Numbers 21:26 (DBY)

Passage

For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites; and he had fought against the former king of Moab, and had 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 took possession of his land from the Arnon to 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, at Heshbon, and in all its dependent villages.

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

Numbers 21:27 Therefore the poets say, Come to Heshbon; let the city of Sihon be built and established.

Numbers 21:28 For there went forth fire from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; It consumed 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 "Therefore the poets say Come to Heshbon...", 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.