Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Sihon

 
Bible Guide: Sihon

King of the Amorites who ruled east of the Jordan, from the Arnon River northwards (Num chap. 21). Israel, led by Moses, fought against him and seized all his land after he would neither let them pass through his country, nor sell them water and food (Deut 2:28-30). Later, the tribes of Reuben and Gad settled in his territory (Deut 3:12; Josh 13:8, 10).

Sihon's defeat is mentioned in order to strengthen the spirits of Israel (Josh 2:10), and also in prayers, in praising the might of God and thanking him (Ps 135:11; 136:19; Neh 9:22).

In the Book of Judges, Jephthah recalls Sihon's conquest of Moab in his argument with the king of Ammon (Judg chap. 11).

Concordance
Num 21:21,23, 26-29, 34; 32:33. Deut 1:4; 2:24, 26,30-32; 3:2, 6; 4:46; 29:7; 31:4. Josh 2:10; 9:10; 12:2, 5; 13:10,21, 27. Judg 11:19-21. IKgs 4:19. Neh 9:22. Ps 135:11; 136:19. Jer 48:45


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
 
Sihon ('hən), in the Bible, king of the Amorites, who attacked Israel. He became a figure for the mighty fallen.
Wikipedia: Sihon
Top

Sihon, according to the Old Testament, was an Amorite king, who refused to let the Israelites pass through his country. The Bible describes that as the Israelites in their Exodus came to the country east of the Jordan, near Heshbon, King Siḥon of the Amorites refused to let them pass through his country. The Israelites fought Amorites in a battle, gaining complete victory. His walled towns were captured and the complete Amorite country was taken by the Israelites, who killed the king and "all his people." (Numbers 21:21-30, Deuteronomy 2:24-37).

"But Israel put them to the sword and took possession of their land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as [Az] of the Ammonites." (Numbers 21:24)

Moses allocated the land of Sihon, the king of Heshbon, to the Tribe of Gad in the allocation of land to the Israelite tribes. (Joshua 13:24-28)

In a similar way the Israelites took the country of Og, and these two victories gave them possession of the complete country east of the Jordan, from the Arnon to the foot of the Hermon. These victories, among the earliest successful campaigns of the Israelites, quickly became legendary among them, and are referred to numerous times in the Bible as prototypical examples of God-given victory.

Numbers 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land. (King James Version)

Numbers 21:35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors (New International Version)


 
 
Learn More
Nophah
Atroth Shophan
Evi

Three tribes that wanted the land of sihon and og on the east side of the jordan? Read answer...

Help us answer these
Who was Sihon?
What happened at sihon?
Why did Sihon King of the Amorites attack Israel?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Bible Guide. Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible. Copyright © 1986 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sihon" Read more