SEHON (Hebr. Silhôn; Gr. Σηθών). — Amorite king of Heshbon, beyond the Jordan. Even before their arrival from the desert in Canaan, the Israelites had conquered certain territories between the Jordan, the Jabbok, and the Arnon, inhabited by Ammonites and Moabites (Num. 21:26–30; Judg. 11:15ff.). When the king refused passage to the Hebrews, they decided to force their way by arms: in a few engagements SEHON was overwhelmed, slain, and his territories became an Israelite conquest (Num. 21:21ff.; 32:33; Deut. 1:4; 2:24ff.; 3:2–6; 4:46; 29:7; 31:4; cf. Josh. 2:10, etc.).
The land of SEHON the Amorite is still mentioned to denote regions that were under his dominion in Solomon’s time (1 Kgs. 4:19) and probably still in Jeremiah’s day (Jer. 48:45, alluding to Num. 21:28; in Jeremiah, instead of “from the midst [mibbên] of SEHON,” it is probably to be read “from the house [mibbêt] of SEHON”), i.e., the region of SEHON.