Deuteronomy

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21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	32	33	34

Deuteronomy 2 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Deuteronomy 2 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

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.

2 And the LORD spake unto me, saying,

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

4 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a footbreadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

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.

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.

(2:7) "Walking through this great wilderness: these forty years."
It took the Israelites 40 years to travel from Egypt to Canaan, yet such a journey, even at that time, would have taken no more than a few weeks.

See Num. 32:13.

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 Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

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.

(2:9, 19) "Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle ... because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession."
God gave the Moabites and the Ammonites special protection since they were the descendents of Lot's drunken, incestuous affair with his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38)
How should the Moabites be treated?

Only Canaan was promised to Abraham, not any other country.
On Lot's `affair': it cannot be called an affair, because Lot was completely unaware of it, and it happened only once.
On how the Moabites should be treated, see Jg. 3:28 and Jer. 48:2.

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

(2:10-11, 20-21) "A land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time."
What the Bible says about giants.

On giants, see 1 Sam. 17:4.

11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

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.

13 Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.

14 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.

(2:14-16) "The hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed."
God killed all the Israelite soldiers -- slowly. It took him 38 years to kill them all, but he finally got the job done.
God's 27th Killing

These Israelites were not killed in the sense that their life was shortened, but they were allowed to live out their natural lives. The meaning of the hand of the Lord being against them was that they were not permitted to enter into the land, but had to wander through the wilderness, until their lives had come to an end.

15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

17 That the LORD spake unto me, saying,

18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:

19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

(2:19) "I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession."
How should the Ammonites be treated?

See verse 9.

20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

(2:20) "A land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time ... but the Lord destroyed them."
What the Bible says about giants.

On giants, see 1 Sam. 17:4.

21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:

(2:21-22) "The Lord destroyed them before them" -- the general treatment of the people who were supposedly displaced by the Israelites.
God's 28th Killing
What the Bible says about giants.

The author of the SAB does not read this verse correctly. What it says is that the Ammonites conquered their land before as well, and they also had giants living in their land, but were victorious. So their example was to be an encouragement to the Israelites to conquer the country God had given to them.

22 As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:

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.)

24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

(2:24) "I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle."

The earth is God's: He created it.

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.

(2:25) "This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations ... who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee."
What the Bible says about terrorism

This has nothing to do with terrorism in any definition supported by a dictionary. It means that the nations would hear about the Israelites, and be afraid. Especially the nations in Canaan. And that fear would make their hands feeble, so they would not fight as well.

26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

27 Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.

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;

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.

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.

(2:30) "The LORD thy God hardened his spirit ... that he might deliver him into thy hand."
God hardened the heart of the king of Heshbon and so that he could have him and all of his people killed.

Note that Sihon was a king of the Amorites, see verse 4. The Amorites were among the inhabitants of Canaan. There sins had reached such a great measure that they all were to be destroyed. And although Sihon was not technically in Canaan, no doubt he shared many of their sins. So as Pharaoh's heart was hardened for aborting the male children of the Israelites, so Sihon's heart was hardened that he gave occasion to the Israelites to defend themselves, and destroy his country.

31 And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.

32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

(2:33-35) "And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. 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."
At God's instructions, the Israelites "utterly destroyed the men, women, and the little ones" leaving "none to remain."
God's 29th Killing

They did as God had instructed them. This was part of a singular judgement, and no one can claim God's instruction to do likewise.

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:

35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

36 From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:

(2:36) "The Lord our God delivered all unto us."

They indeed conquered Sihon's country.

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.

(2:37) "Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not."
How should the Ammonites be treated?

See verse 9.