Numbers 21:26 (KJV)

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 Arnon.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto 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 villages 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 Arnon.

Numbers 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:

Numbers 21:28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of 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.