Deuteronomy 3:9

9 which hill Sidonians call Sirion, and Amorites call Shenir. (which mountain the Sidonians call Mount Sirion, and the Amorites call Mount Shenir.)

Deuteronomy 3:9 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 3:9

Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion
Which name it has in ( Psalms 29:6 ) a name the inhabitants of Sidon gave it, but for what reason it is not easy to say; however, that it was well known to Tyre and Sidon, appears from snow in summer time being brought to the former, as will be hereafter observed:

and the Amorites call it Shenir;
in whose possession it was last. Bochart ^F11 thinks it had its name from the multitude of wild cats in it, Shunar in the Chaldee tongue being the name of that creature; but Jarchi says Shenir in the Canaanitish language signifies "snow"; so, in the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, it is called the mountain of snow; and the Hebrew who read to Jerom, and taught him, affirmed to him that this mountain hung over Paneas, from whence snow in summer time was brought to Tyre for pleasure ^F12, and the same is confirmed by Abulfeda ^F13. There is said to be upon the top of it a famous temple, which is used for worship by the Heathens, over against Paneas and Lebanon ^F14; and it is highly probable there was one even at this time, when it was possessed by the Amorites, since it is called Mount Baalhermon, ( Judges 3:3 ) , from the worship of Baal, or some other idol upon it, as it should seem. Besides these, it had another name, Mount Sion, ( Deuteronomy 4:48 ) but to be distinguished from Mount Zion near Jerusalem. The names of it in this place are very differently interpreted by Hillerus ^F15; though he thinks it had them all on account of the snow on it, which was as a net all over it; for Hermon, he observes, signifies a net, a dragnet, and Shenir an apron, and Sirion a coat of mail, all from the covering of this mount with snow.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 14. col. 865.
F12 De loc. Heb. fol. 88. B, C.
F13 Apud Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. par. 2. p. 920.
F14 De loc. Heb. fol. 88. B, C.
F15 Onomastic. Sacr. p. 561, 562, 786, 929.

Deuteronomy 3:9 In-Context

7 and we took by prey beasts, and spoils of the cities. (and for prey, we took beasts, and spoils, from all the cities.)

8 And we took in that time the land from the hand of the two kings of Amorites, that were beyond (the) Jordan, from the strand of Arnon unto the hill of Hermon, (And so at that time we took from the hands of the two kings of the Amorites, all the land which was east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon River unto Mount Hermon,)

9 which hill Sidonians call Sirion, and Amorites call Shenir. (which mountain the Sidonians call Mount Sirion, and the Amorites call Mount Shenir.)

10 And we took all the cities that were set in the plain, and all the land of Gilead, and of Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the realm of Og, in Bashan. (And we took all the cities that were set there on the plain, and all the land of Gilead, and of Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities in the kingdom of Og, in Bashan.)

11 For Og alone, king of Bashan, was left of the generation of giants; and his iron bed is showed, which is in Rabbath, of the sons of Ammon, and it hath nine cubits of length, and four cubits of breadth, at the measure of a cubit of a man's hand. (For only Og, the king of Bashan, was left of the generation of the giants; and his iron bed is on display in the city of Rabbath, of the Ammonites, and it is nine cubits in length, and four cubits in breadth, at the measure of one cubit equal to a man's hand.)