1 The story of the conquest of Og king of Bashan. 11 The bigness of his bed. 12 The distribution of those lands to the two tribes and half. 23 Moses’ prayer to enter into the land. 26 He is permitted to see it.
Deu 3:1 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.
Turned, and went. See Num. 21:32, 33. Bashan. Probably from the Hebrew root meaning “to be soft,” “to be smooth.” The noun as a proper name would mean “smooth,” “fertile,” which is true of the region from the Yarmuk northward to Hermon. It has few trees, but a rich soil ideal for grain.
2. Fear him not. A4 repetition of Num. 21:34. Deliver him. Compare Ex. 23:31: Deut. 7:24: 20:13. 3. Smote him. See Num 21:35
Deu 3:3 So the LORD our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors.
Deu 3:3 So the LORD our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors.
Deu 3:4 At that time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom in Bashan.
Argob. See 1 Kings 4:13. The meaning of the Heb. word ’Argob is not known.
The area is east of the Sea of Galilee in the highland region of southeast Bashan, and included the cities of Karnaim and Ashtaroth.
Deu 3:5 All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages.
Deu 3:6 We completely destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every city—men, women and children.
Destroyed. The same word as in ch. 2:34 and meaning, basically, “to devote to,” “to dedicate,” that is, here, to destruction.
Deu 3:8 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.
The territory allotted to Gad and Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh.
Arnon unto mount Hermon. The southern and northern boundaries of “the land.” Hermon, some 9,100 ft. above sea level, dominates the entire region.
Deu 3:9 (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.) As the borders of several nations met at Mt. Hermon, it was given a name by each border people in their own language. The name Sirion, for Hermon, appears in the Ugaritic literature of northern Syria. For other instances of such differences in names see Gen. 23:2 and 31:47.
Deu 3:10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan.
All the towns cities. The various types of territory within the conquered country are here mentioned. Salchah and Edrei. See Joshua 13:11; Num. 21:33.
Deu 3:11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
“Rephaim,” a very ancient people included among those defeated by Chedorlaomer and the kings associated with him (Gen. 14:5).
They lived on both sides of the Jordan, and seem to have belonged to an earlier group of inhabitants of the region.
Bed. The word thus translated is also given as “couch” (Ps. 6:6; Amos 3:12; 6:4). It may refer also to a sarcophagus, or tomb.
Deu 3:12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns.
Deu 3:13 The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites. 13. Land of giants. Literally, the “land of the Rephaim” (see on v. 11). King Og was the last of the “giants.”
Deu 3:14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites; it was named after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.)
Jair. His mother was of the tribe of Manasseh, but his father was of the tribe of Judah (see 1 Chron. 2:22). Jair had conquered this territory, which was, accordingly, given to him and his descendants (Num. 32:41).
Geshuri and Maachathi. This was the district between the Yarmuk and Hermon, being the western part of Bashan (see Gen. 22:24; 2 Sam. 15:8; 1 Chron. 19:6).
Deu 3:15 And I gave Gilead to Makir.
Machir. That portion of Gilead that had not been given to the children of Gad was allotted to the descendants of Machir (Num. 32:40).
Deu 3:16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites.
The stream that flowed through the valley, or wadi, was to form the boundary. Jabbok. This stream was to be the other boundary of the territory. It was here that Jacob wrestled with the Angel (Gen. 32:22–24).
Deu 3:17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah, from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.
Chinnereth. The Sea of Chinnereth (Joshua 12:3; 13:27). There was also a city of the same name (Joshua 19:35), from which the lake received its name. It was on the northwestern shore of the lake, its ruins now being known as Tell el–‘Oreimeh. The Sea of Chinnereth is the NT Sea of Galilee, also called the Lake of Gennesaret, and later known as the Sea of Tiberias. The salt sea. Known also as the Dead Sea, “the sea of the plain” (Deut. 4:49; 2 Kings 14:25, cf. Gen. 14:3; Num. 34:3, 12). Under Ashdoth-pisgah eastward. Literally, “under the slopes of Pisgah on the east” (RSV). Mt. Pisgah, with its peak, Nebo, now called Râs es–Siâghah, is in the mountains of Abarim, overlooking the Dead Sea from the eastern side (see Num. 27:12; Deut. 34:1 3). 18. I commanded you. A reference to the command given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (see Num. 32:20). Hath given you this land. As they had specifically requested (Num. 32:20–22). Armed. See Num. 32:17–32. Before your brethren. The members of the two tribes were to be an advance guard of the army of Israel. Compare the valor of Gad in ch. 33:20. 19. Your wives. See Num. 32:16, 24, 26. 20. Rest. When the Promised Land was occupied, Joshua dismissed the armies of the two and a half tribes to return to their own territory on the other side of Jordan (Joshua 22:4). 21. Thine eyes have seen all. Literally, “thine own eyes, these were the ones seeing all.” Moses’ appeal was to the people to remember the way by which God had led them. 22. The Lord. The last half of the verse reads literally, “Jehovah your God, He is the one fighting for you.” The pronoun “he” is emphatic. 23. I besought. The form of the Hebrew verb suggests the translation, “I was seeking favor of the Lord for myself.” This was when God told Moses that he would not enter the Land of Promise but must die at the border (Num. 27:12, 13). 24. Begun to shew. Moses was eager to witness the end of the conquest of Canaan, as he had its beginning. Mighty hand. See Joshua 4:24. The hand is a symbol of power, for it is the instrument by which power is exercised. It is translated “dominion” in 1 Chron. 18:3 and 2 Chron. 21:8. What God is there? Moses knew that other nations believed in a heaven peopled by many goods, but he knew that there was but one God; all others were figments of the imagination. 25. See. In the sense of becoming acquainted with firsthand, that is, by personal experience. That goodly mountain, and Lebanon. Literally, “this good hill country and Lebanon,” or perhaps better, “this good mountain, even Lebanon.” The name Lebanon, from the verb “to be white,” means “white (mountain).” The cool, wooded slopes of the mountain and its snow-covered cap looked inviting and desirable in contrast to the desert country. Moses longed to walk in the cool of Lebanon. 26. Was wroth. From a word whose root means “to pass over.” The form here used being reflexive, the word means “to exceed the limit,” that is, to be beside oneself in respect to someone or some incident (see Ps. 78:21, 59, 62). 27. Pisgah. See on v. 17. Not go over. Compare Deut. 31:2 and Joshua 1:2, 11. 28. He shall go over. The pronoun is emphatic: “He is the one who shall cross over.” By this emphasis Moses knew that the decision was irrevocable. 29. Beth-peor. The first word of this compound term means “house.” The second word, “peor,” may be from a root meaning “to be greedy,” “to be open,” “to have eager desire.” In this case the name would mean, “the house of desire.” In this vicinity Moses was buried by God (ch. 34:6). ELLEN G. WHITE COMMENTS 1-11PP 435-437 2 PP 436 4, 5 PP 435 24-27PP 462 25 DA 421; PP 479 26 PP 419, 420; 3T 319 26, 27 SR 166 27 MH 508 CHAPTER 4 1 An exhortation to obedience. 41 Moses apppointeth the three cities of refuge on that side Jordan. 1. Hearken. In the sense of “give heed.” The third chapter concluded the review of the journey of Israel from Horeb to the river Jordan, preliminary to crossing it. Chapter 4 consists largely of an exhortation to obedience. Statutes. That is, the provisions of the civil code regulating conduct, in contrast to the “judgments,” which were concerned with the administration of the “statutes,” particularly with respect to judicia decisions. The word rendered “judgments” is sometimes also translated “right,” in the sense of “justice,” or a “right decision” (Gen. 18:25; Job 34:6, 7; 35:2; Ps. 9:4). Ye may live. Their fathers had died in the wilderness because of disobedience; they were to live—if they obeyed God—in the land promised their fathers. 2. Ye shall not add. Whatever God does is perfect. To add to it or to subtract from it is to mar or spoil it (Deut. 12:32; Jer. 26:2; Rev. 22:18). Commandments. From the Hebrew commonly translated “command” or “commandment” (Gen. 26:5; Ex. 15:26; Lev. 4:2; Num. 15:22; Ps. 78:7; etc.). 3. Because of Baal-peor. Literally, “in Baal-peor.” For the sin and its results at this place see Num. 25:1–5; Deut. 3:29; Hosea 9:10. Some scholars think that the Baal-peor here mentioned was a god of sexual desire, such as is worshipped so freely by the Lingayats in India today. 4. Cleave. This word stands for the closest possible relationship, like that of husband and wife (Gen. 2:24; see also Job 19:20 and Jer. 13:11). 6. Keep therefore and do. To “keep”them is to give assent of mind and heart to them, with intent to order the life accordingly; to “do” them is to carry out the intent of the will. A man must purpose to do right before he does right. These two exhortations are repeated again and again (chs. 7:12; 16:12; 23:23; 24:8; 26:16; 28:13). It is the practical carrying out of God’s will that He appreciates and values highly. Your wisdom. The respect of Israel among the nations would be in proportion to their faithfulness in observing the commandments of God. The blessings of God upon His people as they lived in harmony with His requirements would greatly impress.