The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 2) adds a theological bombshell that the Hebrew text only hints at. God commands Israel not to touch the land of Esau—not because of a treaty or military risk, but "on account of the honour which he did unto his father." Esau's reward for honoring Isaac is an eternal land grant. The Aramaic translators turned a brief command into a lesson about the power of honoring parents.
The same logic extends to Moab and Ammon. Israel cannot take their land either, because God gave it to the children of Lot—and the Targum specifies that Ammon's protection comes "for the sake of Abraham's righteousness." Lot's descendants inherit land not through their own merit but through their ancestor's connection to Abraham. Merit, in the Targum's theology, is transferable across generations.
The chapter is haunted by giants. The Targum identifies the Emthanaia, the Emethanee, and the Zimthanee—all local names for the same terrifying race. It adds that these giants "perished in the Flood," linking them directly to the antediluvian Nephilim of (Genesis 6). The Hebrew text calls them Rephaim and moves on. The Targum wants you to know these were the descendants of the beings who provoked God to drown the world.
When Israel finally faces Sihon king of Heshbon, the Targum adds a cosmic detail to explain the terror Israel inspired. The nations were afraid because "the sun and moon had stood still and ceased from speaking their song for the space of a day and a half." This references Joshua's miracle at Gibeon—but the Targum says the celestial bodies stopped singing. In Aramaic theology, the sun and moon praise God continuously, and their silence was the most terrifying omen imaginable.
Sihon refused to let Israel pass because "the Lord had hardened the form of his spirit." The Targum echoes the Pharaoh pattern—God hardens the hearts of those already destined for destruction.