Numbers 21:25 (DRB)

Passage

So Israel took all his cities, and dwelt in the cities of the Amorrhite, to wit, in Hesebon, and in the villages thereof.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:23 And he would not grant that Israel should pass by his borders: but rather gathering an army, went forth to meet them in the desert, and came to Jasa and fought against them.

Numbers 21:24 And he was slain by them with the edge of the sword, and they possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jeboc, and to the confines of the children of Ammon: for the borders of the Ammonites, were kept with a strong garrison.

Numbers 21:25 So Israel took all his cities, and dwelt in the cities of the Amorrhite, to wit, in Hesebon, and in the villages thereof.

Numbers 21:26 Hesebon was the city of Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, who fought against the king of Moab: and took all the land, that had been of his dominion, as far as the Arnon.

Numbers 21:27 Therefore it is said in the proverb: Come into Hesebon, let the city of Sehon be built and set up:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "israel", "took", "cities", "dwelt", "amorrhite", "hesebon", and "villages". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "israel" and "took", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "And he was slain by them with..." into verse 26's "Hesebon was the city of Sehon the...", so "israel" and "took" 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 "israel" and "took" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.