Misinterpretations often portray Israel as trespassers or aggressors who ignored borders, ignoring their denied requests for passage and deliberate circumvention; others detach it from Jephthah's defense against Ammonite claims, wrongly implying aimless wandering or divine disfavor rather than strategic obedience; some anachronistically apply it to justify modern territorial expansions, overlooking the historical context of covenant faithfulness and respect for sovereignty.
Judges 11:18
King James Version (1769)
18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
This verse details the Israelites' respectful avoidance of Edom and Moab's territories during their wilderness journey, as they were denied passage and thus traveled around through the wilderness, encamping east of the Arnon River, Moab's border, highlighting their peaceful intentions, obedience to boundaries, and reliance on God's guidance in claiming land granted after defeating the Amorites, not through aggression against these neighbors.