Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 2:19
But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites as they prepare to cross the border of Moab at Ar. He issues marching orders regarding their imminent approach to the Ammonites.
The words — The command אַל־ תְּצֻרֵם ('al-te.tzu.re/m) translates literally as "may not you provoke them," while וְ/אַל־ תִּתְגָּר (ve./'al-tit.Gar) commands "and may not you engage in strife." These terms establish a strict boundary against military or political confrontation.
The thread — The identical prohibition against harassing or provoking a neighboring nation appears in Deuteronomy 2:9 regarding the Moabites. The Ammonites later invoke their ancestral claim to the territory in Judges 11:13.
Why it lands — The text requires obedience to a divine territorial restriction that removes the right of conquest. It places human military ambition under a direct command to respect another group's divinely assigned possession.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 2:9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
- Judges 11:13 The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
- Genesis 19:36 Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
- 2 Chronicles 20:10 And now, here are the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt. So Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.
- Deuteronomy 2:5 Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.