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Deuteronomy 3
New English Translation

Defeat of King Og of Bashan

3 Next we set out on[a] the route to Bashan,[b] but King Og of Bashan and his whole army[c] came out to meet us in battle at Edrei.[d] 2 The Lord, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army,[e] and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.” 3 So the Lord our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole army, and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left.[f] 4 We captured all his cities at that time—there was not a town we did not take from them—sixty cities, all the region of Argob,[g] the dominion of Og in Bashan. 5 All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars;[h] in addition there were a great many open villages.[i] 6 We put all of these under divine judgment[j] just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon—every occupied city,[k] including women and children. 7 But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves. 8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon[l] 9 (the Sidonians[m] call Hermon Sirion[n] and the Amorites call it Senir),[o] 10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah[p] and Edrei,[q] cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy[r] that his sarcophagus[s] was made of iron.[t] Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath[u] of the Ammonites? It is 13½ feet[v] long and 6 feet[w] wide according to standard measure.)[x]

Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments

12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer[y] by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites.[z] 13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh.[aa] (All the region of Argob,[ab] that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim. 14 Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with the Geshurites[ac] and Maacathites[ad]—namely Bashan—and called it by his name, Havvoth Jair,[ae] which it retains to this very day.) 15 I gave Gilead to Machir.[af] 16 To the Reubenites and Gadites I allocated the territory extending from Gilead as far as Wadi Arnon (the exact middle of the wadi was a boundary) all the way to the Wadi Jabbok, the Ammonite border. 17 The rift valley[ag] and the Jordan River[ah] were also a border, from the Sea of Kinnereth[ai] to the sea of the rift valley (that is, the Salt Sea),[aj] beneath the slopes[ak] of Pisgah[al] to the east.

Instructions to the Transjordanian Tribes

18 At that time I instructed you as follows: “The Lord your God has given you this land for your possession. You warriors are to cross over equipped for battle before your fellow Israelites.[am] 19 But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you. 20 You must fight[an] until the Lord gives your countrymen victory[ao] as he did you and they take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory that I have given you.” 21 I also commanded Joshua at the same time, “You have seen everything the Lord your God did to these two kings; he[ap] will do the same to all the kingdoms where you are going.[aq] 22 Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will personally fight for you.”

Denial to Moses of the Promised Land

23 Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the Lord, 24 “O, Sovereign Lord,[ar] you have begun to show me[as] your greatness and strength.[at] (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?) 25 Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River—this good hill country and the Lebanon!”[au] 26 But the Lord was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me. Instead, he[av] said to me, “Enough of that![aw] Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south, and east,[ax] for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan. 28 Commission[ay] Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.” 29 So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor.[az]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 3:1 tn Heb “turned and went up.”
  2. Deuteronomy 3:1 sn Bashan. This plateau country, famous for its oaks (Isa 2:13) and cattle (Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1), was north of Gilead along the Yarmuk River.
  3. Deuteronomy 3:1 tn Heb “people.”
  4. Deuteronomy 3:1 sn Edrei is probably modern Derʿa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).
  5. Deuteronomy 3:2 tn Heb “people.”
  6. Deuteronomy 3:3 tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
  7. Deuteronomy 3:4 sn Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.
  8. Deuteronomy 3:5 tn Or “high walls and barred gates” (NLT); Heb “high walls, gates, and bars.” Since “bars” could be understood to mean “saloons,” the qualifying adjective “locking” has been supplied in the translation.
  9. Deuteronomy 3:5 tn The Hebrew term פְּרָזִי (perazi) refers to rural areas, at the most “unwalled villages” (KJV, NASB “unwalled towns”).
  10. Deuteronomy 3:6 tn Heb “we put them under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). See note at 2:34.sn The divine curse. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:34.
  11. Deuteronomy 3:6 tn Heb “city of men.”
  12. Deuteronomy 3:8 sn Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.
  13. Deuteronomy 3:9 sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
  14. Deuteronomy 3:9 sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See UT 495.
  15. Deuteronomy 3:9 sn Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see ANET 280).
  16. Deuteronomy 3:10 sn Salecah. Today this is known as Salkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
  17. Deuteronomy 3:10 sn Edrei. See note on this term in 3:1.
  18. Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
  19. Deuteronomy 3:11 tn The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (ʿeres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, “King Og’s Iron Bed: Fact or Fancy?” BR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt”; TEV, CEV “his coffin.”
  20. Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.
  21. Deuteronomy 3:11 sn Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means “great [one],” probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus “still remain[ed]” there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
  22. Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “9 cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 in (45 cm) for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long.
  23. Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “4 cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.
  24. Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).
  25. Deuteronomy 3:12 tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn Aroer. See note on this term in Deut 2:36.
  26. Deuteronomy 3:12 sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
  27. Deuteronomy 3:13 sn Half the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans, with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39-42; Josh 17:1-13).
  28. Deuteronomy 3:13 sn Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.
  29. Deuteronomy 3:14 sn Geshurites. Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere northeast of Bashan (cf. Josh 12:5 ; 13:11, 13). One of David’s wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur and mother of Absalom (cf. 2 Sam 13:37; 15:8; 1 Chr 3:2).
  30. Deuteronomy 3:14 sn Maacathites. These were the people of a territory southwest of Mount Hermon on the Jordan River. The name probably has nothing to do with David’s wife from Geshur (see note on “Geshurites” earlier in this verse).
  31. Deuteronomy 3:14 sn Havvoth Jair. The Hebrew name means “villages of Jair,” the latter being named after a son (i.e., descendant) of Manasseh who took the area by conquest.
  32. Deuteronomy 3:15 sn Machir was the name of another descendant of Manasseh (cf. Num 32:41; 1 Chr 7:14-19). Eastern Manasseh was thus divided between the Jairites and the Machirites.
  33. Deuteronomy 3:17 sn The rift valley extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River runs through it from Galilee to the Dead Sea, so the rift valley, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea work together naturally as a boundary.
  34. Deuteronomy 3:17 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).
  35. Deuteronomy 3:17 tn Heb “from Kinnereth.” The words “the sea of” have been supplied in the translation as a clarification.sn Kinnereth. This is another name for the Sea of Galilee, so called because its shape is that of a harp (the Hebrew term for “harp” is כִּנּוֹר, kinnor).
  36. Deuteronomy 3:17 sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).
  37. Deuteronomy 3:17 sn The slopes (אֲשֵׁדוֹת, ʾashedot) refer to the ascent from the rift valley, generally in the region of the Dead Sea, up to the flatlands (or wilderness).
  38. Deuteronomy 3:17 sn Pisgah. This appears to refer to a small range of mountains, the most prominent peak of which is Mount Nebo (Num 21:20; 23:14; Deut 3:27; cf. 34:1). Pisgah is east of the northern tip of the Dead Sea. The slopes ascend approximately 3600 feet from the Dead Sea to Pisgah, while the plains to the east lie only a few hundred feet below these heights.
  39. Deuteronomy 3:18 tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”
  40. Deuteronomy 3:20 tn The words “you must fight” are not present in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  41. Deuteronomy 3:20 tn Heb “gives your brothers rest.”
  42. Deuteronomy 3:21 tn Heb “the Lord.” The translation uses the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  43. Deuteronomy 3:21 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there.”
  44. Deuteronomy 3:24 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (ʾadonay yehvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.”
  45. Deuteronomy 3:24 tn Heb “your servant.” The pronoun is used in the translation to clarify that Moses is speaking of himself, since in contemporary English one does not usually refer to oneself in third person.
  46. Deuteronomy 3:24 tn Heb “your strong hand” (so NIV), a symbol of God’s activity.
  47. Deuteronomy 3:25 tn The article is retained in the translation (“the Lebanon,” cf. also NAB, NRSV) to indicate that a region (rather than the modern country of Lebanon) is referred to here. Other recent English versions accomplish this by supplying “mountains” after “Lebanon” (TEV, CEV, NLT).
  48. Deuteronomy 3:26 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
  49. Deuteronomy 3:26 tn Heb “much to you” (an idiom).
  50. Deuteronomy 3:27 tn Heb “lift your eyes to the west, north, south, and east and see with your eyes.” The translation omits the repetition of “your eyes” for stylistic reasons.
  51. Deuteronomy 3:28 tn Heb “command”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “charge Joshua.”
  52. Deuteronomy 3:29 sn Beth Peor. This is probably the spot near Pisgah where Balaam attempted to curse the nation Israel (Num 23:28). The Moabites also worshiped Baal there by the name “Baal [of] Peor” (Num 25:1-5).
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Deuteronomy 3
Amplified Bible

Conquests Recounted

3 “Then we turned and went up the road toward Bashan, and at Edrei, Og king of Bashan, with all his people came out to meet us in battle. 2 And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you, him and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ 3 So the Lord our God also handed over Og king of Bashan, and all his people, into our hand and we struck him until no survivor was left. 4 We captured all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified and unassailable with their high walls, gates, and bars; in addition, [there were] a very great number of unwalled villages. 6 We utterly destroyed them, just as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every city—the men, women, and children. 7 But we took all the cattle and the spoil of the cities as plunder for ourselves.

8 “So we took the land at that time from the hand of the two kings [Sihon and Og] of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir): 10 all the cities of the plain and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.” 11 (For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the [the giants known as the] Rephaim. Behold, his bed frame was a bed frame of iron; is it not in [a]Rabbah of the Ammonites? It was nine cubits (12 ft.) long and four cubits (6 ft.) wide, using the cubit of a man [the forearm to the end of the middle finger].)

12 “So we took possession of this land at that time. I gave the territory from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, along with half of the hill country of Gilead and its cities to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, all the region of Argob (concerning all Bashan, it is called the land of Rephaim. 14 Jair the son (descendant) of Manasseh took all the region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, that is Bashan, and called it after his own name, Havvoth (the villages of) Jair, as it is called to this day.) 15 I gave Gilead to Machir [of Manasseh]. 16 To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Valley of Arnon, with the middle of the Valley as a boundary, and as far as the Jabbok River, the boundary of the sons of Ammon; 17 the Arabah also, with the Jordan as its boundary, from Chinnereth (the Sea of Galilee) as far as the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea (Dead Sea), at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

18 “Then I commanded you [Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh] at that time, saying, ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess; all you who are brave men shall cross over [the Jordan] armed before your brothers, the sons of Israel. 19 But your wives and your children and your cattle—I know that you have much livestock—shall remain in your cities which I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow countrymen as [He has] to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God has given them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to the land (possession) which I have given to you.’ 21 I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings [Sihon and Og]; so the Lord shall do the same to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. 22 Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who is fighting for you.’

23 “Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time [for His favor], 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 that can do such works and mighty acts (miracles) as Yours? 25 I pray, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country [with Hermon] and Lebanon.’ 26 But the Lord was angry with me because of you [and your rebellion at Meribah], and would not listen to me; and the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no longer about this matter.(A) 27 Go up to the top of [Mount] Pisgah and raise your eyes toward the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross this Jordan. 28 But command Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go across and lead this people, and he will give them the land which you see as an inheritance.’ 29 So we stayed in the Valley opposite Beth-peor.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 3:11 If this refers to Og’s actual bed frame (the same Hebrew word can mean “coffin”), it may have been displayed in Rabbah as an Ammonite trophy of war. Its size is impressive, though not an accurate way to determine Og’s height since any important man might have an unusually large bed as a symbol of his power or wealth. Concerning the name of the city, Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt (309-246 b.c.) changed the name of Rabbah to Philadelphia during his reign (283-246 b.c.). Today Amman, capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is located in the area of this ancient site.
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