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Deuteronomy 2:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 2:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;
Deuteronomy 2:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as Jehovah spake unto me; and we compassed mount Seir many days.
2And Jehovah spake unto me, saying,
3Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
4And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;
5contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
6Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.
7For Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; he hath known thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years Jehovah thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
← Deuteronomy 2:3Deuteronomy 2:5 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And command thou the people, etc.] Give them a strict charge: saying, ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children or Esau: not through the midst of their country, for that the king of Edom would not admit of, but by or on the border of it: and they shall be afraid of you; lest such a numerous body of people as Israel were should seize upon their country, and dispossess them of it, they having been so long, wanderers in a wilderness near them: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; that they did not take any advantage of their fears, and fall upon them, and do them mischief, or that they did not provoke them to battle and overcome them. Ver. 5 Meddle not with them,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir . . . shall be afraid of you--The same people who had haughtily repelled the approach of the Israelites from the western frontier were alarmed now that they had come round upon the weak side of their country.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Compare the marginal reference. Though the Edomites resisted the passage through the midst of their land, they did not, and probably could not, oppose the “passing through the coast” or along their eastern frontier. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Ye are to pass: Deu 23:7; Num 20:14-21; Oba 1:10-13 they shall: Exo 15:15; Num 22:3, Num 22:4, Num 24:14-18 take ye: Mat 5:16; Luk 12:15; Eph 5:15; Phi 2:15; Col 4:5 Deuteronomy 2:5”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 2 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification