Sihon
Amorite king defeated by Moses and the Israelites at Jahaz.
Sihon was an Amorite king mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, king of Ashtaroth, who refused to let the Israelites pass through his country. Chronicled in Numbers, he was defeated by Moses and the Israelites at the battle of Jahaz. He and Og were said to be the two kings Moses defeated on the east side of the Jordan river.
- Title
- King of the Amorites (Numbers 21:21)
- Capital
- Heshbon (Numbers 21:26)
- Conflict with Israel
- Refused passage and fought at Jahaz (Numbers 21:23; Deuteronomy 2:32)
- Defeated by
- Moses and the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:46)
- Land given to
- Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh (Numbers 32:33)
Lore & Background
The Book of Numbers recounts that as the Israelites making their Exodus came to the Transjordan, the country east of the Jordan, near Heshbon, King Sihon of the Amorites refused to let them pass through his land. Then Israel defeated him and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok. Moses allocated the land of Sihon, the king of Heshbon, to the Tribe of Gad. In a similar way, the Israelites took the country of Og, and these two victories gave them possession of continuous land in the Transjordan, from the Arnon to the foot of Mount Hermon. These victories are referred to in Psalm 135:11 and Psalm 136:19-20.
Reader's Guide
Biblical historian Joel S. Baden has discussed the similarities between the encounter with Sihon and the earlier encounter with the king of Edom (Numbers 20:14–21), as well as a later parallel passage (Deuteronomy 2:2–3:11).
Did You Know?
- Sihon is called king of Ashtaroth in the opening of the source article, but the detailed biblical account and Joshua 13:24-28 identify him as king of Heshbon.
- The battle against Sihon took place at Jahaz.
- Sihon's land was allocated to the Tribe of Gad.
Elsewhere in the Figures of Scripture universe
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