Joshua 12:2
in Joshua 12Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along the middle of the valley, up to the Jabbok River (the border of the Ammonites), that is, half of Gilead,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon;
KJV
Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;
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This verse in Joshua 12
Commentary
6 notes on this verseFrom Aroer - Aroer was situated on the western side of the river Arnon, in the middle of the valley through which this river takes its course. The kingdom of Sihon extended from the river Arnon and the city of Aroer on the south to the river Jabbok on the north.
This site's exposition
Now these are the kings
on Joshua 12:1-3
The register opens east of the Jordan under Moses, so the count runs back to Numbers 21 before it reaches Jericho. Sihon had taken his land from Moab, which is how Israel could hold Heshbon without touching what Deuteronomy 2:9 reserved to the children of Lot.
This site's exposition
that is, half of Gilead
Sihon's kingdom runs north from the Arnon to the Jabbok. John Wesley explains that half of Gilead names the country inside those limits. The Jabbok divided Gilead, and the northern half belonged to Og, as verse 5 goes on to say.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Whoever believes in me will also do the works which I do, and will do even greater ones. And where is this word which he said, "The disciple is not greater than his master" [illustrated]? For example, Moses killed only three kings, but Joshua killed …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Half Gilead - Hebrew. and the half Gilead, that is, half of the country of Gilead; this doth not denote the bound from which his dominion began, but the country, over which his dominion was, which began at Arnon, and took in half Gilead, and ended at Jabbok, beyond which was the other half of Gilead which belonged to Og.
Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
To the Yabok river, which was the border of the land of the Bnei Amon, the end of the territory of the land of Bnei Amon. From there [the Yabok River] and further the Bnei Amon had dominion.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
That the Bnei Yisroel struck. In the days [lifetime] of Moshe.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| סִיחוֹן֙ | sichon | Sihon | H5511 → | 37 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| הָאֱמֹרִ֔י | haemori | the Amorite[s] | H567 → | 87 times |
| הַיּוֹשֵׁ֖ב | haiyoshev | who dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בְּחֶשְׁבּ֑וֹן | becheshbon | in Heshbon | H2809 → | 38 times |
| מֹשֵׁ֡ל | moshel | [who] ruled | H4910 → | |
| מֵעֲרוֹעֵ֡ר | mearoer | from Aroer | H6177 → | 16 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֩ | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [is] on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שְׂפַת־ | sefat- | [the] edge of | H8193 → | 176 times |
| נַ֨חַל | nachal | [the] wadi of | H5158 → | 141 times |
| אַרְנ֜וֹן | ʾarnon | Arnon | H769 → | 25 times |
| וְת֤וֹךְ | vetokh | and [the] middle of | H8432 → | 418 times |
| הַנַּ֙חַל֙ | hanachal | the wadi | H5158 → | 141 times |
| וַחֲצִ֣י | vachatzi | and [the] half of | H2677 → | 125 times |
| הַגִּלְעָ֔ד | hagilad | <the> Gilead | H1568 → | 134 times |
| וְעַד֙ | vead | and to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| יַבֹּ֣ק | yabok | Jabbok | H2999 → | |
| הַנַּ֔חַל | hanachal | the wadi | H5158 → | 141 times |
| גְּב֖וּל | gevul | [the] border of | H1366 → | 240 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמּֽוֹן׃ | amon | Ammon | H5983 → | 106 times |
סִיחוֹן֙Sihon
sichonH5511 →37 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
הָאֱמֹרִ֔יthe Amorite[s]
haemoriH567 →87 times
הַיּוֹשֵׁ֖בwho dwelt
haiyoshevH3427 →1079 times
בְּחֶשְׁבּ֑וֹןin Heshbon
becheshbonH2809 →38 times
מֹשֵׁ֡ל[who] ruled
moshelH4910 →
מֵעֲרוֹעֵ֡רfrom Aroer
mearoerH6177 →16 times
אֲשֶׁר֩which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עַל־[is] on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
שְׂפַת־[the] edge of
sefat-H8193 →176 times
נַ֨חַל[the] wadi of
nachalH5158 →141 times
אַרְנ֜וֹןArnon
ʾarnonH769 →25 times
וְת֤וֹךְand [the] middle of
vetokhH8432 →418 times
הַנַּ֙חַל֙the wadi
hanachalH5158 →141 times
וַחֲצִ֣יand [the] half of
vachatziH2677 →125 times
הַגִּלְעָ֔ד<the> Gilead
hagiladH1568 →134 times
וְעַד֙and to
veadH5704 →1261 times
יַבֹּ֣קJabbok
yabokH2999 →
הַנַּ֔חַלthe wadi
hanachalH5158 →141 times
גְּב֖וּל[the] border of
gevulH1366 →240 times
בְּנֵ֥י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
עַמּֽוֹן׃Ammon
amonH5983 →106 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 32:22During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 2:37
But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 3:16
and to the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the border of the…
- 1 Timothy 5:8
If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
- Genesis 35:22–26
While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
- Deuteronomy 2:37
Through
Judges 11:13The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore,…
it leads to
- Genesis 32:22
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
- Numbers 21:24–26
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.
- Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
- Genesis 32:22
Through
Judges 11:22seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 2:36
From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God…
- Deuteronomy 2:36
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Joshua
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 19.8; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth.