Numbers 21:23

21:23 But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his border; he ¹  gathered all his forces ²  together and went out against Israel into the wilderness. When ³  he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.

Numbers 21:28-29

21:28 For fire went out from Heshbon,

a flame from the city of Sihon.

It has consumed Ar of Moab

and the lords ⁴  of the high places of Arnon.

21:29 Woe to you, Moab.

You are ruined, O people of Chemosh! ⁵ 

He has made his sons fugitives,

and his daughters the prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites.

¹ tn Heb “Sihon.”

² tn Heb “people.”

³ tn The clause begins with a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive, but may be subordinated to the next preterite as a temporal clause.

⁴ tc Some scholars emend to בָּלְעָה (bal’ah), reading “and devoured,” instead of בַּעֲלֵי (ba’aley, “its lords”); cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV. This emendation is closer to the Greek and makes a better parallelism, but the MT makes good sense as it stands.

⁷ sn The note of holy war emerges here as the victory is a victory over the local gods as well as over the people.