יהושע, פרק י״ג, פסוק כ״א

The conquest of the Transjordan completely reshaped the political landscape of the region. By bringing down the Amorite empire, the Israelites also dismantled the local leadership network that operated beneath it. The fall of Sihon, the Amorite king, was directly connected to the defeat of five Midianite kings: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. These leaders possessed genuine authority and governmental power [מצודת ציון], and they were permanent residents within Sihon's territory [מצודת דוד].

Despite their royal titles, these five Midianite leaders were not independent rulers. They functioned as princes under the direct patronage and supreme authority of Sihon, whose empire controlled a vast portion of the Transjordan [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Moses actually defeated Sihon in one military campaign and the Midianite princes in a completely separate war. Together, however, these two victories finalized the political transformation of the area. Since the Midianite leadership was completely subordinate to the Amorite kingdom, dismantling both levels of government was necessary to entirely remove the old power structure [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].