John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon , etc.] Which he took from the Moabites, and made his capital city, ( Numbers 21:26); [and] ruled from Aroer, which [is] upon the bank of the river of Arnon ; a city of Moab, which never fell into the hands of Sihon, and therefore he is said to rule from it but not over it: and from the middle of the river ; that is, the river Arnon, which being the boundary of the Moabites and Amorites, the king of the Amorites might be said to rule from the middle of it: and from half Gilead even unto the river Jabbok, [which is] the border of the children of Ammon ; so it is said to be, ( Deuteronomy 3:16); it should be rendered, not “from half Gilead”, but “and half Gilead”, as it is in the Hebrew text, and so in the Targum; for half Gilead belonged to the kingdom of Sihon, as the other half did to the kingdom of Og, as in ( Joshua 12:5); and so Jarchi remarks.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Fresh mercies must not drown the remembrance of former mercies, no must the glory of the present instruments of good to the churc diminish the just honour of those who went before them, since God is the same who wrought by both. Moses gave to one part of Israel a very rich and fruitful country, but it was on the outside of Jordan. Joshu gave to all Israel the holy land, within Jordan. So the law has give to some few of God's spiritual Israel worldly blessings, earnests of good things to come; but our Lord Jesus, the true Joshua, provided for all the children of promise spiritual blessings, and the heavenl Canaan.
Original Hebrew סיחון5511 מלך4428 האמרי567 היושׁב3427 בחשׁבון2809 משׁל4910 מערוער6177 אשׁר834 על5921 שׂפת8193 נחל5158 ארנון769 ותוך8432 הנחל5158 וחצי2677 הגלעד1568 ועד5704 יבק2999 הנחל5158 גבול1366 בני1121 עמון׃5983
