Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 2:36
From Aroer, which [is] by the brink of the river of Arnon, and [from] the city that [is] by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:
36. From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon ] The Naal ’Arnon = Wdy Mjeb, see above Deu 2:24. Edge, Heb. lip. ‘Ar‘er is frequently given in the O.T. as a S. limit: e.g. of the territory taken by Israel from Sn (here, and Deu 3:12, Deu 4:48, Jos 12:2; Jos 13:9; Jos 13:16); of the kingdom of Israel (2Sa 24:5 emended after LXX; 2Ki 10:33). ‘I built,’ says Mesha (Moabite Stone, 27), ‘‘Ar‘er and made the high-way by the ’Arnon.’ Jer 48:19 connects ‘Ar‘er with a high-road. Eusebius describes it as above ’Arnon, ‘on the eyebrow of the hill.’ To-day the Khirbet ‘Ar‘er, ruins of a walled town on the N. edge of the W. Mjeb, here nearly 2000 feet deep, with an ancient zig-zag road down the precipitous slopes to the bed of the Wdy (Tristram, Moab, 125 ff.; Musil, Moab, 331, with plan and views). It lies nearly 2 miles E. of the Roman road, the present high road across ’Arnon, and must not be confounded with the ruins called ‘Araba close to the latter (cp. Brnnow, Provincia Arabia, i. 31; and the present writer, PEFQ, 1905, 41); an error into which several travellers have fallen.
the city that is in the valley ] The valley or naal is, of course, the ’Arnon or Wdy Mjeb, the S. frontier of Sn’s kingdom. The site of the unnamed city is uncertain. Its frequent association with ‘Ar‘er as on a S. frontier (e.g. here, Jos 13:9; Jos 13:16, 2Sa 24:5) may imply that it lay close under ‘Ar‘er on the stream; where to-day ruins stand with the name Khreibet ‘Ajam 1 [113] ; in which case the city has been added to ‘Ar‘er in order to define the exact border as the stream, and its namelessness is explicable by its having been a mere suburb or the toll-town of ‘Ar‘er. Or else, since ‘Ar‘er lay towards the W. end of the S. frontier of Sn’s kingdom formed by the ’Arnon, the city in the valley lay further up the ’Arnon and so defined the E. extremity of the S. border. Musil suggests Medeyyneh on the upper stretch of ’Arnon, now the W. Sa‘ideh or Sa‘deh ( Moab, 328 ff.). It lies on a projection of the plateau into the Wdy, and might well be described as the city in, or in the midst of, the naal. This is the same site as Musil proposes for ‘Ar or ‘Ir of Mo‘ab, also given as a limit (see on Deu 2:18); the identification of which had already been made on Biblical data alone (Dillm. in loco).
[113] There are other ruins a little further E. up the stream at its confluence with that from the S. and these Grove (Smith’s D.B. 1st ed.) takes as the city in question.
even unto Gilead ] E, Num 21:24, defines more exactly unto the Jabbo, the next great natural frontier N. of Arnon. Gile‘ad lay on both sides of Jabbo, which divided it into halves.
too high for us ] The Heb. phrase is found in prose only here, and elsewhere in the O.T. only in Job 5:11. Further see Deu 1:28.
before us ] Sam. LXX: into our hands.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon – Aroer stood on the north bank of the river, and was assigned Jos 13:9, Jos 13:16 to the tribe of Reuben, of which it formed the most southerly city. The valley of the Arnon is here deep, and the descent to it abrupt. In Roman times it was spanned by a viaduct, the ruins of which still remain, and which was probably built on the lines of the original structure of Mesha 2Ki 3:5. Aroer here must not be confounded with Aroer, which is before Rabbah Jos 13:25. This latter place was built, i. e. rebuilt, by the Gadites Num 32:34; it belonged to that tribe, and was consequently far to the north of the Arnon. A third Aroer in the tribe of Judah is mentioned in 1Sa 30:28.
The city that is by the river, literally, in the midst of the river (compare Jos 13:9, Jos 13:16) is Ar Moab (compare Num 21:15 note).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 36. From Aroer – by the brink of the river of Arnon] See Clarke on Nu 21:13, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Aroer was in the border of Moab, but now in the hands of the Amorites.
By the river, Heb. in the river, wherewith it was encompassed, Num 21:15,28; Jos 12:2; 13:9. He speaks exclusively, for this was Ar, which now was in the Moabites jurisdiction, above, Deu 2:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river Arnon…. Upon the border of Moab, and the principal city of it; see Jer 48:19
and from the city that is by the river; or even the city that is in the midst of the river, the city Aroer, which seems to be meant; see
Jos 12:2. This river is afterwards called the river of Gad, 2Sa 24:5 in the midst of it Aroer was, perhaps because it was possessed by the tribe of Gad:
even unto Gilead; Mount Gilead and the country adjacent to it, which belonged to Og king of Bashan:
there was not one city too strong for us; that could hold out against them, when attacked and besieged by them, but presently surrendered:
the Lord our God delivered all unto us; Moses ascribes all the victories and success they had unto the Lord, not to their own might and power, but to the power of God with them, and his blessing on them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(36) Aroer.According to Conder, the ruin Ar Air, on the north bank of Wdy Mjib. (But he makes the Aroer of Num. 32:34 a different place, and marks it as unknown. Why?)
The city that is by the river.The description suggests Rabbath-ammon, but this cannot be referred to here.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
36. From Aroer This city was on the north bank of the Arnon, and was given to the tribe of Reuben. Joshua 13. On the Moabite Stone Mesha states: “I built Aroer and I made the road across the Arnon.” Burckhardt found ruins with the name Ara’ar on the edge of the north bank of the Arnon.
The city that is by the river Rather, the city which is in the valley. This refers to Ar or Areopolis. See Num 21:15.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“There was not one city too strong for us.” Deu 2:36
This is a human testimony to divine promise. Every city appeared to be too strong, yet in the strength of the Almighty the most powerful cities were as straw before fire. What is true of cities is true of temptations. There need not be one temptation that can distress the tried Christian. If left to himself every temptation would be too much for him; but he is never left to himself; he is fighting God’s battle; he is not at the war at his own charges, but at the cost of God, and under the security of heaven. When we reach the better land we shall be enabled to repeat this testimony according to the variety of the circumstances through which we have come. It will apply to difficulties of every kind, personal, social, spiritual: the testimony will be that throughout the whole scheme of life he that was for us was more than all they that were against us. My soul, hope thou in God!
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Aroer. Num 32:34. The name is on the Moabite Stone. See App-54.
the city: i.e. Ar of Moab. Num 21:15.
delivered. Compare Jdg 11:21, Jdg 11:22, Jdg 11:26. “For His mercy endureth for ever”, Psa 136:18-22.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Aroer: Deu 3:12, Deu 4:48, Jos 13:9, Isa 17:2, Jer 48:19
not: Jos 1:5, Psa 44:3, Isa 41:15, Isa 41:16, Rom 8:31
Reciprocal: Gen 31:48 – Galeed Exo 4:21 – I will harden Num 32:34 – Aroer Deu 2:24 – the river Arnon Jdg 11:22 – And they Jdg 11:26 – Aroer Jdg 11:33 – Aroer 2Sa 24:5 – Aroer 1Ch 5:8 – Aroer 2Ch 13:16 – God delivered Isa 16:2 – the fords Jer 48:20 – Arnon