{
  "id": "dict_005278",
  "term": "Sihon",
  "slug": "sihon",
  "letter": "S",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Sihon was the Amorite king of Heshbon whom Israel defeated during the wilderness journey east of the Jordan.",
  "simple_one_line": "Sihon was the Amorite king of Heshbon defeated by Israel east of the Jordan.",
  "tooltip_text": "Amorite king of Heshbon defeated by Israel before they entered Canaan.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Og",
    "Amorite",
    "Heshbon",
    "Numbers",
    "Deuteronomy",
    "Conquest of Canaan"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Transjordan",
    "Israel in the wilderness",
    "Balaam",
    "Jordan River"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Sihon was the Amorite king of Heshbon who refused Israel passage and was defeated by the Lord’s direction during Israel’s journey east of the Jordan.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A historical biblical king whose defeat opened the Transjordan route for Israel.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Amorite ruler of Heshbon",
    "Refused Israel peaceful passage",
    "Defeated in the wilderness period",
    "His territory became part of Israel’s inheritance east of the Jordan"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Sihon was an Amorite ruler who refused Israel passage through his territory and fought against them. The Lord gave Israel victory, and Israel took possession of his land east of the Jordan. His defeat is remembered in Scripture as part of God’s faithful provision for His people.",
  "description_academic_full": "Sihon was the king of the Amorites who ruled from Heshbon when Israel approached the land east of the Jordan during the wilderness period. According to Scripture, Israel requested peaceful passage, but Sihon opposed them and attacked, and the Lord gave him into Israel’s hand. Israel then occupied his territory, which became part of the inheritance east of the Jordan. Later biblical texts remember Sihon’s defeat alongside other major acts of God on Israel’s behalf, showing that this event was not merely political but part of the Lord’s covenantal guidance and provision for His people. Sihon is best understood as a historical biblical figure rather than a theological term in the narrow sense.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Sihon appears in the wilderness narratives of Numbers and Deuteronomy, where Israel is moving toward the Promised Land. His refusal to allow passage and subsequent defeat become a turning point in the conquest of territory east of the Jordan.",
  "background_historical_context": "The biblical account places Sihon as an Amorite king ruling from Heshbon, a regional center east of the Jordan. The text presents him as a local power whose defeat altered the territorial situation in Transjordan.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In later Jewish memory, Sihon’s defeat was remembered as one of the Lord’s great acts on behalf of Israel. The story reinforced themes of divine faithfulness, covenant blessing, and the transfer of territory under God’s providence.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Numbers 21:21–31",
    "Deuteronomy 2:24–37"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Joshua 12:2",
    "Psalm 135:11",
    "Psalm 136:19–20"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: סִיחוֹן (Sîḥôn). The exact meaning of the name is uncertain.",
  "theological_significance": "Sihon’s defeat highlights the Lord’s sovereign guidance of Israel’s journey and His faithfulness in giving the land He had promised. The narrative also shows that Israel’s advance depended on God’s action, not merely military strength.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The account illustrates the biblical conviction that history is morally and providentially ordered by God. Political events are not ultimate in themselves; they serve larger covenant purposes under divine rule.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "This conquest narrative belongs to Israel’s unique redemptive-historical setting and should not be turned into a general template for modern warfare or territorial claims. The passage should be read within the covenant context of Scripture.",
  "major_views_note": "Readers generally agree on Sihon’s basic identity as an Amorite king defeated by Israel. Differences usually concern historical reconstruction of the Transjordan setting, not the biblical portrayal itself.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "The text presents a specific, divinely directed event in Israel’s history. It should not be used to claim that all military victories are signs of divine approval or to justify aggression apart from Scripture’s covenantal framework.",
  "practical_significance": "Sihon’s defeat reminds readers that God can remove obstacles to His purposes, that human opposition cannot overturn His promises, and that Scripture records real events to strengthen faith in the Lord’s faithfulness.",
  "meta_description": "Sihon was the Amorite king of Heshbon defeated by Israel during the wilderness journey east of the Jordan.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/sihon/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/sihon.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}