What is the meaning of Numbers 21:28? For a fire went out from Heshbon • The “fire” pictures literal warfare and destruction unleashed from Heshbon, Sihon’s capital (cf. Jeremiah 48:45, “Fire has gone forth from Heshbon, a flame from the midst of Sihon”). • Heshbon’s armies ignited the conflict; what began in their own city soon spread beyond their borders. • Moses records this Amorite war-song to show the historical reality that Moab had already lost its land before Israel arrived (Numbers 21:26). A blaze from the city of Sihon • The phrase repeats the point for emphasis: the attack originated specifically under King Sihon’s authority (Judges 11:20-22). • Sihon’s aggression was no random raid; it was organized, decisive, and God would later use Israel to judge him just as he had judged Moab (Deuteronomy 2:31-34). It consumed Ar of Moab • Ar was Moab’s principal city (Isaiah 15:1). The verse states plainly that Sihon’s campaign “consumed” it—total defeat, not a skirmish. • This explains why Israel’s passage through the former Moabite territory did not violate any standing Moabite claim; Moab had already been driven south (Numbers 21:24). The rulers of Arnon’s heights • The Arnon Gorge formed Moab’s northern defense line (Numbers 21:13). Even the leaders stationed on these strategic heights fell. • Their overthrow underscores the completeness of Sihon’s conquest and prepares the reader to expect Israel’s even greater victory that follows (Deuteronomy 3:8). summary Numbers 21:28 recounts an Amorite victory song celebrating Sihon’s burning conquest of Moab: the attack started in Heshbon, spread like fire, swallowed Moab’s capital, and toppled every stronghold by the Arnon. Moses includes the stanza to document the literal, historical chain of conquests that cleared the way for Israel. God’s sovereign plan moved step by step—Moab fell to Sihon, then Sihon fell to Israel—demonstrating both judgment on sin and faithfulness to His covenant promises. |
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