Sihon
סִיחוֹן · si.chon · H5511“rooting out; conclusion” Hitchcock's 186934 mentions in 8 books, most in Deuteronomy (11)
Who he was
Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, is mentioned in several passages in the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 Kings, Nehemiah, Psalms, and Jeremiah. He ruled over the territory east of the Jordan River, which the Israelites sought to pass through on their way to the Promised Land.
When Moses sent messengers to Sihon requesting permission to pass through his land peacefully, Sihon refused and instead gathered his army to attack the Israelites (Numbers 21:21–23; Deuteronomy 2:26–30). In response, the Israelites fought against Sihon and his army, defeating them and conquering his territory (Numbers 21:24–25; Deuteronomy 2:31–37). The victory over Sihon was seen as a significant milestone in the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land and a demonstration of God's power and faithfulness to His people.
The conquest of Sihon's kingdom, along with that of Og, king of Bashan, allowed the Israelites to settle in the Transjordan region, with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh receiving their inheritance there (Numbers 32:33; Jos.13.10, 21, 27). The defeat of Sihon and Og is remembered as a testament to God's deliverance and is celebrated in the Psalms (Psalm Jos.135.11; 136.19).
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
34 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
Numbers8 mentions
Numbers 21:21Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,Numbers 21:23Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. He fought against…Numbers 21:26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even to the Arnon.Numbers 21:27Therefore those who speak in proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be built and established;Numbers 21:28for a fire has gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has devoured Ar of Moab, The lords of the high places of the Arnon.Numbers 21:29Woe to you, Moab! You are undone, people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon king of the Amorites.Numbers 21:34Yahweh said to Moses, “Don’t fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people, and his land. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived…Numbers 32:33Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the…
Deuteronomy11 mentions
Deuteronomy 1:4after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.Deuteronomy 2:24“Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend…Deuteronomy 2:26I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,Deuteronomy 2:30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.Deuteronomy 2:31Yahweh said to me, “Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.”Deuteronomy 2:32Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.Deuteronomy 3:2Yahweh said to me, “Don’t fear him; for I have delivered him, with all his people and his land, into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at…Deuteronomy 3:6We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones.Deuteronomy 4:46beyond the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel struck when they came out of…Deuteronomy 29:7When you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, and we struck them.Deuteronomy 31:4Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
Joshua7 mentions
Joshua 2:10For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to…Joshua 9:10and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.Joshua 12:2Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even to the river…Joshua 12:5and ruled in Mount Hermon, and in Salecah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.Joshua 13:10and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the children of Ammon;Joshua 13:21all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the…Joshua 13:27and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan’s bank, to the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond…
Judges3 mentions
Judges 11:19Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to my place.’Judges 11:20But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.Judges 11:21Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that…
Psalms2 mentions
What the dictionary says
Striking down.
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain