Numbers 21:25 (LSB)

Passage

And Israel took all these cities, and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her towns.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.

Numbers 21:24 Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was Jazer.

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

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

Numbers 21:27 Therefore those who use proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon! Let it be built! So let the city of Sihon be established.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "israel", "took", "cities", "lived", "amorites", and "heshbon". 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 "Then Israel struck him with the edge..." into verse 26's "For Heshbon was the city of Sihon...", 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.