Defeat of Og of Bashan

“Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan(A) came out against us with his whole army to do battle at Edrei.(B) But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites,(C) who lived in Heshbon.’ So the Lord our God also handed over Og king of Bashan and his whole army to us. We struck him until there was no survivor left. We captured all his cities at that time. There wasn’t a city that we didn’t take from them: 60 cities, the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a large number of rural villages. We completely destroyed them, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying the men, women, and children of every city. But we took all the livestock and the spoil from the cities as plunder for ourselves.(D)

The Land of the Transjordan Tribes

“At that time we took the land from the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon, which the Sidonians call Sirion, but the Amorites call Senir, 10 all the cities of the plateau, Gilead, and Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of Og’s kingdom in Bashan.(E) 11 (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed was made of iron.[a] Isn’t it in Rabbah of the Ammonites? It is 13 feet six inches long and six feet wide by a standard measure.[b])

12 “At that time we took possession of this land.(F) I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the area extending from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead along with its cities. 13 I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og. The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim. 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took over the entire region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He called Bashan by his own name, Jair’s Villages,[c] as it is today. 15 I gave Gilead to Machir, 16 and I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the area extending from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites. 17 The Arabah and Jordan are also borders from Chinnereth[d] as far as the Sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.(G)

18 “I commanded you at that time: The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your fighting men will cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers the Israelites. 19 But your wives, young children, and livestock—I know that you have a lot of livestock—will remain in the cities I have given you 20 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as He has to you, and they also take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession that I have given you.(H)

The Transfer of Israel’s Leadership

21 “I commanded Joshua at that time: Your own eyes have seen everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms you are about to enter. 22 Don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord your God fights for you.

23 “At that time I begged the Lord: 24 Lord God, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like Yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land(I) on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.

26 “But the Lord was angry with me on account of you and would not listen to me. The Lord said to me, ‘That’s enough! Do not speak to Me again about this matter. 27 Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan.(J) 28 But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see.’(K) 29 So we stayed in the valley facing Beth-peor.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 3:11 Or His sarcophagus was made of basalt
  2. Deuteronomy 3:11 Lit Nine cubits its length and four cubits its width, by a man’s cubit
  3. Deuteronomy 3:14 Or Havvoth-jair
  4. Deuteronomy 3:17 = the Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1

“Then we turned, and we went up the road to Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us, he and all of his army for the battle at Edrei. And Yahweh said to me, ‘You should not fear him, for I have given him and all of his army[a] and his land into your hand. And so you will do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites,[b] who was reigning in Heshbon.’ And so Yahweh our God also gave Og the king of Bashan, and all of his army[c] into our hand, and we struck him down until not a survivor remained to[d] him. And we captured all of his towns[e] at that time; there was not a city that we did not take from them. All of these were fortified towns with high walls, gates, and bars,[f] apart from[g] very many of the villages of the open country. And so we destroyed them just as we had done to Sihon the king of Heshbon; we destroyed utterly each town of males, the women, and the little children. But all of the livestock and the booty of the towns we kept as spoil for ourselves.[h]

“And so we took at that time the land from the control of[i] the two kings of the Amorites[j] who were on the other side of the Jordan,[k] from the wadi[l] of Arnon up to Mount Hermon.[m] (The Sidonians called Hermon ‘Sirion,’ and the Amorites called it ‘Senir.’) 10 All of the towns of the plateau and the whole of Gilead and all of Bashan up to Salecah and Edrei, the towns of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 (For only Og, king of Bashan, was left from the remnant of the Rephaim. Indeed, his bedstead—it was a bedstead of iron. It is in Rabbah of the Ammonites.[n] Nine cubits is its length, and four cubits is its width according to the cubit of a man.)

12 And so we took possession of this land at that time, from Aroer, which is on the edge of the wadi[o] of Arnon, and also half of the hill country of Gilead and its towns I gave to the Reubenites[p] and to the Gadites.[q] 13 And the remainder of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the whole region of Argo. All of that area of Bashan was called the land of the Rephaim. 14 Jair the descendant[r] of Manasseh acquired the whole region of Argob, up to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and he called it,[s] that is Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth Jair, as it still is today.[t] 15 And also I gave Gilead to Makir. 16 And to the Reubenites[u] and to the Gadites[v] I gave, from Gilead up to the wadi[w] of Arnon, the middle of the wadi[x] as a boundary and up to the Jabbok River,[y] the boundary of the Ammonites.[z] 17 And the Jordan Valley[aa] with the Jordan River as its boundary, from Kinnereth[ab] up to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea,[ac] with the slopes of Pisgah toward the east.

18 “And I charged you all at that time when I said, “Yahweh has given you—to all of you—this land to possess. All the warriors[ad] shall cross over, ready to fight, before your brothers, the Israelites.[ae] 19 Only your wives and your little children and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock)[af] must stay in your towns that I have given you, 20 until Yahweh shall give rest to your brothers as he did to you, and also they take possession of the land that Yahweh your God is giving to them beyond the Jordan; then they may return, each one to his possession that I have given to them. 21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes see all that Yahweh your God has done to these two kings; so Yahweh will do to all of the kingdoms where you are about to cross over to. 22 You shall not fear them, for Yahweh your God is the one fighting for you.

23 “And I pleaded with Yahweh at that time, saying, 24 ‘Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand, for what[ag] god is there in the heaven or on the earth who can do according to your works and according to your mighty deeds? 25 Let me cross over, please, and let me see the good land that is beyond the Jordan,[ah] this good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But Yahweh was very angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me, and Yahweh said, ‘Enough of that from you![ai] You shall not speak to me any longer about this matter! 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you[aj] toward the west, toward the north, and toward the east, and view[ak] the land with your eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan. 28 Now instruct Joshua and support him and encourage him because he himself[al] will cross over before this people and enable them to inherit the land that you will see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 3:2 Or “people”
  2. Deuteronomy 3:2 Hebrew “Amorite”
  3. Deuteronomy 3:3 Or “people”
  4. Deuteronomy 3:3 Or “for”
  5. Deuteronomy 3:4 Or “villages/cities small
  6. Deuteronomy 3:5 Hebrew “bar”
  7. Deuteronomy 3:5 Literally “alone from”
  8. Deuteronomy 3:7 Hebrew “us”
  9. Deuteronomy 3:8 Literally “the hand of”
  10. Deuteronomy 3:8 Hebrew “Amorite”
  11. Deuteronomy 3:8 Literally “in the beyond of the Jordan”
  12. Deuteronomy 3:8 A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  13. Deuteronomy 3:8 Literally “the mountain of Hermon”
  14. Deuteronomy 3:11 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  15. Deuteronomy 3:12 A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  16. Deuteronomy 3:12 Hebrew “Reubenite”
  17. Deuteronomy 3:12 Hebrew “Gadite”
  18. Deuteronomy 3:14 Or “son”
  19. Deuteronomy 3:14 Hebrew “them”
  20. Deuteronomy 3:14 Literally “up to this day”
  21. Deuteronomy 3:16 Hebrew “Reubenite”
  22. Deuteronomy 3:16 Hebrew “Gadite”
  23. Deuteronomy 3:16 A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  24. Deuteronomy 3:16 A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
  25. Deuteronomy 3:16 Literally “wadi,” which here refers to a flowing river
  26. Deuteronomy 3:16 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  27. Deuteronomy 3:17 Literally “Arabah”
  28. Deuteronomy 3:17 Or “Chinnereth,” the Sea of Galilee
  29. Deuteronomy 3:17 Or the Dead Sea
  30. Deuteronomy 3:18 Literally “men of valor”
  31. Deuteronomy 3:18 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  32. Deuteronomy 3:19 Literally “livestock much there is to you”
  33. Deuteronomy 3:24 Hebrew “who”
  34. Deuteronomy 3:25 Literally “in the beyond of the Jordan”
  35. Deuteronomy 3:26 Literally “Much to you”
  36. Deuteronomy 3:27 Literally “lift up your eyes”
  37. Deuteronomy 3:27 Literally “look”
  38. Deuteronomy 3:28 Emphatic use of the pronoun