Bible Commentaries
Deuteronomy 2

Verse 1

Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

Mount Seir — The mountainous country of Seir or Edom.

Many days — Even for thirty eight years.

Verse 3

Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

Northward — Towards the land of the Amorites and Canaanites.

Verse 6

Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.

Buy meat — For thongh the manna did yet rain upon them, they were not forbidden to buy other meats when they had opportunity, but only were forbidden greedily to hunger after them when they could not obtain them.

Buy water — For water in those parts was scarce, and therefore private persons did severally dig pits for their particular use.

Verse 7

For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

The Lord hath blessed thee — By God’s blessing thou art able to buy thy conveniences, and therefore thy theft and rapine will be inexcusable, because without any pretence of necessity.

He knoweth — Heb. He hath known, that is, observed, or regarded with care and kindness, which that word often notes. Which experience of God’s singular goodness to thee, should make thee rely on him still, and not use any unjust practice to procure what thou wantest or desirest.

Verse 8

And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

We turned — From our direct road which lay through Edom.

Verse 9

And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

Ar — The chief city of the Moabites, here put for the whole country which depended upon it.

The children of Lot — So called to signify that this preservation, was not for their sakes, for they were a wicked people, but for Lot’s sake whose memory God yet honours.

Verse 10

The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;

The Emims — Men terrible for stature and strength, as their very name imparts, whose expulsion by the Moabites is here noted as a great encouragement to the Israelites, for whose sake he would much more drive out the wicked and accursed Canaanites.

Verse 12

The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.

Which the Lord gave — The past tense is here put for the future, will give after the manner of the prophets.

Verse 23

And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

The Caphtorim — A people a-kin to the Philistines, Genesis 10:14, and confederate with them in this enterprize, and so dwelling together, and by degrees uniting together by marriages, they became one people.

Caphtor — Which is by the learned thought to be Cappadocia: whither these people might make an expedition out of Egypt, either because of the report of the great riches of part of that country which drew others thither from places equally remote, or for some other reason now unknown.

Verse 25

This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

Under heaven — The following words rest rain the sentence to those nations that heard of them.

Verse 28

Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;

On my feet — Or, with my company who are on foot: which is added significantly, because if their army had consisted as much of horsemen as many other armies did, their passage through his land might have been more mischievous and dangerous.

Verse 29

(As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.

As the children of Esau did — They did permit them to pass quietly by the borders, though not through the heart of their land, and in their passage the people sold them meat and drink, being it seems more kind to them than their king would have had them; and therefore they here ascribe this favour not to the king, though they are now treating with a king, but to the people, the children of Esau.

Verse 30

But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

Hardened his spirit — That is, suffered it to be hardened.

Verse 34

And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:

Utterly destroyed — By God’s command, these being a part of those people who were devoted by the Lord of life and death, to utter destruction for their abominable wickedness.

Verse 37

Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbad us.

Of Jabbok — That is, beyond Jabbok: for that was the border of the Ammomites.