(That also is reckoned a land of giants giants dwelt therein in time past, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim;
Moses pauses his speech here to say who once lived in the land God had given to Ammon. Two questions follow: who were these giants, and why mention them just as Israel is ordered to leave Ammon alone?
Two blocks of verses interrupt the command and then return to it. One writer weighs what these notes are worth:
Verses 10–12 and 20–23 are both clearly parenthetical. … These accounts of the country are vivid notices of great value, not only historically (the surest we have) but as to God's ways and men's ways in peopling the earth — violence, war, and the rest. … My impression is that the passages are a divine prophetic addition. I do not think it is simply to encourage the Israelites, though it would do this by showing the ways of God. But it showed important history — these giant races, their pride, their removals, and their destructions when God so willed.
A reference work sets out the little we know about them:
A giant race who lived in the district afterwards held by the Ammonites. They were struck down early by Chedorlaomer. The meaning of the term is doubtful. Gesenius says the first name perhaps comes from the fertility of their country. The second, he says, means "noisy nations." Fürst judges the first to mean "prominent ones, giants," and the second "powerful, vigorous."
Those two scholars already disagree. Another writer warns against reading too much into the names:
Little except the names remains of these giants. And even the names are at present too uncertain in their meaning for us to say anything reliable about them.
The land Ammon now held had once belonged to giants. One writer says plainly who removed them, and why:
The possessions mentioned here had been, long ago, in the hands of giants. But it was God's purpose to give up their territories to the children of Esau and Lot, and so He destroyed these giants. For who or what can stand in the way of the divine counsels?
Moab and Ammon both had wars in their past. That history cut two ways for Israel:
The children of Moab had had their wars. Was there any reason in this why the children of Israel should have wars with them now? And as for the children of Ammon, they too had passed through a similar experience. Giants had lived there in times past, and the Ammonites called them Zamzummim. They were "a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them and lived in their place." But this was no reason why they should expect the LORD to destroy the Ammonites now. Both were powerful motives not to dread the Canaanite races, who were destined to be wiped out.
Ammon did not win that land by its own strength. The same God who set Israel's borders had set Ammon's:
The Creator and Governor of the world formed the nations and fixed their bounds according to His own sovereign will. He did it with direct reference to the descendants of Abraham, and to that narrow strip of land which they are to have, by virtue of the everlasting covenant made with their fathers.
That is why Israel could not simply take the best land available. Obedience, not calculation, decided the route:
The great principle in all these varied instructions to Israel is that God's word must settle everything for His people. It was not for Israel to ask why they were to leave the possessions of Esau and Lot untouched and to seize those of Sihon. They were simply to do what they were told.
Lot's descendants were no model nation, yet they were the instrument that cleared the giants away:
We find, too, that Lot's children have their use. They have been the means of destroying certain giants, the Emim and the Zamzummim, out of the lands they now occupy. This is true also of Edom and the Horites. … It is no new thing for God to overrule the growth of one evil for the destruction of another, so that the world may be at least more tolerable for those who live in it.
- Bracket — Verses 20–23 are a note in brackets. They are valuable as history and as a window into God's ways and men's ways in peopling the earth.
- Giants — The Zamzummim were a giant race, as tall as the Anakim. Experts dispute what their name means, and one writer warns against building on it.
- Cleared — God removed them so Lot's descendants could settle there, because nothing can stand in the way of His purposes.
- Bounded — The Creator fixed the borders of the nations by His own sovereign will, and put Israel's land at the centre.
- Courage — If God levelled giants for Ammon, Israel need not dread the Canaanites. And if He can use even Lot's children to do it, He can overrule one evil to destroy another.
a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakim; and Jehovah destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them, and dwelt in their stead;
Moses breaks off his travel story to add a note of history. The land Ammon now holds once belonged to a race of giants, and the LORD swept them away. Two questions run through the whole chapter. Who hands out land on this earth? And why did Israel need to hear about a victory that was not theirs?
Israel was marching past nations they were not allowed to touch. The reason was not military. It was a question of who owns the land.
Israel might imagine that they had nothing to do but seize the lands of Edom. But they had to learn something very different. They had to be taught that the Most High is the governor among the nations. The whole earth belongs to Him, and He portions it out to one or another according to His good pleasure.
In the verse the giants fall and the Ammonites take their place. The order matters: God's purpose came first, and the clearing of the land followed it.
The lands spoken of here had long ago been in the hands of giants. But it was God's purpose to hand their territories over to the children of Esau and Lot, and so He destroyed these giants. For who or what can stand in the way of His plans?
Verse 20 says the Ammonites called them Zamzummim. The race went by more than one name, and commentators differ over what the names mean.
A giant race who lived in the area later held by the Ammonites. Chedorlaomer struck them down early. The meaning of the names is doubtful. Gesenius says the first name may come from the fertility of their country, and the second means "noisy nations." Fürst judges the first to mean "prominent ones, giants," and the second "powerful, vigorous."
One writer goes further and says the names of these peoples are simply too uncertain to build on:
As to these giants, of whom little except the names remains, even the names are at present too uncertain in their interpretation to be able to say anything reliable about them.
The verse measures these giants against the Anakim. Moses adds that detail while also telling Israel not to expect Ammon to fall.
Giants had lived there in times past, and the Ammonites called them Zamzummim. The LORD destroyed them, and Ammon took their place. But this was no reason for Israel to expect the LORD to destroy the Ammonites now. Both cases were powerful reasons not to dread the Canaanite races, who were marked out for destruction.
So the note cuts two ways. Israel must leave Ammon standing, yet need not fear the Canaanites ahead.
Lot's descendants were no godly people, yet God used them. One writer calls this God's ordinary way of working.
We find that Lot's children have their use. They have been the means of clearing certain giants, the Emim and the Zamzummim, out of the lands they now occupy. The same is true of Edom and the Horites... It is no new thing for God to overrule the growth of one evil for the destruction of another, so that the world may be at least more bearable for those who live in it. God forces those who have no intention of serving Him to serve Him all the same. As Psalm 76:10 says, "He makes the wrath of man to praise Him, and the rest of wrath He will restrain."
The writer quotes Psalm 76:10 from an older translation.
The Ammonites did not earn their land; they received it and then moved in. The rest of the chapter follows the same pattern, and one writer carries it into Christian life.
In Deuteronomy 2 Moses reminds the people how God had been with them in their earlier conquests. First comes the Divine act: "I have given," or, "I have begun to give." Then comes the call to the people: "Begin to take possession." God's gracious dealings with us today run along similar lines, as we see in the New Testament letters. First He unfolds what He has given us in Christ. Then come the calls to begin to take possession, in experience, of all He has given, in the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.
- Owner. The whole earth belongs to God. He portions it out to one nation or another as He pleases. Israel had to learn that the Most High governs among the nations.
- Purpose. He meant this land for Lot's descendants, so He destroyed the giants who held it. Nothing can stand in the way of His purposes.
- Instrument. He even used one evil people to remove another, so that the world would be more bearable for those living in it.
- Motive. Giants as tall as the Anakim had already fallen. So Israel had every reason not to dread the Canaanites ahead.
- Order. God gives first, then calls His people to take possession. He works the same way with us: first the gift in Christ, then the call to take hold of it in practice.