The present extremity — the invading coalition — 'And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided, and did not destroy' (ועתה הנה בני עמון ומואב וגבל שעיר אשר לא נתתה לישראל ללכת בם בבאם מארץ מצרים כי סרו מהם ולא השמידום). The historical reference invokes Numbers 21, where Israel bypassed Moab and Ammon and was told not to attack the inhabitants (cf. Deut 2:9, 19). The Chronicler uses this precedent theologically: the very nations Israel spared are now attacking Israel in violation of divine covenant with those nations. The phrase 'whom you would not let Israel invade' emphasizes divine sovereignty over the nations; God's protective boundary around Moab and Ammon becomes an argument that God should protect Israel from their assault.

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