Sihon

Siḥon (also Sihon) was an Amorite king who ruled Heshbon, a city in eastern Transjordan, during the late Bronze Age. In the Hebrew Bible, he is presented as a powerful ruler who opposed the Israelites during their Exodus-era sojourn in the land east of the Jordan.

According to Numbers 21 and Deuteronomy 2–3, Sihon refused to let the Israelites pass through his land and came out to fight them at Jahaz. The Israelites defeated Sihon and captured Heshbon, his capital, taking possession of his territory from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River along the eastern frontier of the land later described as Bashan. The victory opened the way for further campaigns east of the Jordan, including the subjugation of Og of Bashan.

Historically, the existence and dating of Sihon's kingdom are debated. The narrative is part of the Deuteronomic history and serves theological and geopolitical purposes in the biblical text, while archaeologists have limited independent corroboration of a distinct Sihonite state. Sihon remains a figure primarily known from biblical literature, with limited extrabiblical evidence.