Deuteronomy 2:10 is a short historical note inserted into Moses’ farewell speech to Israel. It tells the reader that the land of Moab was once home to a large, tall people called the Emim, before Moab’s descendants took it over. Moses gives this aside while recounting how Israel was told to pass peacefully by the territory of Moab and not to fight for it.
(The Emim lived therein before, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim.
Deuteronomy 2:10 (WEB)
What Deuteronomy 2:10 Means
The verse begins by naming the Emim as the earlier inhabitants of the region. Moses describes them as “a people great, and many, and tall,” which is his way of saying they were a formidable population, impressive in size and number. The comparison to the Anakim, a race of giants familiar to the Israelites from earlier reports, helps the listener picture their stature.
The purpose of the note is not to celebrate these people or to teach about their history for its own sake. Moses is explaining why Israel should respect the land God had already given to Moab. The point is that nations and their lands are in God’s hands, and He has the right to distribute territory as He sees fit.
What the verse does not do is give us a detailed theology of the Emim or a promise that every enemy we face will be easily defeated. It is a historical reminder with a clear lesson: God is the one who allots lands and peoples, and He has already acted in Israel’s surroundings.
The Context of Deuteronomy 2:10
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch, traditionally attributed to Moses. It is presented as a series of speeches he gave to the second generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they entered the Promised Land. These listeners had grown up in the wilderness, and Moses is retelling their journey so they will remember God’s faithfulness and obey His commands.
In the verses just before and after 2:10, Moses recalls that God told Israel not to trouble Moab or take its land, because He had given Ar to the descendants of Lot. Verse 10 sits in a parenthetical aside that explains the history of the place. Verses 11 and 12 continue this thread by describing similar peoples, the Rephaim and the Horites, who once lived in neighboring regions before being displaced. Read this way, the verse is part of a pattern showing that God gives and takes away land among the nations.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 2:10
Deuteronomy 2:9
The LORD said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”
(WEB)
This verse contains the command that Israel should not bother Moab or contend with them in battle, because God had given Ar to the children of Lot. Reading it alongside 2:10 shows the reason behind the instruction and reveals the broader principle that God assigns the lands of nations.
Acts 17:26
He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings…
(WEB)
Paul speaks here of God determining the appointed times and boundaries of nations, which echoes the Deuteronomy passage’s concern with peoples and their territories. It widens the view to show that God’s sovereignty over the rise and fall of peoples is a consistent theme across Scripture.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 2:10
Lord, you are the one who sets the boundaries of nations and gives each people its place. When I feel tempted to grasp at control over the people and situations around me, remind me that you have been at work in them long before I arrived. Teach me to respect what you have assigned to others and to act with patience and humility. Help me trust that you know the histories of every place and person, and that your purposes stand firm. Amen.
