(27-30) Come into Heshbon. — These verses appear to commemorate first the victory of the Amorites over the Moabites, and then that of the Israelites over the Amorites. They may be rendered thus: —
“Come ye to Heshbon!
Let the city of Sihon be built up and restored!
For a fire went out from Heshbon —
A flame from the city of Sihon:
It devoured Ar (or, the city) of Moab —
The lords of the high places of Arnon.
Woe to thee, Moab!
Thou art perished, O people of Chemosh:
He (i.e., Chemosh) gave up his sons as fugitives,
And his daughters into captivity,
Unto Sihon, the King of the Amorites.
We cast them down;
Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon:
Yea, we laid them waste even unto Nophah,
Which (reacheth) even unto Medcba.”
Or, if we read esh (fire) instead of asher (which), a reading which derives some support from the Masoretic point over the last letter and from the context (Numbers 21:28), as well as from the LXX., the last words may be rendered, “With fire, even unto Medeba.”
The Targum understands by “the lords of the high places of Arnon” the priests and worshippers in the temples and at the altars of the idols in Moab. Medeba, now Medaba, was situated at the south of Heshbon. The position of Nophah is unknown. It has been supposed that it may be the same as Nebo, which is mentioned in connection with Dibon and Medeba in Isaiah 15:2, or with Arneibah, which lies to the east of Medeba.