Arnon

אַרְנוֹן · ar.non · H0769“rejoicing; sunlight” Hitchcock's 186923 mentions in 7 books, most in Numbers (6)

Where it is

31.43° N, 35.68° E · Now Wadi Mojib

Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles

Mentioned most in

Numbers · 6 Deuteronomy · 6 Joshua · 4 Judges · 4 2 Kings · 1 Isaiah · 1 + 1 books

Counted from 23 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

About this place

The Arnon is a river and its accompanying valley, located east of the Dead Sea, in what is now modern-day Jordan. It is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament, primarily in the context of Israel's journey to the Promised Land and the subsequent division of the territory.

During the Israelites' wilderness wanderings, the Arnon served as a boundary between the Moabites and the Amorites (Numbers 21:13). The Amorites, led by King Sihon, had previously conquered the land north of the Arnon from the Moabites (Numbers 21:26). When the Israelites requested passage through Sihon's territory, he refused and engaged them in battle. Israel defeated Sihon and took possession of the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok (Numbers 21:24).

The Arnon later served as the southern border of the territory assigned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad (Deu.3.12, 16; Joshua 13:9, 16). It also marked the southern limit of the region controlled by King Sihon (Deu.2.36; Joshua 12:2) and, in later years, the extent of Jephthah's victories over the Ammonites (Judges 11:18, 22).

During the reign of Jehu, king of Israel, the territory east of the Jordan, including the area from the Arnon, was lost to Hazael, king of Aram (2Ki.10.33). The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah also mention the Arnon in their prophecies concerning Moab (Isaiah 16:2; Jeremiah 48:20).

The Arnon's significance in the Bible lies in its role as a geographical boundary, marking the limits of territorial control for various nations and tribes throughout Israel's history. Its frequent mention in the context of military campaigns and territorial allotments underscores its importance as a strategic landmark in the region.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

23 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)

Numbers6 mentions

Numbers 21:13From there they traveled, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between…Numbers 21:14Therefore it is said in The Book of the Wars of Yahweh, “Vaheb in Suphah, the valleys of the Arnon,Numbers 21:24Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was fortified.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 21:28for 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 22:36When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him to the City of Moab, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border.

Deuteronomy6 mentions

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 2:36From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. Yahweh our God delivered up all…Deuteronomy 3:8We took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon.Deuteronomy 3:12This land we took in possession at that time: from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and to the…Deuteronomy 3:16To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even to the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and its border, even to the river Jabbok, which is the border of the…Deuteronomy 4:48from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, even to Mount Siyon (also called Hermon),

Joshua4 mentions

Joshua 12:1Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel struck, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, and…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 13:9from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon;Joshua 13:16Their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain by Medeba;

Judges4 mentions

Judges 11:13The king of the children of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and to the Jordan.…Judges 11:18Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the…Judges 11:22They possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.Judges 11:26Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along the side of the Arnon for three hundred years! Why didn’t you recover them within…

2 Kings1 mention

2 Kings 10:33from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

Isaiah1 mention

Isaiah 16:2For it will be that as wandering birds, as a scattered nest, so will the daughters of Moab be at the fords of the Arnon.

Jeremiah1 mention

Jeremiah 48:20Moab is disappointed; for it is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.

What the dictionary says

Swift, the southern boundary of the territory of Israel beyond Jordan, separating it from the land of Moab (Deut. 3:8, 16).

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)

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Sources

STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain