The next section of the prayer in verses 22-25 shows how God’s care for his people also extended to the political realm. These verses describe how God gave the people possession of the land in the Transjordan and in Canaan, beginning with the lands of the kings of Heshbon and Bashan (Num 21.25-26, 33-35). The people acknowledge that it was God who gave them kingdoms and peoples.
Kingdoms and peoples refers to political structures and to the groups of people that lived in them. For kingdoms see Ezra 1.2. The Hebrew word for peoples is ʿam. It designates “ethnic groups” here (see Ezra 1.3; 8.15). Good News Translation says “nations and kingdoms,” while New International Version translates “kingdoms and nations.”
Didst allot to them every corner: It is not known exactly what is meant here by the Hebrew word translated every corner. In different contexts this word can mean “corner” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version), “direction,” “edge,” “remotest frontiers” (New International Version), “border” (so Good News Translation), and “boundary.” BNT translates it idiomatically as “to the four corners.” Revised English Bible has even related the word to an Arabic cognate and has translated it as “spoils of war.” The word is most often taken to mean either that they have been given every part of the land or that the surrounding kingdoms and peoples will form the boundaries of their land. That they took possession of Heshbon and Bashan fits the first meaning (note Num 24.17, where the word is used in connection with Moab), and this is recommended to translators.
They took possession of the land is more than conquering foreign kings in battle. It is taking their land, occupying it, and settling in it so that it becomes their new home. The theme of taking possession of the land is introduced in Ezra 9.11 and is repeated five times in this prayer (verses 15, 22, 23, 24, 25). New International Version says “They took over the country.” In some languages translators may use expressions like “they took place in the land,” “they took the land,” or “They conquered the land” (Good News Translation).
The land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan: Heshbon was the capital city of King Sihon, who ruled the Amorites. Bashan was the territory of King Og in the plateau region in Gilead west of the Sea of Galilee. The Hebrew is literally “the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og the king of Bashan.” The first “and” probably has the meaning “that is” to explain further what is meant by “the land of Sihon” (so Revised Standard Version). It is also possible that there has been a scribal repetition of “and the land of” after “Sihon,” but the Revised Standard Version interpretation is recommended.
Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .