Myth #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.