נחמיה, פרק ט׳, פסוק כ״ב

The expansion of the Israelites into the territories east of the Jordan River stands as a powerful testament to God's careful watch over His people and His response to their growing needs. As the nation expanded, He delivered surrounding kingdoms and nations into their hands, reshaping the borders of the region.

A central theme in this conquest is the concept of territories being divided into distinct edges or corners. The primary approach among commentators is that this relates to the fate of the defeated local nations. God actively drove out the idol-worshipping populations, scattering them and forcing them to flee to the far edges of the land to make way for the Israelites [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, this isolation can be understood as applying to the Israelites themselves. God deliberately separated His people, placing them in an isolated geographic pocket to prevent them from mingling with the surrounding cultures [רש״י].

Another perspective connects this idea directly to the newly acquired eastern territories. Because the Israelite population had grown so large, they required more land. In response, God granted them the lands of Sihon and Og, even though these specific regions were never originally promised to their ancestors [מלבי״ם]. This unique geographic edge was ultimately assigned to two and a half tribes: Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. Their specific placement in this borderland was either because they represented the firstborns of the tribes or, alternatively, because they held a lower status compared to the rest of their brethren [רלב״ג].

The historical account specifically highlights the conquest of the land of Sihon alongside the land of the king of Heshbon. Mentioning both serves to clarify the history of the region [מצודת דוד]. It emphasizes that this was the very same territory Sihon had previously captured from the first king of Moab. Ultimately, this contested land was taken from Sihon and transferred directly to the Israelites, along with the territory of Og, king of Bashan [רלב״ג].