במדבר, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ג

The journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land required careful navigation along the borders of neighboring nations. After bypassing the land of Moab from the south and east to respect its sovereignty, the nation arrived at a critical geographic and political junction. Their exact point of departure is not specified because the people did not remain in a single camp; rather, they moved continuously along the Zered stream through various stations until reaching this destination [קיצור בעל הטורים]. They established their camp on the northern side of the Arnon. The primary approach among commentators is that the Arnon was a large stream flowing down to the Dead Sea [ביאור שטיינזלץ, דעת זקנים, בכור שור], though another perspective suggests it was a Moabite city situated upon flowing rivers [רמב״ן, רלב״ג]. This encampment marked a profound historical milestone, as it was the first time the Israelites set foot on land that would ultimately become their permanent inheritance [רש״ר הירש].

The camp was located in a strip of desert extending from Amorite territory directly to the Arnon [רש״י, ספורנו, מלבי״ם]. At this location, the Arnon served not as a broad region, but as a precise dividing line separating two nations [רש״י, גור אריה, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים]. Its position between Moab and the Amorites reflected a recent geopolitical shift in the region. Originally, the land of Moab spanned both sides of the river. However, Sihon, the Amorite king, waged war and conquered all the Moabite territory across the river, establishing the Arnon as the new, absolute border [דעת זקנים, בכור שור, חזקוני, אבן עזרא].

This historical background carried immense practical and legal significance for the Israelites. God had explicitly forbidden them from waging war against Moab or taking any of their land. Since the Moabite king refused to grant them safe passage, the Israelites were careful to camp exclusively within the Amorite strip across the river [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר]. Even when other accounts mention the Israelites camping in the plains of Moab, it refers only to the open areas adjacent to the border, never within the walled cities of Moab itself [ברטנורא]. Furthermore, because Sihon had previously captured this territory from Moab, the land was considered legally cleared for the Israelites to conquer directly from the Amorites. This legal standing would later be used by Jephthah the Gileadite in his diplomatic disputes with the king of Ammon [דעת זקנים, בכור שור, הדר זקנים].

Beyond the geographic and political maneuvering, this encampment was the site of a massive, hidden miracle. As the Israelites traveled through the area, Amorite armies lay in ambush inside caves along the mountain slopes above the Arnon stream, preparing to attack from above. God intervened with a miracle comparable in magnitude to the splitting of the Red Sea. The mountain on the side of the Land of Israel trembled and pressed against the mountain on the Moabite side. Protruding rocks from one mountain entered the caves of the other, crushing the enemy forces entirely. The Israelites crossed over the newly connected mountains as if walking on a paved road, completely unaware of the deadly ambush or the divine intervention. It was only later, when their well of water brought the remains of the defeated enemy up from the stream, that God revealed His miraculous salvation to the people [שפתי כהן, צרור המור].