Sihon
Encyclopedia
Sihon, according to the Old Testament
, was an Amorite
king, who refused to let the Israelites pass through his country. The Bible
describes that as the Israelites in their Exodus
came to the country east
of the Jordan, near Heshbon
, King of the Amorites refused to let them pass through his country. The Israelites fought Amorites in a battle, gaining complete victory. His walled towns were captured and the complete Amorite country was taken by the Israelites, who killed the king and "all his people." .
This is the first of many wars of annihilation mentioned in the Bible launched by the Israelites against Canaanite peoples .
Moses allocated the land of Sihon, the king of Heshbon
, to the Tribe of Gad
in the allocation of land to the Israelite tribes.
In a similar way the Israelites took the country of Og
, and these two victories gave them possession of the complete country east of the Jordan
, from the Arnon
to the foot of the Hermon. These victories, among the earliest successful campaigns of the Israelites, quickly became legend
ary among them, and are referred to numerous times in the Bible
as prototypical examples of God-given victory.
Numbers 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land. (King James Version)
Numbers 21:35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors (New International Version)
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, was an Amorite
Amorite
Amorite refers to an ancient Semitic people who occupied large parts of Mesopotamia from the 21st Century BC...
king, who refused to let the Israelites pass through his country. The Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
describes that as the Israelites in their Exodus
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
came to the country east
Transjordan (Bible)
The Transjordan is used to describe an area of land in the Southern Levant lying east of the Jordan River that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The area is said to form part of an ill-defined area known as the land of Israel...
of the Jordan, near Heshbon
Heshbon
Heshbon was an ancient town located east of the Jordan River in the modern Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and historically within the territories of Ammon and Ancient Israel....
, King of the Amorites refused to let them pass through his country. The Israelites fought Amorites in a battle, gaining complete victory. His walled towns were captured and the complete Amorite country was taken by the Israelites, who killed the king and "all his people." .
This is the first of many wars of annihilation mentioned in the Bible launched by the Israelites against Canaanite peoples .
- "But Israel put them to the sword and took possession of their land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as [Az] of the Ammonites."
Moses allocated the land of Sihon, the king of Heshbon
Heshbon
Heshbon was an ancient town located east of the Jordan River in the modern Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and historically within the territories of Ammon and Ancient Israel....
, to the Tribe of Gad
Tribe of Gad
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Gad was one of the Tribes of Israel.From after the conquest of the land by Joshua until the formation of the first Kingdom of Israel in c. 1050 BC, the Tribe of Gad was a part of a loose confederation of Israelite tribes. No central government existed,...
in the allocation of land to the Israelite tribes.
In a similar way the Israelites took the country of Og
Og
Og, according to the bible, was an Amorite king of Bashan who, along with his army, was slain by Moses and his men at the battle of Edrei...
, and these two victories gave them possession of the complete country east of the Jordan
Transjordan (Bible)
The Transjordan is used to describe an area of land in the Southern Levant lying east of the Jordan River that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The area is said to form part of an ill-defined area known as the land of Israel...
, from the Arnon
Arnon
Arnon is a river and wadi in western Jordan, known in modern times in Arabic as Wadi Mujib. The Hebrew name means perhaps "noisy," a term which well-describes the latter part of the course of the river. Its length is about 45 miles, from its highlands in the desert to its entrance into the Dead...
to the foot of the Hermon. These victories, among the earliest successful campaigns of the Israelites, quickly became legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
ary among them, and are referred to numerous times in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as prototypical examples of God-given victory.
Numbers 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land. (King James Version)
Numbers 21:35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors (New International Version)