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.
Then they traveled through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They came to the eastern side of Moab's territory and set up camp on the other side of the Arnon River, but they did not cross into Moab's borders because the Arnon River marked Moab's boundary.
This verse describes how the Israelites carefully traveled around other nations' territories, respecting their borders and not trespassing into Moab's land.
📚 Historical Context
This is part of Jephthah's diplomatic message to the Ammonite king, recounting Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Jephthah is explaining how Israel respected the territorial boundaries of neighboring nations like Edom and Moab during their wilderness wanderings, showing they were not aggressive conquerors but peaceful travelers seeking only passage to their own promised inheritance.
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