Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 21:26/רמב"ן על במדבר כ״א:כ״ו
אכִּי חֶשְׁבּוֹן עִיר סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי הִיא – כְּלוֹמַר, עַתָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר נִלְחֲמוּ בּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, עִירוֹ שֶׁל סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמוֹרִי הָיְתָה, כְּלוֹמַר עִיר מוֹשַׁב הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי "הוּא נִלְחַם בְּמֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב הָרִאשׁוֹן" אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ עֲלֵיהֶם לִפְנֵי מְלוֹךְ מֶלֶךְ, אוֹ "הָרִאשׁוֹן" קֹדֶם לְבָלָק שֶׁהוּא מֶלֶךְ לְמוֹאָב בָּעֵת הַהִיא, וַיִּקַּח סִיחוֹן אֶת כָּל אַרְצוֹ מִיָּדוֹ עַד אַרְנוֹן. וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן בִּתְחִלַּת גְּבוּל הַכִּבּוּשׁ, עַל כֵּן תֵּחָשֵׁב לָאֱמוֹרִי. וְלֹא הֻזְהֲרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אֶרֶץ מוֹאָב וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן רַק עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הִיא בְּיָדָם בְּעֵת הַצַּוָּאָה. וְהֵבִיא הַכָּתוּב רְאָיָה כִּי חֶשְׁבּוֹן עִיר סִיחוֹן הִיא, כִּי הַמּוֹשְׁלִים יֹאמְרוּ ״בֹּאוּ חֶשְׁבּוֹן״ וְגוֹ', כִּי בְּעֵת שֶׁנִּלְחַם סִיחוֹן בְּמֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב לָכַד תְּחִלָּה עִיר חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְנֶחְרְבָה הָעִיר, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן בָּנָה אוֹתָהּ לְבֵית מַלְכוּת. וְזֶה טַעַם ״אֲשֶׁר יוֹשֵׁב בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן״ (במדבר כ״א:ל״ד), וְכֵן נֶאֱמַר בְּסֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (י״ג י'): ״סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן״. וְהָיוּ הַמּוֹשְׁלִים אוֹמְרִים לָאֱמוֹרִי: בֹּאוּ חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְתֵשְׁבוּ בָהּ, תִּבָּנֶה וְתִכּוֹנֵן אַחֲרֵי חֻרְבָּנָהּ עִיר סִיחוֹן אֲשֶׁר הִמְלִיךְ עָלֶיהָ. וְאַחַר שֶׁיָּשַׁב סִיחוֹן בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן, אָסַף שָׁם אֶת חֵילוֹ וַיִּלְכֹּד מִגְּבוּל מוֹאָב עַד אַרְנוֹן, וְאַרְנוֹן בִּכְלָל. עַל כֵּן אָמְרוּ הַמּוֹשְׁלִים: כִּי אֵשׁ יָצְאָה מֵחֶשְׁבּוֹן, לֶהָבָה מִקִּרְיַת סִיחוֹן אֲשֶׁר יוֹשֵׁב בָּהּ, וַתֹּאכַל עָר מוֹאָב בַּעֲלֵי הַבָּמוֹת אֲשֶׁר לְאַרְנוֹן, שֶׁלָּכַד סִיחוֹן מִמּוֹאָב עַד אַרְנוֹן וְכָל בָּמוֹת הָאָרֶץ וּבַעֲלֵי הַבָּמוֹת, כְּעִנְיַן ״וּבָמוֹת עוֹלָם לְמוֹרָשָׁה״ (יחזקאל ל״ו ב'). וְלָקַח עוֹד מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן מֵאַרְנוֹן עַד הַיַּבֹּק, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ (י״ג כ״ד-כ״ה): ״וַיִּתֵּן מֹשֶׁה לְמַטֵּה גָד וְגוֹ' יַעְזֵר וְכָל עָרֵי הַגִּלְעָד וַחֲצִי אֶרֶץ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן עַד עֲרוֹעֵר״, וְהִיא הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן תּוֹבֵעַ לְיִפְתָּח, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר: ״כִּי לָקַח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת אַרְצִי מֵאַרְנוֹן וְעַד הַיַּבֹּק וְעַד הַיַּרְדֵּן״ (שופטים י״א י״ג):
1FOR HESHBON WAS THE CITY OF SIHON THE KING OF THE AMORITES. That is to say, now when Israel waged battle against it, it was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, meaning to say the city of the royal residence, for he had fought against ‘melech harishon’ (the first king) of Moab, [meaning the one] who had ruled over them before any king reigned, or harishon [may mean] “the one before Balak,” who was the king of Moab at that time,290 and Sihon had taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon.291 Now Heshbon marked the border at which this conquest [of Sihon] began; therefore it was considered the Amorites’, and Israel was only prohibited [from capturing] that land of Moab and Ammon which was land that was in their possession at the time of the Divine command [not to capture any of the lands of Moab and Ammon].292 And Scripture brings a proof that Heshbon was the city of Sihon, for those that speak in parables [as explained above in Verse 13] say, come ye to Heshbon etc.,263 for when Sihon fought against the king of Moab, he captured at first the city of Heshbon, and the city was destroyed, and afterwards he rebuilt it as his royal abode. This is the meaning of [the phrase], who dwelleth in Heshbon.293 And similarly it is said in the Book of Joshua, Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.294 Thus those who spoke in parables would say to the Amorites: “Come to Heshbon, and settle therein; let the city of Sihon, over which he has become king, be built and established263 after its destruction.” And after Sihon had established himself in Heshbon, he assembled his army therein and captured from the border of Moab until Arnon, including Arnon itself.295 Arnon itself” is not found. Other scholars have also commented that the reading should be: “excluding Arnon itself.” This is undoubtedly correct, as Ramban himself expressly states above in Verse 13. Therefore they that speak in parables said, that a fire is gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon wherein he dwells; and it has devoured Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places296 which belong to Arnon. For Sihon has captured from Moab unto Arnon, and all the high places of the land and the lords of the high places,296 this being similar [in meaning to]: even the ancient high places are ours in possession.297 He [Sihon] also took from the children of Ammon [the territory] from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as it is said in [the Book of] Joshua, And Moses gave unto the tribe of Gad etc. Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon unto Aroer,298 this being the land which the king of Ammon claimed from Jephthah, as he said, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan.299