Numbers 21:26 (ASV)

Passage

For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

Numbers 21:25 And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof.

Numbers 21:26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon.

Numbers 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come ye to Heshbon; Let the city of Sihon be built and established:

Numbers 21:28 For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon: It hath devoured Ar of Moab, The lords of the high places of the Arnon.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heshbon", "city", "sihon", "king", "amorites", "fought", "against", and "former". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heshbon" and "city", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "And Israel took all these cities and..." into verse 27's "Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say...", so "heshbon" and "city" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heshbon" and "city" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.