But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.
Parallel Translations
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But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.
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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.
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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.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 2:30 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Numbers 21:23 Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. He fought against Israel.
- Exodus 4:21 Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
- Exodus 11:10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go out of his land.
- Joshua 11:19-20 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle. For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Judges 11:20 But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
- Isaiah 48:4 Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze;
- Romans 9:17-23 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain God in his election and reprobation doth not only…
God in his election and reprobation doth not only appoint the ends, but the means tending to the same.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Deu 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not…
Deu 2:30 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.
Ver. 30. Had hardened his spirit.] Deus quem destruit, dementat. God makes fools of those whom he intends to destroy.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain By him, i.e. by his borders. Obstinate; unmovable and…
By him, i.e. by his borders. Obstinate; unmovable and inexorable to our desires.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us…
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him,.... Or through his country, as was desired:
for the Lord had hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate; as he did Pharaoh's, for whom he will he hardens; so that he would not listen to the proposals made to him, nor grant the requests asked of him, but with pride and haughtiness of spirit despised and disdained Israel:
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that he might deliver him into thine hand; that so an opportunity might offer of fighting with him, and taking his country from him; whereas, had he been peaceable and flexible, he had continued in the enjoyment of his land, and Israel would not have had that advantage against him; but God, who has the hearts of kings and of all men in his hands, so wrought upon him that he should take the steps he did, which made way for the delivery of him and his country into the hands of the Israelites:
as appeareth this day: for when Moses made this speech, the kingdom of Sihon was possessed by the Israelites, Num 21:24.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Hardened his spirit - That is, suffered it to…
Hardened his spirit - That is, suffered it to be hardened.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 30. The Lord - hardened his spirit] See…
Verse 30. The Lord - hardened his spirit] See Clarke on Ex 4:21, and "Ex 9:15", &c.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Hardened, &c. That is, in punishment of his past…
Hardened, &c. That is, in punishment of his past sins, he left him to his own stubborn and perverse disposition, which drew him to his ruin. See the note on Exodus vii. 3. (Challoner) --- God did not soften his heart, (Menochius) nor make him see the danger to which he was exposing his dominions, by provoking such an army. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 30. As appeareth this day — That is, as…
30. As appeareth this day — That is, as the result has shown.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 30. But Sihon … would not let us pass…
30. But Sihon … would not let us pass by him) E, Num_21:23 : S. would not allow (another verb) Israel to cross his territory.
for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit] Sg. address; it is at least remarkable that the change coincides with a religious explanation of Sîḥôn’s resistance, for which E has here no parallel. The phrase is found elsewhere in P, Exo_7:3, but with heart for spirit.
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made his heart obstinate] Heb. strong, usually in a good sense, in a bad only here, Deu_15:7 and 2Ch_36:13. In E, Exo_4:21, the same meaning with another verb.
as at this day] Another deuteronomic formula: Deu_4:20; Deu_4:38, Deu_6:24, Deu_8:18, Deu_10:15, Deu_29:28; 1Ki_3:6; 1Ki_8:24, etc. Here its appropriateness is not obvious; these formulas tend to creep in where they are not required.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (30) The Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and…
(30) The Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate.—Jehovah gave the strength to Sihon, as He had done to Pharaoh, and as He does to all. Sihon was responsible for using the strength which God gave him in opposition to the Divine purposes. To “harden” a man’s spirit is not necessarily a moral process any more than the hardening of steel. “Made obstinate” is the same verb used in Jos_1:6, for “Be of a good courage.” An unyielding spirit and a courageous heart are good or bad according to the use made of them. Sihon used them badly, Joshua used them well. God’s gifts were the same to both. (See also Jos_11:20.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Heshbon, the chief city of the Amorite king, Sihon.…
Heshbon, the chief city of the Amorite king, Sihon. Some ruins on a hill east of the upper end of the Dead Sea, and bearing the name Chesban, mark the site of this once large and important city. Sihon rejected Moses" overtures of peace, because God had hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate; literally, had sharpened his heart, had made his determination keen. It is not to be supposed that any influence was directly exerted on him, to make him obdurate and persistent in his hostility to the people of God; the expression "he would not" indicates that it was of his own will that Sihon acted; but it was the will and purpose of God that Sihon should be destroyed, and his country taken by the Israelites, and so he was placed in circumstances by which, "given over to a reprobate mind," he was confirmed and strengthened m his determination to pursue a course which led to his destruction; like Pharaoh, by the circumstances in which God placed him, he found scope for the display and for the confirmation of a stubborn, pertinacious pride of spirit, which led ultimately to his ruin. Nothing so hardens the heart as resistance to God"s overtures of peace. As appeareth this day; i.e. as present experience shows; in Sihon"s refusing to let them pass, there was already an actual beginning of the fulfillment of God"s purpose to deliver him into the hand of the Israelites.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Moses continues to remind the people of what happened in the past.
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Sihon ... Heshbon
These are the names of a man and a place. See how you translated them in Deuteronomy 1:4. (See: How to Translate Names)
your God ... your might
Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so all instances of "your" are singular. (See: Forms of You)
hardened his mind and made his heart obstinate
Both of these phrases mean the same thing and emphasize that Yahweh "caused him to become very stubborn." (See: Parallelism)
to deliver up Sihon and his land before you
"to give Sihon and his land over to you"
begin to possess it, in order that you may inherit his land
"take possession of his land, so that you may inherit it"
translationWords
king
Yahweh
God
mind
heart
might
deliver
possess
inherit
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 2:30 made Sihon stubborn and defiant (literally had hardened…
2:30 made Sihon stubborn and defiant (literally had hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart): Like Pharaoh (see Exod 7:13), Sihon was incorrigibly unrepentant and thus experienced God’s wrath. God knew that any further extension of grace to these rulers would be useless. Mystery surrounds the relationship between statements that people harden their own hearts (e.g., Exod 7:13, 22; 8:15) and statements that God hardens people’s hearts (e.g., Exod 4:21; 7:3; 9:12). What is clear is that God appeals for repentance and is ready to forgive, but when people continually ignore or reject his appeals, they can become incapable of hearing and obeying God (see “Hardened Hearts” Theme Note; Rom 1:21-28; 9:17-24).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.