101 Myths of the Bible: how ancient scribes - Conscious Evolution TV

232
yth #80:
Moses defeated King Sihon of Heshbon.
The Myth: And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the
Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. For Heshbon was the city of
Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and
taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon. (Num. 21:25–26)
The Reality: There was no city of Heshbon in the time of Moses.
During the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness, Moses engaged in a number of
military confrontations, one of which took place between Israel and King Sihon of
Heshbon. Heshbon lies in the central plateau east of the Jordan. The setting depicted
in the Bible portrays Sihon as a mighty king who had conquered most of the Transjordan
and ruled from the city of Heshbon.
Archaeological excavations at the site of Heshbon (modern Tell Hesban) show no
habitations in that site prior to 1200 B.C. and the establishment of any capital for a
local empire would have to have occurred much later in time, well after the time of
Moses and the Exodus.
Corroboration of the mythic nature of Moses’ encounter comes from Numbers
32:37, which says that after the Canaanite conquest, the children of Reuben built the
city of Heshbon. The story probably originated as a piece of folklore about a battle
between Sihon and someone else and later biblical authors made Moses the hero in
the conflict.