At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors.
Parallel translations
- WEB We took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones. We left no one remaining.
- KJV And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
- NKJV We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining.
- NASB So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women, and children of every city. We left no survivor.
- NLT We conquered all his towns and completely destroyed everyone—men, women, and children. Not a single person was spared.
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
Israel captured every city and devoted its inhabitants to destruction, sparing no one. This reflects the herem judgment commanded against the Canaanite-era nations.
Overview
The complete destruction of Sihon's cities is part of the herem, the devoting of these peoples to destruction as an act of God's righteous judgment on entrenched wickedness. Such severe texts trouble many readers, and faithful interpreters approach them soberly, noting they are tied to a unique moment of judgment in redemptive history rather than a general license for violence. They also point to the seriousness of sin and ultimately to the cross, where God's judgment and mercy meet.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Sam 15:3Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
- Deut 7:2and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
- Deut 3:6We devoted them to destruction, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.
- Lev 27:28–29Nothing that a man sets apart to the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.
- 1 Sam 15:8–9He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
- Josh 8:25–26A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
- Deut 20:16–18However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
- Josh 11:14The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed.
- Josh 7:11Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.
- Num 21:2–3So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction.”
- Deut 7:26And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.
- Josh 9:24The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 2:34 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.