Judges 11:18

Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jephthah recounts Israel’s route to the king of Ammon, describing their path after Edom and Moab refused passage. They stopped east of the Arnon River, which served as Moab’s border.

The words — וַיָּסָב (va/yi.sav) means "and he went around," describing Israel’s deliberate bypass of Edom and Moab. אֶרֶץ (erets) translates as "land" or "territory," emphasizing the defined boundaries they respected.

The thread — This route echoes the wilderness journey in Numbers 21:4 and Deuteronomy 2:1, where Israel also skirted Edom. The Arnon border reappears in Numbers 22:36 as the meeting point for Balak and Balaam.

Why it lands — The verse establishes that Israel’s campaign against Ammon followed a previously denied path, justifying their claim to the land east of the Arnon. It demands recognition that territorial boundaries were observed before military action resumed.

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

וַיֵּ֣לֶךְva/i.Ye.lekhand/ it went בַּמִּדְבָּ֗רba./mid.Barin the/ wilderness וַיָּ֜סָבva/i.Ya.sovand/ it went around אֶת־'et-<obj.>אֶ֤רֶץ'E.retz[the] land of אֱדוֹם֙'e.dOmEdom וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>אֶ֣רֶץ'E.retz[the] land of מוֹאָ֔בmo.'AvMoab וַיָּבֹ֤אva/i.ya.Vo'and/ it came מִמִּזְרַח־mi./miz.rach-from/ [the] rising of שֶׁ֙מֶשׁ֙she.mesh[the] sun לְאֶ֣רֶץle./'E.retzof/ [the] land of מוֹאָ֔בmo.'AvMoab וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּןva/i.ya.cha.Nu/nand/ they encamped/ !בְּעֵ֣בֶרbe./'E.veron/ [the] other side of אַרְנ֑וֹן'ar.Non[the] Arnon וְלֹא־ve./lo'-and/ not בָ֙אוּ֙va.'uthey went בִּגְב֣וּלbi/g.Vulin/ [the] territory of מוֹאָ֔בmo.'AvMoab כִּ֥יkifor אַרְנ֖וֹן'ar.Non[the] Arnon גְּב֥וּלge.Vul[was] [the] border of מוֹאָֽב׃mo.'AvMoab

King James Version

Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

Cross-references

Numbers 21:4 Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey
Deuteronomy 2:1 Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir.
Numbers 22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.
Numbers 33:37 They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom.
Numbers 20:22 After they had set out from Kadesh, the whole congregation of Israel came to Mount Hor.

Places named

Arnon