Deuteronomy 3 Study Notes
General
Which group received Bashan, the former kingdom of Og, along with the remainder of Gilead (Deuteronomy 3:13)?
Answer: Half of the tribe of Manasseh
Moses divided the conquered land east of the Jordan among two and a half tribes. Reuben and Gad received the southern part, starting at Aroer on the Arnon and taking in part of Gilead's highlands (3:12). Half of Manasseh's tribe received the remainder of Gilead plus the whole of Bashan (3:13), and Moses assigned Gilead to Machir, a Manassite clan (3:15). Numbers records the same arrangement: Moses gave Sihon's and Og's kingdoms to Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh (Numbers 32:33), after Machir's descendants captured Gilead (Numbers 32:39-40). Joshua later confirms that this land was the inheritance Moses assigned them (Joshua 13:8).
- Deuteronomy 3:12-13 (BSB)“So at that time we took possession of this land. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the land beyond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead, along with its cities. To the half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.)”Moses assigns the southern land to Reuben and Gad and Bashan to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
- Numbers 32:33 (BSB)“So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.”Numbers records Moses giving both kingdoms to Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh.
- Numbers 32:39-40 (BSB)“The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there.”Machir's descendants took Gilead, and Moses gave it to them.
- Joshua 13:8 (BSB)“The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them:”Joshua confirms the eastern tribes held the inheritance Moses had assigned.
Theological
In the Transjordan allotment, which recipient received the remainder of Gilead and the whole of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:12-13)?
Answer: Half of the tribe of Manasseh
The allotment falls into two blocks: Reuben and Gad receive the southern territory starting at Aroer by the Arnon and reaching halfway into Gilead (3:12), while Manasseh's half-tribe receives the remainder of Gilead and the whole of Bashan, Og's former realm (3:13), with Gilead given specifically to the Machirite clan (3:15). This matches the Numbers settlement (Numbers 32:33) and the conquest of Gilead by Machir's line (Numbers 32:39-40), and Joshua treats it as Moses' binding assignment (Joshua 13:8).
- Deuteronomy 3:12-13 (BSB)“So at that time we took possession of this land. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the land beyond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead, along with its cities. To the half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.)”Moses assigns the southern land to Reuben and Gad and Bashan to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
- Numbers 32:33 (BSB)“So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.”Numbers records Moses giving both kingdoms to Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh.
- Numbers 32:39-40 (BSB)“The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there.”Machir's descendants took Gilead, and Moses gave it to them.
- Joshua 13:8 (BSB)“The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them:”Joshua confirms the eastern tribes held the inheritance Moses had assigned.
General
What did Moses require of the tribes that had already received land east of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:18-20)?
Answer: Their soldiers had to cross and fight until the other tribes had rest
Though Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh already had their land, Moses commanded all their fighting men to cross the Jordan armed and go ahead of the other tribes (3:18). Their wives, children, and livestock, of which they had a great deal, could stay in the eastern towns (3:19). Only after the LORD had given the other tribes rest and possession of their land could the soldiers return home (3:20). This matches the agreement in Numbers (Numbers 32:20-22). Joshua reminded them of it (Joshua 1:12-15), and at the end of the conquest he praised them for not deserting their brothers and sent them home (Joshua 22:1-4).
- Deuteronomy 3:18-20 (BSB)“At that time I commanded you: “The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your brothers, the Israelites. But your wives, your children, and your livestock—I know that you have much livestock—may remain in the cities I have given you, until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as He has to you, and they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to the possession I have given you.””Moses commands the eastern tribes' soldiers to fight for their brothers before returning home.
- Numbers 32:20-22 (BSB)“Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him, then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.”Numbers records the original agreement that the armed men would cross before the LORD.
- Joshua 1:12-15 (BSB)“But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, “Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’ Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them, until the LORD gives them rest as He has done for you, and your brothers also possess the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the east side of the Jordan.””Joshua reminds the eastern tribes of Moses' command as the crossing begins.
- Joshua 22:1-4 (BSB)“Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God. And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan.”Joshua commends them for keeping the charge and releases them to go home.
Theological
What obligation did Moses lay on the Transjordan tribes regarding the conquest of Canaan (Deuteronomy 3:18-20)?
Answer: Their soldiers had to cross and fight until the other tribes had rest
Possession east of the Jordan did not release the two and a half tribes from covenant solidarity. Their men of war were to cross armed at the head of Israel (3:18), leaving families and abundant livestock in the allotted towns (3:19), until the LORD granted the other tribes the same rest He had already given them (3:20). The terms repeat the arrangement of Numbers 32:20-22, Joshua invokes them at the Jordan (Joshua 1:12-15), and he later certifies their faithful completion (Joshua 22:1-4). Rest is presented throughout as the LORD's gift.
- Deuteronomy 3:18-20 (BSB)“At that time I commanded you: “The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your brothers, the Israelites. But your wives, your children, and your livestock—I know that you have much livestock—may remain in the cities I have given you, until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as He has to you, and they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to the possession I have given you.””Moses commands the eastern tribes' soldiers to fight for their brothers before returning home.
- Numbers 32:20-22 (BSB)“Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him, then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.”Numbers records the original agreement that the armed men would cross before the LORD.
- Joshua 1:12-15 (BSB)“But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, “Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’ Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them, until the LORD gives them rest as He has done for you, and your brothers also possess the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the east side of the Jordan.””Joshua reminds the eastern tribes of Moses' command as the crossing begins.
- Joshua 22:1-4 (BSB)“Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God. And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan.”Joshua commends them for keeping the charge and releases them to go home.
General
True or False: A man of Manasseh named Jair took the Argob district and named Bashan for himself, calling it Havvoth-jair.
Answer: True
This is true. Jair, from the tribe of Manasseh, captured the whole Argob region up to the Geshurite and Maacathite border and named Bashan for himself, calling it Havvoth-jair (3:14). The name stuck and was still in use long afterward. Numbers records the same event, saying Jair captured the villages there and named them Havvoth-jair (Numbers 32:41), and Joshua's list of Manasseh's territory includes Jair's towns in Bashan (Joshua 13:30).
- Deuteronomy 3:14 (BSB)“Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He renamed Bashan after himself, Havvoth-jair, by which it is called to this day.”Jair captures Argob and names the region Havvoth-jair.
- Numbers 32:41 (BSB)“Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair.”Numbers records Jair taking the villages and naming them Havvoth-jair.
- Joshua 13:30 (BSB)“The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities;”Joshua lists the towns of Jair in Bashan within Manasseh's inheritance.
Theological
True or False: Deuteronomy 3:14 records that the Manassite Jair took the Argob district and named Bashan for himself, calling it Havvoth-jair.
Answer: True
This is true. Jair of Manasseh took Argob up to the Geshurite and Maacathite frontier and named Bashan for himself, calling it Havvoth-jair, a name that persisted (3:14). The event is recorded in Numbers (Numbers 32:41), and Joshua's description of eastern Manasseh includes Jair's towns in Bashan (Joshua 13:30).
- Deuteronomy 3:14 (BSB)“Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He renamed Bashan after himself, Havvoth-jair, by which it is called to this day.”Jair captures Argob and names the region Havvoth-jair.
- Numbers 32:41 (BSB)“Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair.”Numbers records Jair taking the villages and naming them Havvoth-jair.
- Joshua 13:30 (BSB)“The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities;”Joshua lists the towns of Jair in Bashan within Manasseh's inheritance.
General
What reason did Moses give Joshua not to fear the kingdoms west of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:21-22)?
Answer: The LORD Himself would do battle for His people
Moses pointed Joshua to what he had witnessed with his own eyes: the LORD had defeated Sihon and Og, and He would treat every kingdom ahead of Israel in the same way. Joshua did not need to fear, because God Himself would fight for them (3:21-22). This echoes the promise at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:14) and Moses' earlier words to the Kadesh generation (Deuteronomy 1:30). At the end of his life Joshua testified that it had happened just that way (Joshua 23:3).
- Deuteronomy 3:21-22 (BSB)“And at that time I commanded Joshua: “Your own eyes have seen all that 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. Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God Himself will fight for you.””Moses encourages Joshua that the LORD will fight for Israel as He did against Sihon and Og.
- Exodus 14:14 (BSB)“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea God promised to fight for Israel while they stood still.
- Deuteronomy 1:30 (BSB)“The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt”Moses had told the Kadesh generation the same truth about God fighting for them.
- Joshua 23:3 (BSB)““and you have seen everything that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, because it was the LORD your God who fought for you.”Joshua later testifies that the LORD had fought for Israel just as promised.
Theological
On what ground did Moses exhort Joshua against fear of the Cisjordan kingdoms (Deuteronomy 3:21-22)?
Answer: The LORD Himself would do battle for His people
Moses grounds Joshua's courage in eyewitness experience of divine deliverance: what the LORD did to the two Amorite kings He will do to every kingdom ahead, for He is the warrior who fights for Israel (3:21-22). The divine-warrior theme runs from the exodus (Exodus 14:14) through Moses' rebuke of unbelief at Kadesh (Deuteronomy 1:30), and Joshua's farewell confirms its fulfillment (Joshua 23:3). Past acts of God become the basis for present faith.
- Deuteronomy 3:21-22 (BSB)“And at that time I commanded Joshua: “Your own eyes have seen all that 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. Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God Himself will fight for you.””Moses encourages Joshua that the LORD will fight for Israel as He did against Sihon and Og.
- Exodus 14:14 (BSB)“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea God promised to fight for Israel while they stood still.
- Deuteronomy 1:30 (BSB)“The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt”Moses had told the Kadesh generation the same truth about God fighting for them.
- Joshua 23:3 (BSB)““and you have seen everything that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, because it was the LORD your God who fought for you.”Joshua later testifies that the LORD had fought for Israel just as promised.
General
What were the limits of the land Israel seized from Sihon and Og east of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:8)?
Answer: From the Arnon gorge north to Mount Hermon
Israel took the territory east of the Jordan, starting at the Arnon gorge in the south up to Mount Hermon in the north, including the plateau, Gilead, and Bashan (3:8, 10). Moses adds that Hermon had other names: the Sidonians called it Sirion and the Amorites called it Senir (3:9). The next chapter mentions yet another name, Siyon (4:48). Other books use these names too: a psalm speaks of Sirion (Psalm 29:6), and Chronicles identifies Senir with Mount Hermon (1 Chronicles 5:23).
- Deuteronomy 3:8-9 (BSB)“At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon— which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir—”Israel takes the land from the Arnon to Hermon; Moses gives Hermon's other names.
- Deuteronomy 4:48 (BSB)“extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon),”Moses later gives Hermon a third name, Siyon, marking the same northern limit.
- 1 Chronicles 5:23 (BSB)“Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).”Chronicles identifies Senir as Mount Hermon, the same mountain Moses names.
- Psalm 29:6 (BSB)“He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.”The psalm uses the name Sirion for the mountain, as the Sidonians did.
Theological
How does Deuteronomy 3:8 define the extent of the Transjordanian conquest?
Answer: From the Arnon gorge north to Mount Hermon
The conquered Transjordan stretches from the Arnon gorge to Hermon, encompassing the plateau towns, Gilead, and Bashan to Salecah and Edrei (3:8, 10). The gloss on Hermon's Sidonian and Amorite names, Sirion and Senir, shows the mountain's prominence among the surrounding peoples (3:9), and 4:48 adds Siyon. The alternative names recur elsewhere in Scripture (Psalm 29:6; 1 Chronicles 5:23).
- Deuteronomy 3:8-9 (BSB)“At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon— which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir—”Israel takes the land from the Arnon to Hermon; Moses gives Hermon's other names.
- Deuteronomy 4:48 (BSB)“extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon),”Moses later gives Hermon a third name, Siyon, marking the same northern limit.
- 1 Chronicles 5:23 (BSB)“Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).”Chronicles identifies Senir as Mount Hermon, the same mountain Moses names.
- Psalm 29:6 (BSB)“He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.”The psalm uses the name Sirion for the mountain, as the Sidonians did.
General
How did Moses begin his plea to be allowed across the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:23-24)?
Answer: By praising God, who had only begun to show His greatness
Moses opened his request with worship. He told the Lord GOD that He had only begun to show His servant His greatness and power, and he asked whether any god anywhere, above or below, could act as He does (3:24). Only then did he ask permission to cross and view that fine country, its hills and Lebanon (3:25). Moses' longing grew out of wonder at what God was doing. His praise echoes the song at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:11), and later believers used the same kind of words (Psalm 86:8; 2 Samuel 7:22).
- Deuteronomy 3:23-25 (BSB)“At that time I also pleaded with the LORD: “O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can perform such works and mighty acts as Yours? Please let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that pleasant hill country as well as Lebanon!””Moses praises God's incomparable works and asks to cross over and see the good land.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”The Song of the Sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD, performing wonders.
- Psalm 86:8 (BSB)“O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours.”The psalmist confesses there is none like the Lord and no works like His.
- 2 Samuel 7:22 (BSB)“How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.”David likewise praises God's greatness and confesses there is no God but Him.
Theological
How does Moses open his petition in Deuteronomy 3:24?
Answer: By praising God, who had only begun to show His greatness
Moses' petition begins in doxology: God has only begun to display His greatness and might to His servant, and no god above or below performs works comparable to His (3:24). The request to cross and behold the country beyond, its hills and Lebanon (3:25), rises from a desire to see more of what God has begun. The confession of God's incomparability echoes the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:11) and recurs in David's prayer and the Psalms (2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 86:8).
- Deuteronomy 3:23-25 (BSB)“At that time I also pleaded with the LORD: “O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can perform such works and mighty acts as Yours? Please let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that pleasant hill country as well as Lebanon!””Moses praises God's incomparable works and asks to cross over and see the good land.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”The Song of the Sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD, performing wonders.
- Psalm 86:8 (BSB)“O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours.”The psalmist confesses there is none like the Lord and no works like His.
- 2 Samuel 7:22 (BSB)“How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.”David likewise praises God's greatness and confesses there is no God but Him.
General
How did the LORD answer Moses' request to cross the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:26)?
Answer: He refused and told Moses to stop asking
The LORD refused to hear this request. He told Moses that was enough and that he must not bring up the matter again (3:26). Moses says God's anger toward him came on account of the people, as he had said before (1:37). Elsewhere Scripture names Moses' own failure at Meribah, where he did not trust God or treat Him as holy before the people (Numbers 20:12; Deuteronomy 32:51). Deuteronomy places both side by side: the people's rebellion was the setting, and Moses' failure there was real. Even a great servant of God can have a heartfelt request firmly refused, and God's answer shows both His holiness and, in the view from Pisgah that follows, His kindness.
- Deuteronomy 3:26 (BSB)“But the LORD was angry with me on account of you, and He would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said to me. “Do not speak to Me again about this matter.”The LORD refuses Moses' request and tells him not to raise the matter again.
- Deuteronomy 1:37 (BSB)“The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.”Moses had already said the LORD was angry with him on the people's account.
- Numbers 20:12 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.””At Meribah the LORD said Moses did not trust Him to show His holiness.
- Deuteronomy 32:51 (BSB)“For at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence.”God later names Moses' breaking faith at Meribah-kadesh as the reason.
Theological
What was the LORD's response to Moses' plea in Deuteronomy 3:26?
Answer: He refused and told Moses to stop asking
The LORD refused to hear the plea, closing the matter with a command not to raise it again (3:26). Moses says the divine anger came on account of the people, as in 1:37, while Numbers 20:12 and Deuteronomy 32:51 name Moses' own failure at Meribah to trust God and sanctify Him before Israel. The texts stand together: the people's provocation formed the occasion, and Moses' own act brought the sentence. God's holiness is not relaxed even for the mediator of the covenant, yet severity is tempered with mercy in the vision granted from Pisgah.
- Deuteronomy 3:26 (BSB)“But the LORD was angry with me on account of you, and He would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said to me. “Do not speak to Me again about this matter.”The LORD refuses Moses' request and tells him not to raise the matter again.
- Deuteronomy 1:37 (BSB)“The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.”Moses had already said the LORD was angry with him on the people's account.
- Numbers 20:12 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.””At Meribah the LORD said Moses did not trust Him to show His holiness.
- Deuteronomy 32:51 (BSB)“For at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence.”God later names Moses' breaking faith at Meribah-kadesh as the reason.
General
After Israel devoted Og's cities to destruction, what did they keep for themselves (Deuteronomy 3:6-7)?
Answer: The animals and other spoil from those towns
Israel devoted Og's cities to destruction, just as they had done to Sihon's, but they carried off the animals and goods as spoil (3:6-7; 2:34-35). Devoting to destruction meant handing something over completely to God, which in these wars meant not sparing the people. Scripture gives its own reasons for this unique command: the sin of the Amorites had reached its full measure and God was judging it (Genesis 15:16), and Israel had to be protected from learning the detestable worship practices of these nations (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). This was God's judgment at a specific moment in Israel's history, not a pattern for any later people to copy.
- Deuteronomy 3:6-7 (BSB)“We devoted them to destruction, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city. But all the livestock and plunder of the cities we carried off for ourselves.”Og's cities are devoted to destruction, while the livestock and plunder are kept.
- Deuteronomy 2:34-35 (BSB)“At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.”Sihon's cities had been treated the same way, with only the livestock and plunder kept.
- Genesis 15:16 (BSB)“In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””God had told Abraham the Amorites' iniquity would first be allowed to reach completion.
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (BSB)“However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”The law explains that the ban kept Israel from learning the nations' detestable worship.
Theological
What exception to the herem did Israel observe in Og's cities (Deuteronomy 3:6-7)?
Answer: The animals and other spoil from those towns
The cities of Bashan were placed under the ban as Sihon's had been, while the livestock and spoil were retained (3:6-7; cf. 2:34-35). The text supplies its own rationale for the herem: the Amorites' iniquity, long tolerated, had come to completion and was now judged (Genesis 15:16), and the ban guarded Israel from absorbing the abominations practiced for these nations' gods (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). The command belongs to Israel's unique theocratic setting at this point in redemptive history and gives no license for any later people.
- Deuteronomy 3:6-7 (BSB)“We devoted them to destruction, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city. But all the livestock and plunder of the cities we carried off for ourselves.”Og's cities are devoted to destruction, while the livestock and plunder are kept.
- Deuteronomy 2:34-35 (BSB)“At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.”Sihon's cities had been treated the same way, with only the livestock and plunder kept.
- Genesis 15:16 (BSB)“In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.””God had told Abraham the Amorites' iniquity would first be allowed to reach completion.
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (BSB)“However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”The law explains that the ban kept Israel from learning the nations' detestable worship.
General
When Bashan's king Og marched out to fight Israel at Edrei, what did the LORD tell Moses (Deuteronomy 3:1-2)?
Answer: Not to be afraid, since Og was already given into his hand
Og came out with all his forces to meet Israel at Edrei. The LORD, however, told Moses not to fear him. God said He had already handed Og, with all his subjects and territory, over to Israel, and that Israel should deal with Og the same way they had dealt with Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled from Heshbon (3:1-2). Then the LORD did exactly what He said, and Israel defeated Og's entire army (3:3). Numbers tells the same battle in almost the same words (Numbers 21:33-35), and a later psalm praises God for striking down both kings and giving their land to His people (Psalm 135:10-12). The victory was God's gift before it was Israel's achievement.
- Deuteronomy 3:1-3 (BSB)“Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. But the LORD said to me, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.” So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We struck them down until no survivor was left.”Og comes out to battle at Edrei; the LORD tells Moses not to fear, and Israel defeats Og's army.
- Numbers 21:33-35 (BSB)“Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet them in battle at Edrei. But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.” So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.”The Numbers account records the same encounter and the same word from the LORD to Moses.
- Psalm 135:10-12 (BSB)“He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings: Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.”The psalm credits the LORD with striking down Sihon and Og and giving their land to Israel.
Theological
What word did the LORD give Moses as Og advanced to battle at Edrei (Deuteronomy 3:1-2)?
Answer: Not to be afraid, since Og was already given into his hand
Facing Og's full muster at Edrei, Moses receives a word that frames the battle as already decided: God has delivered Og with his whole nation and territory into Israel's hand, and Israel is to repeat what was done to Sihon of Heshbon (3:1-2). The fulfillment follows immediately, God handing over Og and his forces (3:3). Numbers records the parallel account nearly verbatim (Numbers 21:33-35), and Israel's worship later recounts the defeat of both Amorite kings as the LORD's own act of giving an inheritance (Psalm 135:10-12). The command not to fear rests entirely on a divine promise already spoken.
- Deuteronomy 3:1-3 (BSB)“Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. But the LORD said to me, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.” So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We struck them down until no survivor was left.”Og comes out to battle at Edrei; the LORD tells Moses not to fear, and Israel defeats Og's army.
- Numbers 21:33-35 (BSB)“Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet them in battle at Edrei. But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.” So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.”The Numbers account records the same encounter and the same word from the LORD to Moses.
- Psalm 135:10-12 (BSB)“He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings: Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.”The psalm credits the LORD with striking down Sihon and Og and giving their land to Israel.
General
What does Moses explain about Og's background in Deuteronomy 3:11?
Answer: He was the last one left of the Rephaim
Moses adds a note that Og was the only one still remaining of the Rephaim, an ancient people famous for their great size (3:11). Earlier Moses described the Rephaim as tall like the Anakim, known by different names among the Moabites and Ammonites (2:10-11, 20-21). Moses also mentions Og's iron bed, measuring nine by four cubits, which was still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah. The point is not a curiosity: even the last of these feared giants fell before the LORD, just as God had removed the Rephaim before others (2:21). Joshua's summary likewise counts Og among the last survivors of that people (Joshua 12:4).
- Deuteronomy 3:11 (BSB)“(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)”Moses notes that Og was the last of the Rephaim and describes his iron bed.
- Deuteronomy 2:10-11 (BSB)“(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.”Moses explains that the Rephaim were a numerous people as tall as the Anakites.
- Deuteronomy 2:20-21 (BSB)“(That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place,”The LORD had destroyed the Rephaim before the Ammonites, showing His power over such peoples.
- Joshua 12:4 (BSB)“And Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.”Joshua's list of defeated kings also counts Og among the last survivors of that people.
Theological
What parenthetical identification of Og does Deuteronomy 3:11 provide?
Answer: He was the last one left of the Rephaim
The parenthesis identifies Og as the sole survivor of the Rephaim, with his iron bed of nine by four cubits still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah (3:11). Deuteronomy has already introduced the Rephaim as numerous and tall like the Anakim, called by other names in Moab and Ammon, and whom the LORD Himself dispossessed (2:10-11, 20-21). Og's defeat therefore removes the last of a people reckoned alongside the Anakim, whose stature had terrified the Kadesh generation (1:28). Joshua's list of conquered kings repeats the identification (Joshua 12:4).
- Deuteronomy 3:11 (BSB)“(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)”Moses notes that Og was the last of the Rephaim and describes his iron bed.
- Deuteronomy 2:10-11 (BSB)“(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.”Moses explains that the Rephaim were a numerous people as tall as the Anakites.
- Deuteronomy 2:20-21 (BSB)“(That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place,”The LORD had destroyed the Rephaim before the Ammonites, showing His power over such peoples.
- Joshua 12:4 (BSB)“And Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.”Joshua's list of defeated kings also counts Og among the last survivors of that people.
General
What did the LORD tell Moses to do instead of crossing over (Deuteronomy 3:27-28)?
Answer: View the land from Pisgah and commission Joshua
Though Moses could not cross the Jordan, the LORD told him to climb Pisgah's summit and gaze in every direction so he could view the land for himself (3:27). He was also to appoint Joshua and give him courage and strength, because Joshua would lead the people across and help them inherit the land (3:28). Both things happened: from Pisgah the LORD showed Moses the whole land (Deuteronomy 34:1-4), Moses publicly charged Joshua to take courage and be strong (Deuteronomy 31:7-8), and he placed his hands on Joshua before Eleazar and the people (Numbers 27:22-23). Meanwhile the camp remained in the valley facing Beth-peor (3:29).
- Deuteronomy 3:27-28 (BSB)“Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west and north and south and east. See the land with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan. But commission Joshua, encourage him, and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit the land that you will see.””The LORD tells Moses to view the land from Pisgah and to commission Joshua.
- Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (BSB)“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.””The LORD later shows Moses the whole land from the top of Pisgah.
- Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (BSB)“Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.””Moses charges Joshua before all Israel to be strong and courageous.
- Numbers 27:22-23 (BSB)“Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.”Moses lays his hands on Joshua and commissions him as the LORD commanded.
Theological
What two tasks did the LORD assign Moses in place of entering the land (Deuteronomy 3:27-28)?
Answer: View the land from Pisgah and commission Joshua
Denied entry, Moses is granted a comprehensive view from the summit of Pisgah (3:27) and charged with the succession: he is to commission, encourage, and strengthen Joshua, who will lead Israel in and cause them to inherit (3:28). The narrative later records both the vision (Deuteronomy 34:1-4) and Moses' public charge to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:7-8), and Numbers records the laying on of hands before Eleazar and the congregation (Numbers 27:22-23). The chapter closes with Israel encamped opposite Beth-peor (3:29), the setting of Moses' address.
- Deuteronomy 3:27-28 (BSB)“Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west and north and south and east. See the land with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan. But commission Joshua, encourage him, and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit the land that you will see.””The LORD tells Moses to view the land from Pisgah and to commission Joshua.
- Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (BSB)“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.””The LORD later shows Moses the whole land from the top of Pisgah.
- Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (BSB)“Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.””Moses charges Joshua before all Israel to be strong and courageous.
- Numbers 27:22-23 (BSB)“Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.”Moses lays his hands on Joshua and commissions him as the LORD commanded.
General
True or False: Israel captured sixty cities in Og's district of Argob, but several of the most heavily fortified ones held out.
Answer: False
This is false. Israel took all sixty cities of Og's kingdom in the Argob region, and Moses stresses that not one city escaped capture (3:4). These were strong towns with high walls, gates, and bars, besides many open villages (3:5). This matters because a generation earlier Israel had refused to enter Canaan partly out of fear of cities walled up to the sky (1:28). Now the LORD gave them exactly that kind of city. Later records still count sixty cities there (Joshua 13:30; 1 Kings 4:13).
- Deuteronomy 3:4-5 (BSB)“At that time we captured all sixty of his cities. There was not a single city we failed to take—the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fortified with high walls and gates and bars, and there were many more unwalled villages.”Israel captures all sixty cities of Argob, fortified with high walls, gates, and bars.
- Deuteronomy 1:28 (BSB)“Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’””At Kadesh the people had been terrified by reports of huge walled cities.
- Joshua 13:30 (BSB)“The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities;”Joshua's allotment list remembers the sixty cities of Bashan in Og's former kingdom.
- 1 Kings 4:13 (BSB)“Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);”Solomon's administrative record still counts Argob's sixty great walled cities.
Theological
True or False: According to 3:4-5, some of the fortified cities of Argob withstood Israel's assault.
Answer: False
This is false. Moses emphasizes totality: every one of the sixty Argob cities in Og's realm was taken, with none left standing against Israel (3:4), though each was defended by tall walls, gates, and bars (3:5). The detail answers the unbelief of Kadesh, where reports of cities with walls reaching the heavens melted Israel's courage (1:28). The same kind of stronghold now falls to the LORD's power. The sixty cities remain a fixed memory in later territorial and administrative records (Joshua 13:30; 1 Kings 4:13).
- Deuteronomy 3:4-5 (BSB)“At that time we captured all sixty of his cities. There was not a single city we failed to take—the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fortified with high walls and gates and bars, and there were many more unwalled villages.”Israel captures all sixty cities of Argob, fortified with high walls, gates, and bars.
- Deuteronomy 1:28 (BSB)“Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’””At Kadesh the people had been terrified by reports of huge walled cities.
- Joshua 13:30 (BSB)“The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities;”Joshua's allotment list remembers the sixty cities of Bashan in Og's former kingdom.
- 1 Kings 4:13 (BSB)“Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);”Solomon's administrative record still counts Argob's sixty great walled cities.