Moses continued, “From the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent ambassadors to King Sihon of Heshbon with this proposal of peace:
Parallel translations
- WEB I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
- KJV And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
- BSB So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying,
- NKJV “And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,
- NASB “So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses recalls sending peaceful messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon, asking for safe passage. It shows Israel first sought peace before war.
Overview
Before any conflict, Moses dispatched envoys with words of peace, seeking only to pass through Sihon's territory. This restraint reflects Israel's obedience to God's earlier instructions and demonstrates that the coming battle was not Israelite aggression but a response to Sihon's refusal. It illustrates a biblical pattern of offering peace before judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 10:10–12But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say,
- Josh 13:18Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
- Luke 10:5–6Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’
- Matt 10:12–15As you enter into the household, greet it.
- Deut 20:10–11When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
- Josh 21:37Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs: four cities.
- Esth 9:30He sent letters to all the Jews, to the hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 2:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.