“They traveled and camped on the other side of the Arnon . . . that leaves the border of the Amorín; because Arnón is the border of Moab. . . Israel sent emissaries to Sehon, king of the Amorites, saying, “That I pass through your land; We will not go to (the) box or the vineyard. . . until we cross your border. But Sehon did not let Israel pass, and. . . He gathered all his people and came out opposed to Israel. Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land, from Arnon to Jabbok (Numbers 21:13-24). “
When talking about stunning biblical sites in Jordan that can be found from Israel, the Arnon River is a key site that is overlooked. One of the greatest miracles in world history took place here, and that is why one of the only ten songs recorded in the Hebrew Bible was sung here.
After the exodus from Egypt, the youth of Israel wandered the Sinai Peninsula. They then crossed Ezion Geber (present-day Eilat) and walked along the eastern border of Edom (present-day Jordan). They then asked the king of Edom for permission to cross their territory into Israel (Numbers 20) and promised to stay on the main road all the time and pay for the food and water they would need for the journey. The king of Edom sent his army to his border as a show of force opposed to Israel. G-d had forbidden Israel to attack Edom (Deuteronomy 2), so they still had no option to continue north on their way to the eastern border of Moab.
The Children of Israel asked the king of Moab for permission to cross their territory into Israel. The king refused this request, and because G-d had also ordered the Jews to attack Moab, they continued north until they reached the Arnon River, the northern border. of Moab, and the southern border of the Amorites.
On his adventure to the Arnon, the giant Sehon, king of the Amorites, made war on Moab and seized much of his northern territory (Numbers 21:26). Although unrelated to the youth of Israel, according to Jewish sources, G-d sought this territory would belong to Israel. When the country was controlled through Moab, Israel was ordered not to attack them, but now that it was controlled through the Amorites, when Israel attacked, they also gained this newly captured territory (formerly Moab).
The Jews entered the narrow canyon of the Arnon, now completely within the boundaries of Sehon. When the Amorites learned that the Jews would cross this narrow canyon of the Arnon, they prepared a special ambush.
Unbeknownst to the youth of Israel, on the cornices above them lay the Amorites who planned to annihilate them. In the event of an attack, they would have nowhere to flee. According to Jewish sources, the north side of the valley had many protruding rocks, while the south side was full of caves. crushed to death. His blood reddened the Arnon, and only then did the Jews notice how G-d had protected them from an attack they had no idea was going to take place.
Once on the other side, the Jews captured the Amorite territory and found themselves on the plains of Moab, facing the Jordan River and Jericho, in a position to enter the land G-d had promised them (to continue the story of the Children of Israel entering the Holy Land, click here).
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(All photographs used are for free use or proper license of the author)
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