Deuteronomy 2:37
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This verse highlights Israel's obedience not just to positive commands, but also to prohibitions – they didn't just do what God said, they didn't do what God forbade, demonstrating a deeper respect for His full counsel. The inclusion of "and the cities of the hill country" alongside the river Jabbok specifies the extent of the forbidden Ammonite territory, showing that God's boundaries were precise and to be honored entirely.
Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the LORD our God had forbidden us.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After conquering Sihon and the Amorites, the Israelites are reminded that they were specifically instructed by God to leave the Ammonite territory untouched, even though it bordered the lands they had just claimed. This verse serves as a concluding point to the account of their military victories east of the Jordan, highlighting God's precise directives and the people's obedience in bypassing certain nations. This obedience set the stage for future interactions and divine judgment on those who later opposed Israel.
Did God give Israel a blank check to conquer everyone in their path? This verse reveals a crucial distinction in God's commands.
The Israelites had just experienced God's powerful hand in granting them victory over Sihon, king of the Amorites. They took all of Sihon's cities and land. However, Deuteronomy 2:37 makes it clear that this victory didn't grant them a free pass into every territory. They were specifically told not to approach the land of the Ammonites, which was bordered by the Jabbok River.
Divine Commission vs. Divine Restriction
God's promises often come with strings attached – not to limit Him, but to test our trust in His wisdom.
The conquest of Sihon's land was a massive display of God's power and favor. Yet, the very next breath in Deuteronomy 2 is about . Israel had to consciously hold back from the Ammonite territory, even though victory was fresh on their minds.
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The Test of Restraint
Understand the original words
tsavah · Hebrew Verb
An action or word conveying a prohibition or command not to do something; representing the authority of God over His people's actions.
This verse highlights Israel's obedience to God's specific commands, even amidst conquest. They were forbidden from encroaching on the Ammonite territory, which lay beyond the Jabbok River, and they honored this boundary despite their successful battles against Sihon and Og.
c. 1400 BC
Israelites Encamp at Kadesh Barnea
After the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites spent a significant period (about 38 years) in the wilderness, primarily around the Kadesh Barnea oasis. This period was marked by rebellion and God's judgment, leading to a generation's exclusion from the Promised Land.
c. 13th Century BC
Amorite Conquest of Ammonite Territory
The Amorite king Sihon conquered significant territory from the Ammonites, including lands east of the Jordan River. This created a conflict zone that the Israelites would later navigate.
c. 13th Century BC
Israel's Request to Pass Through Sihon's Land
As the Israelites journeyed towards the Promised Land after the wilderness wandering, they sent messengers to King Sihon of Heshbon requesting peaceful passage through his territory. Their request was refused.
c. 13th Century BC— this verse
Battle of Jahaz and Israelite Victory
King Sihon attacked the Israelites, but God granted Israel a decisive victory. They conquered all of Sihon's cities and land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River.
c. 13th Century BC
Conquest of Og's Kingdom
Following their victory over Sihon, the Israelites also defeated and conquered the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, another Amorite ruler whose territory lay north of the Jabbok.
c. 13th Century BC
Israelite Encampment East of the Jordan
Having secured victory over Sihon and Og, the Israelites camped in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River. This set the stage for the events leading up to crossing the Jordan.
This passage describes Israel's conquest of the Amorites under Sihon, directly preceding the events in Deuteronomy, highlighting the territory that God gave them and, by implication, what He did not.
Judges 11:13This chapter recounts a later dispute between Israel and the Ammonites, where the Ammonites claim that Israel took their land, showing how this border and possession of territory remained a point of contention.
Joshua 13:25This verse mentions that a portion of the Ammonite land, specifically the 'smaller cities of the Ammonites' and the region around them, was given to the tribe of Gad, indicating a complex history of territory that had been conquered by Amorites and then by Israel.
Genesis 32:22This earlier account details Jacob's crossing of the Jabbok River, establishing it as a significant geographical marker for the region that would later border the land of the Ammonites.
gillDeuteronomy 2:37: "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."
Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not,.... Which was then in their possession; otherwise what Sihon had took away from them, that the children of Israel came into and enjoyed, as before observed, Deuteronomy 2:19 . nor unto any place of the river Jabbok; any town or cit…
calvinDeuteronomy 2:24-37: "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."
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.
Surgite, proficiscimini, et transite torrentem Arnon. Vide, ded…
This verse highlights Israel's obedience not just to positive commands, but also to prohibitions – they didn't just do what God said, they didn't do what God forbade, demonstrating a deeper respect for His full counsel. The inclusion of "and the cities of the hill country" alongside the river Jabbok specifies the extent of the forbidden Ammonite territory, showing that God's boundaries were precise and to be honored entirely.
After conquering Sihon and the Amorites, the Israelites are reminded that they were specifically instructed by God to leave the Ammonite territory untouched, even though it bordered the lands they had just claimed. This verse serves as a concluding point to the account of their military victories east of the Jordan, highlighting God's precise directives and the people's obedience in bypassing certain nations. This obedience set the stage for future interactions and divine judgment on those who later opposed Israel.
After conquering Sihon and the Amorites, the Israelites are reminded that they were specifically instructed by God to leave the Ammonite territory untouched, even though it bordered the lands they had just claimed. This verse serves as a concluding point to the account of their military victories east of the Jordan, highlighting God's precise directives and the people's obedience in bypassing certain nations. This obedience set the stage for future interactions and divine judgment on those who later opposed Israel.
"Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the LORD our God had forbidden us." — This verse highlights Israel's obedience not just to positive commands, but also to prohibitions – they didn't just do what God said, they didn't do what God forbade, demonstrating a deeper respect…
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Last reviewed October 2026
