Bible Commentaries

Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

Now these are the kings of the land ... on the other side Jordan. This chapter contains a recapitulation of the conquests made, first in the country east of the Jordan and secondly in what was properly the promised land, with the additional mention of some places not formerly noticed in the sacred history. The river Arnon on the south, and mount Hermon on the north, were the respective boundaries of the land acquired by the Israelites beyond Jordan (see the note at Numbers 21:21; Deuteronomy 2:36; Deuteronomy 3:6-16).

Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

Baal-gad ... even unto ... Halak - (see the note at Joshua 11:17.) A list of thirty-one chief towns is here given; and as the whole land contained a superficial extent of only fifteen miles in length by fifty in breadth, it is evident that these capital cities belonged to petty and insignificant kingdoms. With a few exceptions, they were not the scenes of any important events recorded in the sacred history, and therefore do not require a particular notice here, especially as they are mentioned particularly in Joshua 15:1-63.