דברים, פרק ב׳, פסוק ל׳

The confrontation with Sihon marks a dramatic turning point in the journey to the land, blending calculated military strategy with direct divine intervention in the human mind. The Israelites' request for safe passage toward the Jordan River was not a simple diplomatic plea, but a deliberate military tactic. Sihon’s cities were heavily fortified, and the Israelites could not afford to advance while leaving a powerful enemy force behind them. Therefore, the request was designed to anger the king and lure him out of his strongholds into the open battlefield, where he could be decisively defeated [מלבי״ם].

Sihon’s response was an irrational and stubborn refusal, completely detached from normal political reasoning, especially since he did not actually fear that the Israelites would harm his land during their passage [אור החיים]. Instead, he was filled with false confidence. Having watched the Israelites bypass Edom and actively avoid conflict, Sihon became emboldened [רש ר הירש]. His pride swelled to the point that he believed he could defeat the Israelites entirely on his own, without calling upon his ally Og, the king of Bashan, or even utilizing his complete army [שפתי כהן].

This overwhelming arrogance was the result of a twofold divine intervention in the king's mind. First, God removed Sihon's ability to logically weigh the severe risks of war against the simple benefit of granting passage [העמק דבר], causing him to stubbornly resist the Israelites' entry [ספורנו, רש ר הירש]. Second, God infused him with absolute courage and a false certainty of victory, pushing him to abandon a defensive posture and launch a frontal attack [ספורנו, העמק דבר, רש ר הירש].

This divine manipulation raises a fundamental question about justice: if God forced Sihon's hand, why was he held responsible and punished? The primary approach among commentators is that the removal of free will is a specific punishment reserved only for the utterly wicked, much like Pharaoh in Egypt. Sihon had already sealed his own fate through a long history of continuous sin and evil. Because his wickedness had reached its limit, God blocked his ability to repent and stripped away his natural fear of war. This ensured that Sihon would choose to fight, ultimately bringing about his own deserved destruction [רבנו בחיי, ביאור יש״ר, צאינה וראינה].

The ultimate purpose of this entire sequence was to deliver the king into the hands of the Israelites [ביאור יש״ר, שטיינזלץ]. Sihon and Og were widely considered the most formidable protectors of the region. Defeating them on the battlefield was strategically equivalent to subduing all thirty-one kings of Canaan, effectively paving the way for the Israelites to inherit the entire land [שפתי כהן].