Numbers 21:26 (WEB)

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 to the Arnon.

Nearby Context

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

Numbers 21:25 Israel took all these cities. Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.

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 to the Arnon.

Numbers 21:27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be built and established;

Numbers 21:28 for a fire has gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has 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 "Israel took all these cities Israel lived..." into verse 27's "Therefore those who 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.