settled in their place.
  • Genesis 36:20 (BSB)
    “These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,”
    Genesis lists the sons of Seir the Horite who lived in the land before Edom.
  • Genesis 14:5-6 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.”
    The Horites are mentioned living in Mount Seir in Abraham's time.

Theological

According to Deuteronomy 2:12 and 2:22, who dispossessed the Horites from Seir?

Answer: Esau's offspring, as God cleared the way

The sons of Esau dispossessed and destroyed the Horites and occupied their land (2:12), and 2:22 attributes the destruction to the LORD acting on Edom's behalf. The explicit comparison with Israel's conquest in 2:12 shows that God's providence over territory is universal, not confined to His covenant people. Genesis 36:20 lists the Horite clans native to Seir, and Genesis 14:5-6 attests their presence there in Abraham's day.

  • Deuteronomy 2:12 (BSB)
    “The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)”
    The Horites lived in Seir until Esau's descendants drove them out, as Israel would do in its land.
  • Deuteronomy 2:22 (BSB)
    “just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.”
    The LORD destroyed the Horites before Esau's descendants, who settled in their place.
  • Genesis 36:20 (BSB)
    “These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,”
    Genesis lists the sons of Seir the Horite who lived in the land before Edom.
  • Genesis 14:5-6 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.”
    The Horites are mentioned living in Mount Seir in Abraham's time.

General

In 2:9, to whom does God say He had given Ar, so Israel must not harass Moab?

Answer: To Lot's offspring

As Israel traveled toward the Moabite wilderness, God told Moses not to trouble Moab or start a war with them, because He would give Israel none of their land; He had given Ar to Lot's descendants as theirs (2:9). Lot was Abraham's nephew, and Genesis traces the Moabites and the Ammonites back to Lot's two sons (Genesis 19:36-38). As with Edom, God had assigned these peoples their land, and Israel had to respect His decision. Paul teaches the same truth broadly: God determined the times and borders of every nation (Acts 17:26).

  • Deuteronomy 2:9 (BSB)
    “Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.””
    God forbids Israel to harass Moab because He gave Ar to Lot's descendants.
  • Genesis 19:36-38 (BSB)
    “Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.”
    Genesis traces Moab and the Ammonites back to Lot's two sons.
  • Acts 17:26 (BSB)
    “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”
    Paul says God determined the times and the boundaries of the nations.

Theological

According to Deuteronomy 2:9, to whom had the LORD given Ar, so that Israel was forbidden to contend with Moab?

Answer: To Lot's offspring

The LORD forbade Israel to harass Moab or engage them in battle, since He had granted Ar to Lot's sons as a possession and would give Israel none of it (2:9). Moab and Ammon descend from Lot (Genesis 19:36-38), Abraham's nephew, and their lands are as much God's grant as Israel's inheritance. Paul generalizes the principle: God appointed the times and boundaries of the nations (Acts 17:26).

  • Deuteronomy 2:9 (BSB)
    “Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.””
    God forbids Israel to harass Moab because He gave Ar to Lot's descendants.
  • Genesis 19:36-38 (BSB)
    “Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.”
    Genesis traces Moab and the Ammonites back to Lot's two sons.
  • Acts 17:26 (BSB)
    “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”
    Paul says God determined the times and the boundaries of the nations.

General

What did Moses send to Sihon, Heshbon's king, from the desert of Kedemoth (2:26-29)?

Answer: A request to pass along the road and buy provisions

Before any fighting, Moses sent messengers with a peaceful proposal to Sihon (2:26). He asked to pass through his land, promising to keep to the highway without turning aside, and to pay silver for food and water, until Israel crossed the Jordan; he also pointed to how Esau's descendants at Seir and Moab's people at Ar had dealt with Israel (2:27-29). Numbers records the same request, adding that Israel promised not to enter fields or vineyards (Numbers 21:21-22). The later law of warfare in Deuteronomy also required Israel to offer peace to a city before attacking (Deuteronomy 20:10).

  • Deuteronomy 2:26-29 (BSB)
    “So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, “Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, just 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.””
    Moses asks Sihon for peaceful passage on the main road, offering to pay for food and water.
  • Numbers 21:21-22 (BSB)
    “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, “Let us pass through your land. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.””
    Numbers records Israel's request to pass through Sihon's land without disturbing fields or wells.
  • Deuteronomy 20:10 (BSB)
    “When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.”
    The law of warfare required Israel to offer peace to a city before fighting.

Theological

What did Moses propose to Sihon in his message from the desert of Kedemoth (Deuteronomy 2:26-29)?

Answer: A request to pass along the road and buy provisions

Moses opened with a peaceful embassy to Sihon (2:26), requesting passage along the highway without deviation and offering to purchase food and water with silver until Israel crossed the Jordan, appealing to Israel's dealings with Esau's descendants in Seir and with the Moabites in Ar (2:27-29). Israel's first approach to Sihon was peaceful, even though the LORD had already announced his defeat (2:24). Numbers 21:21-22 records the same request, and the later law of warfare prescribes offering peaceful terms before attacking a city (Deuteronomy 20:10).

  • Deuteronomy 2:26-29 (BSB)
    “So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, “Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, just 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.””
    Moses asks Sihon for peaceful passage on the main road, offering to pay for food and water.
  • Numbers 21:21-22 (BSB)
    “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, “Let us pass through your land. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.””
    Numbers records Israel's request to pass through Sihon's land without disturbing fields or wells.
  • Deuteronomy 20:10 (BSB)
    “When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.”
    The law of warfare required Israel to offer peace to a city before fighting.

General

What reason does 2:30 give for Sihon's refusal to let Israel pass?

Answer: The LORD had made Sihon's spirit stubborn

Sihon refused to let Israel pass, and Moses explains why: the LORD had hardened his spirit and made his heart unyielding, so that He could give Sihon into Israel's hand, as had now happened (2:30). Both things are true together. Sihon really chose to refuse and then marched out to fight (Numbers 21:23), and he was responsible for that choice. At the same time God was ruling over Sihon's heart to carry out His purpose. Scripture speaks the same way about Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21) and about the Canaanite kings in Joshua's day (Joshua 11:20). Proverbs says a king's heart is in the LORD's hand like a stream He directs (Proverbs 21:1), and Paul says God shows mercy and hardens according to His own will (Romans 9:18).

  • Deuteronomy 2:30 (BSB)
    “But 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.”
    Sihon refuses passage because the LORD made his spirit stubborn to give him into Israel's hand.
  • Numbers 21:23 (BSB)
    “But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.”
    Sihon himself refused Israel and gathered his army to fight, showing his own active choice.
  • Joshua 11:20 (BSB)
    “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.”
    The Canaanite kings' hearts were likewise hardened by the LORD to engage Israel in battle.
  • Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)
    “The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”
    Proverbs teaches that God directs the heart of a king wherever He pleases.
  • Romans 9:18 (BSB)
    “Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.”
    Paul states that God shows mercy and hardens according to His own will.

Theological

What does Deuteronomy 2:30 give as the underlying cause of Sihon's refusal?

Answer: The LORD had made Sihon's spirit stubborn

Sihon would not grant passage, since the LORD had hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate in order to deliver him into Israel's hand (2:30). The text holds divine sovereignty and human responsibility together: Sihon's refusal and his decision to march out against Israel were genuinely his own (Numbers 21:23), and God governed that refusal to accomplish His purpose of judgment and gift. The same pattern appears with Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21) and the Canaanite kings (Joshua 11:20). Proverbs 21:1 affirms God's direction of a king's heart, and Paul states the principle in Romans 9:18.

  • Deuteronomy 2:30 (BSB)
    “But 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.”
    Sihon refuses passage because the LORD made his spirit stubborn to give him into Israel's hand.
  • Numbers 21:23 (BSB)
    “But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.”
    Sihon himself refused Israel and gathered his army to fight, showing his own active choice.
  • Joshua 11:20 (BSB)
    “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.”
    The Canaanite kings' hearts were likewise hardened by the LORD to engage Israel in battle.
  • Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)
    “The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”
    Proverbs teaches that God directs the heart of a king wherever He pleases.
  • Romans 9:18 (BSB)
    “Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.”
    Paul states that God shows mercy and hardens according to His own will.

General

What did Israel do with Sihon's cities after the victory (2:34-35)?

Answer: They devoted the people to destruction but kept the livestock

Israel captured all of Sihon's cities and devoted their people to destruction, women and children among them, leaving no survivors; they kept just the animals and spoil (2:34-35). To devote something to destruction meant handing it over completely to God in judgment. Scripture gives its own reasons for these judgments: the wickedness of these nations, which God had patiently allowed to reach its full measure since Abraham's time (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:5), and the need to keep Israel from learning their detestable worship (Deuteronomy 20:17-18). This was a unique act of judgment at a specific moment in Israel's history under God's direct command, not a pattern for any later people.

  • Deuteronomy 2:34-35 (BSB)
    “At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.”
    Israel devotes the people of Sihon's cities to destruction and keeps only livestock and plunder.
  • Genesis 15:16 (BSB)
    “In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””
    God told Abraham the Amorites' iniquity was not yet complete, showing His long patience before judgment.
  • Deuteronomy 9:5 (BSB)
    “It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
    Moses says God drove out these nations because of their wickedness, not because of Israel's righteousness.
  • Deuteronomy 20:17-18 (BSB)
    “For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”
    The destruction was commanded so these nations could not teach Israel their detestable practices.

Theological

How did Israel treat the captured cities of Sihon according to Deuteronomy 2:34-35?

Answer: They devoted the people to destruction but kept the livestock

Israel took all Sihon's cities and placed their inhabitants, women and children among them, under the ban of complete destruction, leaving no survivors and taking only livestock and spoil (2:34-35). Scripture frames such judgment by its own stated reasons: the full measure of Amorite iniquity that God had long borne with (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:5), and the protection of Israel from their abominable worship (Deuteronomy 20:17-18). It belongs to Israel's unique theocratic setting at a particular point in redemptive history and is no warrant for any later people.

  • Deuteronomy 2:34-35 (BSB)
    “At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.”
    Israel devotes the people of Sihon's cities to destruction and keeps only livestock and plunder.
  • Genesis 15:16 (BSB)
    “In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””
    God told Abraham the Amorites' iniquity was not yet complete, showing His long patience before judgment.
  • Deuteronomy 9:5 (BSB)
    “It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
    Moses says God drove out these nations because of their wickedness, not because of Israel's righteousness.
  • Deuteronomy 20:17-18 (BSB)
    “For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”
    The destruction was commanded so these nations could not teach Israel their detestable practices.

General

How long did it take Israel to get from Kadesh-barnea to the crossing of the Zered brook (2:14)?

Answer: Thirty-eight years

The period from leaving Kadesh-barnea to crossing the Zered brook lasted thirty-eight years, long enough for every soldier of that generation to die out, exactly as God had sworn (2:14). God Himself opposed them until they were gone (2:15). Added to the time before Kadesh, this makes up the forty years in the wilderness. God had said that every counted man twenty years old or older would perish in the desert for grumbling (Numbers 14:29), and the second census confirms that only Caleb and Joshua remained (Numbers 26:64-65). Paul warns that God was displeased with most of that generation (1 Corinthians 10:5-6).

  • Deuteronomy 2:14-15 (BSB)
    “The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.”
    Thirty-eight years passed until the whole generation of fighting men had died, as God swore.
  • Numbers 14:29 (BSB)
    “Your bodies will fall in this wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me.”
    God declared that every counted man twenty years or older would die in the wilderness.
  • Numbers 26:64-65 (BSB)
    “Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. For the LORD had told them that they would surely die in the wilderness. Not one was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”
    The second census confirms none of the first generation remained except Caleb and Joshua.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:5-6 (BSB)
    “Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.”
    Paul presents the wilderness deaths as a warning example for believers.

Theological

According to Deuteronomy 2:14, how much time passed between departing Kadesh-barnea and crossing the Zered brook?

Answer: Thirty-eight years

Thirty-eight years elapsed from Kadesh-barnea to the Zered, until the entire generation of warriors perished in keeping with God's oath (2:14), for He opposed them to the end (2:15). The detail shows the oath of 1:35 carried out precisely: God's word of judgment was as sure as His word of promise. Numbers 14:29 pronounced the sentence on all counted men twenty and older, Numbers 26:64-65 records its completion with only Caleb and Joshua left, and Paul applies the episode as a warning to the church (1 Corinthians 10:5-6).

  • Deuteronomy 2:14-15 (BSB)
    “The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.”
    Thirty-eight years passed until the whole generation of fighting men had died, as God swore.
  • Numbers 14:29 (BSB)
    “Your bodies will fall in this wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me.”
    God declared that every counted man twenty years or older would die in the wilderness.
  • Numbers 26:64-65 (BSB)
    “Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. For the LORD had told them that they would surely die in the wilderness. Not one was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”
    The second census confirms none of the first generation remained except Caleb and Joshua.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:5-6 (BSB)
    “Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.”
    Paul presents the wilderness deaths as a warning example for believers.