Deuteronomy 1:4
This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites,

Israel’s victory over Sihon marked the beginning of the conquest east of the Jordan. Sihon had refused Israel peaceful passage and attacked them, but the Lord delivered his kingdom into Israel’s hand (Numbers 21:21–31; Deuteronomy 2:24–37). The defeat showed that the God who brought Israel out of Egypt was able to remove powerful kings and give His people the land He had promised.

Num 21:21-24 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites,…
Jos 12:2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.…
Jdg 11:19-21 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites…

who lived in Heshbon,

Heshbon was Sihon’s royal city and the center of his Amorite kingdom. Its capture gave Israel control of territory stretching from the Arnon River northward toward the Jabbok. The land was later assigned chiefly to Reuben and Gad, providing an early inheritance for tribes of Israel before they crossed into Canaan (Joshua 13:15–28).

Num 21:25-26 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites…
Jos 13:17 Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, including Dibon…
Num 32:37 The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan,

Og ruled Bashan, a fertile and strategically important region north of Sihon’s territory. Israel met him in battle at Edrei, where the Lord again commanded Moses not to fear, promising victory over Og, his army, and his land (Numbers 21:33–35; Deuteronomy 3:1–7). Og’s great size and strength, remembered in connection with his enormous bedstead, made the victory a lasting witness that no human power could frustrate God’s purpose for Israel.

Num 21:33-35 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan,…
Deu 3:1-11 Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan…
Jos 13:12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned…

who lived in Ashtaroth.

Ashtaroth was one of Og’s principal cities in Bashan and appears elsewhere among the cities associated with his kingdom (Joshua 9:10; 12:4). The region later became part of the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh. By recalling the defeat of both Sihon and Og before Moses began his final instruction, Deuteronomy grounds Israel’s future obedience in the proven faithfulness of God.

Jos 12:4 And Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim…
Jos 13:31 half of Gilead; and Ashtaroth and Edrei…
1Ch 6:71 The Gershomites received the following:…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Sihon, King of the Amorites
Sihon was a powerful king who ruled over the Amorites, a group of people living in the region east of the Jordan River. His defeat by the Israelites marked a significant victory in their journey to the Promised Land.

2. Heshbon
This was the capital city of Sihon, King of the Amorites. It became a symbol of Israel's triumph over their enemies and God's faithfulness in delivering the land into their hands.

3. Og, King of Bashan
Og was another formidable king who ruled over Bashan, a region known for its strong cities and warriors. His defeat further demonstrated God's power and the fulfillment of His promises to Israel.

4. Ashtaroth
A city in Bashan, associated with Og, King of Bashan. It was one of the key locations that fell to the Israelites, showcasing God's provision and protection.

5. The Israelites
The people of God, led by Moses, who were on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Their victories over Sihon and Og were pivotal moments in their history.
Teaching Points
God's Faithfulness in Battle
The victories over Sihon and Og remind us that God is faithful to His promises and will fight for His people. We can trust Him in our own battles, knowing He is with us.

Overcoming Obstacles
Just as the Israelites faced formidable enemies, we too face challenges. With God's help, we can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable.

Remembering God's Past Victories
Reflecting on past victories, like those over Sihon and Og, strengthens our faith and encourages us to trust God for future challenges.

God's Sovereignty
The defeat of powerful kings like Sihon and Og demonstrates God's sovereignty over all nations and rulers. We can rest in His ultimate control over world events.

The Importance of Obedience
The Israelites' success was tied to their obedience to God's commands. Our own spiritual victories are often linked to our willingness to follow God's guidance.
Bible Study Questions
1. How do the victories over Sihon and Og demonstrate God's faithfulness to the Israelites, and how can this encourage us in our own spiritual battles?

2. In what ways can remembering past victories, like those over Sihon and Og, strengthen our faith and trust in God today?

3. How does the defeat of powerful kings like Sihon and Og illustrate God's sovereignty, and how should this influence our perspective on current world events?

4. What obstacles or "giants" are you currently facing, and how can the account of Sihon and Og inspire you to trust God for victory?

5. How does the Israelites' obedience to God's commands in these battles challenge us to examine our own obedience in our walk with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Numbers 21
This chapter provides a detailed account of the battles against Sihon and Og, highlighting the Israelites' reliance on God's guidance and strength.

Psalm 136
This psalm recounts God's enduring love and mighty acts, including the defeat of Sihon and Og, as reasons for Israel's gratitude and worship.

Joshua 12
Lists the defeated kings, including Sihon and Og, as a testament to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to Israel.
The Deuteronomic DiscoursesJ. Orr Deuteronomy 1:1-4
A God-Given SermonJ. Saurin.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
A Stationary Position DegradingDeuteronomy 1:1-8
Divine Covenant and Human ConductD. Davies Deuteronomy 1:1-8
Enlargement -- a New Year's AddressS. D. Hillman, B. A.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
God's Address to His PeopleJ. Saurin.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
Moses' Discourse to IsraelHenry, MatthewDeuteronomy 1:1-8
Ordered from the MountainJ. Parker, D. D.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
The Blessedness and Glory of the Promised LandR. P. Buddicom.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
The Discourse Delivered by MosesThomas Scott.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
The Worth of the PresentJ. Saurin.Deuteronomy 1:1-8
The Impartiality of God to be Reflected in the Judges of His PeopleR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 1:1-18
People
Amorites, Anakites, Caleb, Canaanites, Eshcol, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jephunneh, Joshua, Laban, Moses, Nun, Og, Seir, Sihon
Places
Arabah, Ashtaroth, Bashan, Dizahab, Edrei, Egypt, Euphrates River, Hazeroth, Heshbon, Horeb, Hormah, Jordan River, Kadesh-barnea, Laban, Lebanon, Moab, Mount Seir, Negeb, Paran, Seir, Suph, Tophel, Valley of Eshcol
Topics
Amorite, Amorites, Ashtaroth, Ash'taroth, Astaroth, Bashan, Defeated, Dwelling, Dwelt, Edrei, Ed're-i, Heshbon, Og, Overcome, Reigned, Ruling, Sihon, Slain, Smiting, Smitten, Struck
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 1:4

     5290   defeat

Deuteronomy 1:1-4

     5102   Moses, life of

Library
Foretastes of the Heavenly Life
Early in the year 1857. NOTE: This edition of this sermon is taken from an earlier published edition of Spurgeon's 1857 message. The sermon that appears in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 45, was edited and abbreviated somewhat. For edition we have restored the fuller text of the earlier published edition, while retaining a few of the editorial refinements of the Met Tab edition. "And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 45: 1899

Preventive against Backsliding.
It is most instructive to note how exceedingly anxious the early Christians were, that, as soon as a man was converted, he should be "filled with the Holy Ghost." They knew no reason why weary wastes of disappointing years should stretch between Bethel and Peniel, between the Cross and Pentecost. They knew it was not God's will that forty years of wilderness wanderings should lie between Egypt and the Promised Land (Deut. i. 2). When Peter and John came to the Samaritans, and found that they were
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life

Afraid of Giants
'And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain; 18. And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Philo of Alexandria, the Rabbis, and the Gospels - the Final Development of Hellenism in Its Relation to Rabbinism and the Gospel According to St. John.
It is strange how little we know of the personal history of the greatest of uninspired Jewish writers of old, though he occupied so prominent a position in his time. [173] Philo was born in Alexandria, about the year 20 before Christ. He was a descendant of Aaron, and belonged to one of the wealthiest and most influential families among the Jewish merchant-princes of Egypt. His brother was the political head of that community in Alexandria, and he himself on one occasion represented his co-religionists,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

A Plain Description of the Essence and Attributes of God, Out of the Holy Scripture, So Far as Every Christian must Competently Know, and Necessarily Believe, that Will be Saves.
Although no creature can define what God is, because he is incomprehensible (Psal. cxliii. 3) and dwelling in inaccessible light (1 Tim. vi. 16); yet it has pleased his majesty to reveal himself to us in his word, so far as our weak capacity can best conceive him. Thus: God is that one spiritual and infinitely perfect essence, whose being is of himself eternally (Deut. i. 4; iv. 35; xxxii. 39; vi. 4; Isa. xlv. 5-8; 1 Cor. viii. 4; Eph. iv. 5, 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5; John iv. 24; 2 Cor. iii. 17; 1 Kings
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the Doubling it in the Maps is Well Done.
The readers of the eastern interpreters will observe, that Kadesh is rendered by all Rekam, or in a sound very near it. In the Chaldee, it is 'Rekam': in the Syriac, 'Rekem': in the Arabic, 'Rakim'... There are two places noted by the name Rekam in the very bounds of the land,--to wit, the southern and eastern: that is, a double Kadesh. I. Of Kadesh, or Rekam, in the south part, there is no doubt. II. Of it, in the eastern part, there is this mention: "From Rekam to the east, and Rekam is as the
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Barren Fig-Tree. Temple Cleansed.
(Road from Bethany and Jerusalem. Monday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 18, 19, 12, 13; ^B Mark XI. 12-18; ^C Luke XIX. 45-48. ^b 12 And ^a 18 Now ^b on the morrow [on the Monday following the triumphal entry], ^a in the morning ^b when they were come out from Bethany, ^a as he returned to the city [Jerusalem], he hungered. [Breakfast with the Jews came late in the forenoon, and these closing days of our Lord's ministry were full of activity that did not have time to tarry at Bethany for it. Our
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

In the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles.
(October, a.d. 29.) ^D John VII. 11-52. ^d 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? [It was now eighteen months since Jesus had visited Jerusalem, at which time he had healed the impotent man at Bethesda. His fame and prolonged obscurity made his enemies anxious for him to again expose himself in their midst. John here used the word "Jews" as a designation for the Jerusalemites, who, as enemies of Christ, were to be distinguished from the multitudes who were in doubt
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Deuteronomy 1:4 NIV
Deuteronomy 1:4 NLT
Deuteronomy 1:4 ESV
Deuteronomy 1:4 NASB
Deuteronomy 1:4 KJV

Deuteronomy 1:4 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Deuteronomy 1:3
Top of Page
Top of Page