Sihon

SIHON, or Sehon, King of the Amorites, refusing Passage to the Hebrews, and coming to attack them, was himself slain, and his Army routed¹. Heshbon his capital City was taken, and all the rest of his Dominions were distributed among the Israelites. This War happen’d in the last Year of Moses’s Life, and some Months before the Israelites enter’d into the Land of Promise; in the Year of the World 2553, before Christ 1447, before the Vulgar Era 1451. Moses observes, that Sihon had made a Conquest from the Moabites of the best Part of the Country he then possess’d, and that he had settled himself in their Place. And ‘tis upon this Account, that in the Judg. xi. 12,13,14.Time of Jephtha, the Ammonites and Moabites demanded the Country that the Israelites had formerly conquer’d from Sihon, pretending it belong’d to them. But Jephtha return’d Answer, That Moses and the Hebrews having taken it from Sihon, who was then in peaceable Possession of it, and having conquer’d it in a fair War, it belong’d to Israel, and that neither Moab nor Ammon had any Right to it.

Sihon King of Heshbon commanded the Numbers xxi. 21, &c. Deut. ii. 26, &c.Amorites on the other Side Jordan. Moses being desirous that the Israelites should pass through the Country of Sihon, sent Deputies to him, to say to him; “ Give us “ Leave to pass through your Territories; “ we will only go by the High-ways, “ without turning aside into the Fields or “ Vineyards; we will pay for all our Provisions; we will even buy the Water “ we shall drink: Allow us then to cross “ over your Country, (as we have been “ suffer’d to do by the Children of Edom “ that inhabit in Seir, and by the Moabites “ that dwell at Ar upon the Arnon) ‘till “ we arrive at the Banks of Jordan, where “ we shall come to the Land which the “ Lord has promis’d to put us in Possession of.” But Sihon refus’d them this Passage, and brought together a powerful Army, because the Lord had hardened his Heart. Then the Lord said to Moses; I shall now begin to perform my Promises which I made to my People, by delivering up Sihon to them, with all his Army. This King then, at the Head of his Army, advanced as far as Jahaz, and gave Battle to the Israelites, who cut the whole Army in Pieces, and became Masters of his Territory, from the Brook Arnon, as far as Jabbok, putting all the Inhabitants to the Edge of the Sword, and settling themselves there, as in a conquer’d Country, which the Lord had deliver’d into their Hands.

When a skilful General has a great Design in Agitation, which cannot be executed without passing through a neutral Country, he does not at first send to ask Observations upon the Defeat of Sihon by the Israelites, Num. xxi. 23. Deut. ii. 31, &c.Leave; because too much Civility would make him lie under the Suspicion of Fear. He ought to enter into it first, shew all the Diligence possible, and then send to the Sovereign, to desire his Permission, that he may march his Troops through his Country. This is a Piece of good Policy: But Moses acted otherwise; he first sent Ambassadors to the King of the Amorites, with this peaceable Message, saying; Let me pass through thy Land; we will not turn into the Fields, or into the Vineyards; we will not drink of the Waters of the Well: but we will go along by the King’s Highway, until we be past thy Borders: Thou shalt sell me Meat for Money, that I may eat; and give me Water for Money, that I may drink; only I will pass through on my Feet.

After so just Proposals as these, if Sihon would not let the Children of Israel pass through his Country, he ought at least to have contented himself with refusing them Passage. It does not appear, that these had either attempted or threaten’d to force their Passage against his Will, and, as the Greeks us’d to say, stooping their Pikes. If therefore he had had no other Design but to hinder them from entring his Country, he ought only to have encamped upon his Frontier, and kept himself upon the Defensive, in case they would have forced him: But thinking himself to be the Braver, and the Stronger, probably because he was at Home, he sets himself at the Head of his Army, and marches out to fight. This War was very unjust on his Side, and even contrary to the Law of Nations; and Sihon was soon punish’d, for his Injustice and Temerity, with the Loss of his Life.

Jos. Antiq. l. 4. c. 4, 5.The sacred Authors give us no Particulars of this important Day, which decided the Fate of the Kingdom of Sihon; and Josephus tells us but little more of it: He even seems to palliate the Injustice of Sihon, by saying, that the Israelites took Arms with Joy, set themselves in Battle-array, and marched against their Enemies. Yet the Scripture says positively, that Sihon Numbers xxi. 23.gathered all his People together, and went out against Israel into the Wilderness; and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. We cannot tell what Strength Sihon might have, nor what was the Number of his Troops; nor are we better instructed as to those of the Israelites, unless we adhere to that Enumeration made of them in the Numbers xxvi.Book of Numbers, and which amounted to above six hundred and twenty-four thousand Men. Then it will appear almost impossible that Sihon should have an Army sufficient to dare to attack such a formidable Power; and therefore I can only advance some Conjectures concerning the Disposition of the Troops of both Armies. We know the Tacticks of the People of Asia: The Jews who came out of Egypt marshalled themselves in Phalanx. In vain should we seek for the Original of this manner of Fighting, it lying too far back in the first Ages; but it is certain, that the Phalanx of the Jews was distinguish’d by large Bodies with a very great Depth, each Body being larger or smaller, according to the Strength and Ability of the Tribes, because each furnish’d its Contingent.

The Phalanx of the Greeks, when Philip carry’d it to its highest Degree of Perfection, was of sixteen thousand Infantry with heavy Arms. This Number compos’d an Army, not including the Cavalry. Philip divided Arrian. de Bello Alex. Mag.this Phalanx into four Corps, each of four thousand Men, and each Corps was call’d a Phalanx. This Division is not observ’d to have obtain’d among the People of Asia, and their military Discipline was nothing near so perfect as that of the Greeks; they set themselves in Array like these, but they left several small Intervals between, to give a Passage for such as brought Orders from the General, and to give Room for the Wounded to retire during the Fight.

The Army of Sihon was therefore ranged in Phalanx, according to the ordinary Custom of those Times. As to the Horse, since the Scripture does not mention them, we only supply them by Conjecture. The Jews never had many of these, and it was but late that they were admitted at all; for I can observe none at the Beginning of the Conquest of the Land of Promise.

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