Joshua 12:2

“Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, etc.] Which he took from the Moabites, and made his capital city, (<042126>Numbers 21:26); [and] ruled from Aroer, which [is] upon the bank of the river of Arnon; a city of Moab, which never fell into the hands of Sihon, and therefore he is said to rule from it but not over it: and from the middle of the river; that is, the river Arnon, which being the boundary of the Moabites and Amorites, the king of the Amorites might be said to rule from the middle of it: and from half Gilead even unto the river Jabbok, [which is] the border of the children of Ammon; so it is said to be, (<050316>Deuteronomy 3:16); it should be rendered, not “from half…”

“All the plain on the east - i. e. the Arabah or depressed tract along the east bank of Jordan, the modern El-Ghor (see Numbers 22:1). Joshua 12:2 From the middle of the river - i. e. as appears from Joshua 13:9, Joshua 13:16, “from the city that is in the midst of the river;” namely,, Ar Moab (see Deuteronomy 2:36). Joshua 12:3 From the plain - Render “over the plain;” for the words describe not one of the boundaries of Sihon’s kingdom, but part of the territory included in it, i. e. the eastern portion of the Ghor, between the Sea of Tiberias and the Dead Sea. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Middle of the river - It is not unusual even among us, for a river to be divided between two lords, and for their territories or jurisdictions to meet in the middle of the river: and besides, here is a very particular reason for this expression, because the city Ar, which was no part of Sihon's dominions, but belonged to the Moabites, Deu 2:9, Deu 2:18, was in the middle of the river Arnon, Deu 2:36, Deu 3:16, and therefore the middle of the river is properly here mentioned, as the bound of Sihon's dominion on that side. Half Gilead - Heb. and the half Gilead, that is, half of the country of Gilead; this doth not denote the bound from which his dominion began, but the country, over which his…”

“12:2 King Sihon (see Num 21:24-25) had controlled the northern Jordan Valley as far as the Sea of Galilee but not the northern part of Gilead (Josh 12:5).”

“Sihon: Num 21:23-30; Deu 2:24-37, Deu 3:6-17; Neh 9:22; Psa 135:11, Psa 136:19, Psa 136:20 Jabbok: Gen 32:22; Jdg 11:13, Jdg 11:22 Joshua 12:3”