Topical Bible: Journey of Israel Through The Desert: Territory Acquired During

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The journey of the Israelites through the desert, following their exodus from Egypt, is a significant period in biblical history, marked by divine guidance, covenantal developments, and territorial acquisitions. This journey, which lasted approximately 40 years, is documented primarily in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. During this time, the Israelites acquired several territories east of the Jordan River, which were later allocated to specific tribes of Israel.

Territorial Acquisitions:

1. The Land of the Amorites:
The Israelites' first major territorial acquisition occurred when they defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites. As they journeyed toward the Promised Land, Moses sent messengers to Sihon requesting passage through his land. Sihon refused and instead mobilized his army against Israel. The Israelites, under divine command, engaged in battle and emerged victorious. As a result, they took possession of the Amorite territory from the Arnon to the Jabbok River. Numbers 21:24 states, "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."

2. The Land of Bashan:
Following their victory over Sihon, the Israelites turned their attention to Og, king of Bashan. Og, like Sihon, opposed Israel's passage and prepared for battle. The Lord assured Moses of victory, and the Israelites defeated Og and his forces. They captured all sixty cities of the region, which were well-fortified. Deuteronomy 3:3-4 records, "So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We struck them down until no survivor was left. At that time we captured all his cities; there was not a city we failed to take."

3. The Plains of Moab:
Although the Israelites did not engage in battle with the Moabites, they encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. This area served as a strategic location for the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. The plains of Moab became the setting for Moses' final speeches and the renewal of the covenant before his death.

Tribal Allocations:

The territories acquired east of the Jordan were allocated to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. These tribes requested the land due to its suitability for livestock, and Moses granted their request on the condition that they assist in the conquest of Canaan west of the Jordan. Numbers 32:33 states, "So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land together with its cities and the territory surrounding them."

Significance:

The acquisition of these territories was not merely a matter of military conquest but was seen as a fulfillment of God's promises to the patriarchs. The victories over Sihon and Og demonstrated God's faithfulness and power, reinforcing the Israelites' trust in His guidance. These events also set the stage for the eventual conquest of Canaan, as the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 29:7,8
And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us to battle, and we smote them:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Early Training of a Race.
... necessary for its inhabitants constantly to journey from one ... INFLUENCE OF THE WILDERNESS
LIFE UPON ISRAEL'S FAITH ... in which the caravans travel through the desert ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xi the early training.htm

John the Baptist --visit of Jesus to John, and his Abode in the ...
... of the ancient prophets to guide Israel toward its ... Josephus, who, through his teacher
Banou, was brought into ... that Jesus might have made a journey to John when ...
/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapter vi john the baptistvisit.htm

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... it is easy to follow the perilous journey of the ... that carried the child nation through
its early ... Thus Israel's early history illustrates the fundamental truth ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xii a nations struggle.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... and food for their return journey, besides having ... a broad beam of light falling through
the aperture ... prevented the subjugation of Damascus, Israel, Tyre, the ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... two or three of them in a day's journey.**. ... been introduced into the Biblical around
text through a misconception ... tradition in the kingdom of Israel, the latter ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... two months were employed in a laborious journey of a ... What be these two olive-branches
which through the two ... God said to Israel, after the evil report of the ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... sons at the time of his journey to Egypt ... for the many evils they had inflicted on
Israel. ... the land-routes, and passed continually through the territory of the ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Sennacherib (705-681 BC )
... whom ye have deeply revolted, O children of Israel."**. ... and led his victorious regiments
through the defiles of ... Nineveh had to make a more complicated journey. ...
/.../chapter isennacherib 705-681 b c.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... his corpse was left unburied in the desert, but by ... breaking out in different parts
of his territory, and we ... as far as Xanthus of Lydia, through Julius Africanus ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1820 to the Beginning ...
... lost sheep of the house of Israel." So strong ... an affectionate adieu, and pursued
his journey toward Upper ... In the Nashville district also, through the agency of ...
/.../chapter 6 from the close.htm