Chapter Three
King Og Defeated
3:1 “Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ 3 So the LORD our God gave into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people, and we struck him down until he had no survivor left. 4 And we took all his cities at that time—there was not a city that we did not take from them—sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides very many unwalled villages. 6 And we devoted them to destruction, as we did to Sihon the king of Heshbon, devoting to destruction every city, men, women, and children. 7 But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as our plunder.
After a successful campaign against King Sihon, the Israelites continued north towards Bashan. They engaged in battle with Og, the king of Bashan, and his people in Edrei (a city in Bashan, see Deuteronomy 1:4). God told Moses not to fear them, as they will do the same to them as they did to Sihon and his territory.
God gave them victory over Og and all of Bashan, they captured the whole region of Argob, which apparently contained sixty cities (Argob has been associated with Ragab, Rigobah, Ragaba, Arga, Gamala, Rajib and possibly Ergaba, depending on the historian). The entire kingdom fell, no city escaped their conquest. Each of the cities were fortified with high walls and barred gates. There were a few smaller villages that were not fortified or walled. Every city, man, woman, and child were destroyed. The livestock and any spoil found in the cities were taken as plunder.
3:8 So we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir), 10 all the cities of the tableland and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
They took and occupied the land east of the Jordan River that was won in battle from the two Amorite kings. The territory ranged from the Arnon Valley (also known as a gorge) to Mount Hermon (called Sirion by the Sidonians or Senir by the Amorites). They also conquered the cities on the plateau and all of Gilead and Bashan, as far as the cities of Salecah and Edrei in Og’s kingdom.
3:11 (For only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bed was a bed of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the common cubit.)
King Og was the last remnant of the Rephaim (giants),[1] his bed was made of iron and was measured approximately thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide. Apparently it was available to be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.
3:12 “When we took possession of this land at that time, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory beginning at Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities. 13 The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, that is, all the region of Argob, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (All that portion of Bashan is called the land of Rephaim.
After the Israelites were through conquering the land, Moses allocated this east of the Jordan land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh (see Numbers 32:20-22). Reuben and Gad received the territory beyond Aroer along the Arnon River and half of the hill country of Gilead. To the half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses gave them the other half of Gilead and all of Bashon, Og’s former kingdom, all of the region of Argob, which was once known as the land of the Rephaim.
3:14 Jair the Manassite took all the region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called the villages after his own name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.) 15 To Machir I gave Gilead,
Three of Manasseh’s clans were allocated land here. The clan of Jair got the region of Argob from Bashan to the border of the Geshurites (first appearance in the Bible, the inhabitants of Geshur, who were associated with the Philistines, see Joshua 13:2, 13; 1 Samuel 27:8) and the Maacathites (also first appearance, referring to the inhabitants of Maacah, a region not far from Geshur, near Mount Hermon), to whom he gave the villages the name Havvoth-jair (villages of Jair). The clan of Machir was allocated the region of Gilead. The third clan, Nobah, is not mentioned here.[2]
3:16 and to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Valley of the Arnon, with the middle of the valley as a border, as far over as the river Jabbok, the border of the Ammonites; 17 the Arabah also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad were given the land from Gilead to the Valley of the Arnon, extending from the middle portion of the valley to the Jabbok River. They also received the Arabah, the Jordan Valley from Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee) to the Sea of Arabah, the Salt Sea (Dead Sea), to the slope of Pisgah on the eastern shore.
3:18 “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel. 19 Only your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in the cities that I have given you, 20 until the LORD gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the LORD your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’ 21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. So will the LORD do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing. 22 You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.’
Moses reminded them of their agreement, that all their men of age were to go with the men of the other tribes to engage in battle to clear out the current occupants of the Promised Land (see Numbers 32:16-27). Once completed and the other tribes are settled on the west side of the Jordan River, they can return home (requiring a seven-year period of absence, see Joshua 14:6-15; 22:1-4). Moses relayed what he said to Joshua at that time regarding their success, just as they saw what YHWH did with these to kings (Sihon and Og), He will do to all the kingdoms that were currently in the land. Moses tells them to not fear those occupants, as YHWH will be the one doing the fighting.
Moses Not Allowed to Cross the Jordan River
3:23 “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.
Perhaps encouraged by the fact that God allowed him to lead the revolt against the Amorite kings, Moses now was hoping that God would allow him to cross over the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land to lead the battles there. After striking the rock at Meribah in disobedience, God told Moses that he would not be allowed to bring the Israelites into the land (see Numbers 20:10-13). Here, Moses again notes that he was angry with the people for not listening to him when he struck the rock (as a matter of record, not excuse, see also Deuteronomy 1:37). But God was not willing to reverse His decision and told Moses that He did not want to hear any more about him not being allowed to enter the land. However, God would grant part of his request; he could go to the top of Pisgah and observe the land from there.
God told Moses to appoint Joshua as his successor (see Numbers 27:23) and to encourage him (see Deuteronomy 1:38) and strengthen (Hebrew word ‘ǎm·meṣē’,[3] to be strong, courageous; same word translated as ‘obstinate’ in Deuteronomy 2:30). Joshua was chosen by God to lead the people into the Promised Land and to establish them in their possession (lead the battles and to allocate the land to the remaining tribes). The Israelites remained camped in the valley opposite Beth-peor (this is the first appearance in Scripture, considered to be an abbreviation for Beth-Baal-peor, being either a temple or dwelling of Baal, located on the east side opposite of Jericho).
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[1] See commentary under Genesis 14:5-7.
[2] See commentary under Numbers 32:33-42.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 553.