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:
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
- Deut 7:2And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
- Deut 3:6And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.
- Lev 27:28–29Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
- 1 Sam 15:8–9And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
- Josh 8:25–26And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
- Deut 20:16–18But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
- Josh 11:14And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
- Josh 7:11Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
- Num 21:2–3And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
- Deut 7:26Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
- Josh 9:24And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.