13:10a

and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites: The phrase all the cities refers to all the towns in the territory that King Sihon ruled.

the Amorites: The word Amorites can be used in two senses. It can refer to a group of people who lived in the mountainous region of Canaan. This is the way it is used here. It can also be a synonym for “Canaanite,” and refer to the whole population of Canaan.

The word Amorites occurred in Joshua 2:10 and you should translate it the same way in both places.

who reigned in Heshbon: The clause who reigned in Heshbon indicates that Heshbon was the capital town of King Sihon. Heshbon was about 25 kilometers northeast of the Dead Sea, and southwest of present-day Amman, the capital city of Jordan.

It may be helpful to start a new sentence here. Here is another way to translate this clause:

Their territory extended as far as the towns of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon

13:10b

as far as the border of the Ammonites: The phrase as far as the border of the Ammonites indicates that the territory Moses assigned to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh extended to the border of the Ammon people.

Ammonites: The term Ammonites indicates a group of people who lived in the country of Ammon and whose capital city was Rabbah-ammon. This term was used in Joshua 12:2 and you should translate it the same way in both places.

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