Numbers 21:26
“For 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.”
What does Numbers 21:26 mean?
This verse explains the messy political situation the Israelites encountered as they moved through the region. Sihon, an Amorite king, had previously conquered Moab's territory and now controlled the land between Moab and where Israel was headed. The mention of this history matters because it sets up why conflict was coming: the Israelites would soon clash with Sihon over crossing his conquered lands, and understanding that he was an aggressive expansionist power helps explain the tensions that followed. In other words, this wasn't empty land they were walking through, but territory someone else had fought hard to claim and control.