As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.)
Moses is reviewing Israel's journey when he pauses over a people few readers have heard of: the Avvim, wiped out by newcomers from Caphtor. Why record the fate of a small tribe near Gaza — and what was Israel meant to learn from it?
A parenthesis with a purpose
This verse sits inside a bracketed section. Read straight through, it breaks the flow. Read as an aside, it is a note on how the land changed hands.
Morrish Bible DictionaryDeuteronomy 2:10-12 and 2:20-23 should be read as parentheses: they are valuable historical notes.
One writer weighs whether Moses wrote these lines or whether they came later:
J. N. DarbyThese accounts of the country are vivid records of great value. They matter not only as history — the surest we have — but as a picture of God's ways, and of men's ways, in settling the earth: violence, war, and so on… My impression is that these passages are a divine prophetic addition. I do not think they are there only to encourage the Israelites, though they would do this by showing the ways of God… But they showed important history — these giant races, their pride, their removals, and their destruction when God so willed.
The people who lived in villages
One reference work traces what became of them:
Morrish Bible DictionaryA people who once lived in the villages of Philistia. The Caphtorim destroyed them (Deuteronomy 2:23), though a remnant was left until the days of Joshua (Joshua 13:3).
The word behind their dwellings carries two possible senses — a place name, or a plain description:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThis may refer to a district in the south-west of Palestine, or to the temporary homes of the Avim before the Caphtorim drove them out (Deuteronomy 2:23). The Revised Version and others translate it "hamlets" or "villages."
Caphtor and the Philistines
Commentators link the newcomers of this verse with the Philistines:
William KellyThere is little doubt that these peoples lived in the Delta of Egypt before the Philistines moved to the Shephelah, the lowland country. Deuteronomy 2:23, Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7 clearly connect the Philistine settlers with the Caphtorim.
God moves the nations
Israel could not simply take land because they were strong. Edom's territory was off-limits, and Israel had to learn why:
C. H. MackintoshIsrael 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 nation or another as He pleases.
That principle is not confined to ancient history:
C. H. MackintoshRulers and statesmen forget that God takes an interest in the affairs of nations, and that He gives kingdoms, provinces and lands as He sees fit. At times they act as if it were only a matter of military conquest. They act as if God had nothing to do with national borders and the ownership of land. This is their great mistake.
One evil clearing away another
The Caphtorim did not act for God. That did not put them outside His control:
Numerical Bible NotesIt is nothing new for God to turn the growth of one evil into the means of destroying another, so that the world may at least be more bearable for those who live in it. People who intend anything but to serve God are made to serve Him after all.
The same writer explains what their name meant, and finds a lesson that reaches beyond them:
Numerical Bible NotesThe name "Avvites," or "Avvim," means "perverters" or "overturners." God used the Caphtorim to destroy a people more evil than themselves. Yet the Avvim seem not to have been wiped out completely. They mixed with their conquerors, who may have learned their ways. It is certain that a Christianity already corrupt has in the same way conquered forms of paganism, and became like them. So what was destroyed in one sense survived in another. This seems to be the lesson here.
Courage for the crossing
These old stories gave Israel a reason for confidence:
Leslie M. GrantSince the Moabites had dispossessed them, could Israel not dispossess the inhabitants of Canaan when they had the Lord with them?
Summary
- Parenthesis. Verses 10-12 and 20-23 are brackets in Moses' speech. They record how land changed hands, and show God's ways in it.
- People. The Avvim held villages near Gaza until the Caphtorim took their place. A remnant of them still survived in Joshua's day.
- Governor. The Most High rules among the nations. He portions out the earth as He pleases — a fact rulers still overlook.
- Overruling. God used one wicked people to remove another, forcing those who never meant to serve Him to serve Him anyway.
- Courage. God had already uprooted one people and settled newcomers in their place. Israel had no reason to dread Canaan.