13:9a
The area from Aroer: In some languages it may be more natural to add implicit information, for example:
Their land started at Aroer (New Century Version)
Aroer: The term Aroer indicates a town that was along the Arnon River.
on the rim of the Arnon Valley: The clause on the rim of the Arnon Valley indicates that the town of Aroer was on the bank of the Arnon River, in the Arnon River Valley.
Here is another way to translate this clause:
Aroer was on the bank of the Arnon River, in the valley.
Arnon Valley: The term Arnon Valley appeared in 12:1 and you should translate it the same way in both places.
13:9b
along with the city in the middle of the valley: The phrase in the middle of the valley indicates that the town was halfway along the valley. The town is not named.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
including the town that is halfway along the Arnon River Valley
13:9c
the whole plateau of Medeba: The word plateau indicates a plain. The plateau of Medeba was a high, flat area between the Arnon River in the south and Heshbon in the north. It was 600-700 meters high.
Medeba: The town of Medeba was a Moabite town that the Israelites captured from King Sihon (see Numbers 21:21-32). Today it is the town of Madaba in Jordan, twenty miles south of Amman.
as far as Dibon: The phrase as far as Dibon indicates that the tableland of Medeba stretched from Medeba in the north to Dibon in the south. Dibon was one of the Moabite towns that the Israelites captured. Its name today is Dhiban and it is thirteen miles east of the Dead Sea and three miles north of the Arnon Gorge.
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