Deuteronomy 3

1 And so we turned, and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og, the king of Bashan, went out against us with his people, to fight in Edrei (to fight us at Edrei).
2 And the Lord said to me, Dread thou not him, for he is betaken into thine hand (Do not thou fear him, for he is delivered into thy hands), with all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him, as thou didest to Sihon, king of Amorites, that dwelled in Heshbon.
3 Therefore our Lord God betook in our hands also Og, the king of Bashan, and all his people; and we have smitten him unto death, (And so the Lord our God also delivered Og, the king of Bashan, into our hands, with all his people; and we struck down all of them, unto the death,)
4 and we wasted all his cities in one time; no town there was of his that escaped us; we destroyed sixty cities, all the country of Argob, of the realm of Og in Bashan. (and we destroyed all his cities at that time; there was no town of his that escaped us; we destroyed sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.)
5 All the cites were strengthened with most high walls, and with gates and bars; without towns unnumberable, that had no walls (besides the innumerable towns, that had no walls).
6 And we did away those men, as we did to Sihon, king of Heshbon; and we destroyed each city of that land, and the men, and the women, and (the) little children;
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.)
12 And we wielded in that time the land, from Aroer, which is on the brink of the strand of Arnon, unto the half part of the hill of Gilead; and I gave his cities to Reuben and to Gad. (And so we took the land from Aroer, which is on the bank of the Arnon River, unto half of the hill country of Gilead; and I gave its cities to the tribes of Reuben and of Gad.)
13 And I gave the tother part of Gilead, and all Bashan, of the realm of Og, to the half lineage of Manasseh, and all the country of Argob. All Bashan was called the land of giants. (And I gave the other part of Gilead, and all of Bashan, which was Og's kingdom, that is, all the region of Argob, to half of the tribe of Manasseh. Previously, all of Bashan was called the land of the giants.)
14 Jair, the son of Manasseh, wielded all the country of Argob, unto the land of Geshuri and of Maachathi; and he called (the towns there) by his name Bashanhavothjair, that is, the towns of Jair, till into this present day. (Jair, the son of Manasseh, took all the region of Argob, unto the borders of the Geshurites and the Maachathites; and he called the towns there Bashanhavothjair, that is, the towns of Jair, after his own name, and they still be called that unto this present day.)
15 Also I gave Gilead to Machir; (And I gave Gilead to Machir;)
16 and to the lineages of Reuben and of Gad I gave the land of Gilead, till to the strand of Arnon, (that is, unto) the middle of the strand, and of the ends till to the strand of Jabbok, which is the term of the sons of Ammon. (and to the tribes of Reuben and of Gad I gave the land of Gilead, unto the middle of the Arnon River in the south, and up to the Jabbok River in the north, which is the border with the Ammonites.)
17 And I gave to them the plain of the wilderness, unto (the) Jordan, and the terms of Chinnereth unto the sea of (the) desert, the which is the most salt(y) sea, at the roots of the hill of Pisgah, against the east. (And on the west, I gave them the plain, or the Arabah, unto the Jordan River, from the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Galilee, in the north, down to the Salt Sea, or the Dead Sea, in the south, and to the foot of Ashdothpisgah, or Mount Pisgah, on the east.)
18 And I commanded to you in that time, and said, Your Lord God giveth to you this land into heritage; all ye strong men, (And I commanded to you at that time, and said, The Lord your God hath given you this land for an inheritance; all ye strong men,)
19 without (your) wives, and little children, and beasts, be ye made ready, and go ye before your brethren, the sons of Israel. For I know that ye have many beasts, and those shall dwell in the cities that I have given to you,
20 till the Lord give rest to your brethren, as he hath given to you, and till they also wield the land which the Lord shall give to them beyond (the) Jordan; then each man shall turn again into his possession that I have given to you. (until the Lord give rest to your brothers, as he hath given to you, and until they also take the land which the Lord shall give them on the other side of the Jordan River; then each man can return to his possession that I have given you.)
21 Also I commanded to Joshua in that time, and said, Thine eyes have seen what things your Lord God did to these two kings; so he shall do to all the realms, to which thou shalt go; (And I commanded to Joshua at that time, and said, Thine eyes have seen what the Lord your God did to these two kings; so he shall do to all the kingdoms into which thou shalt go;)
22 dread thou not them; [the Lord our God shall fight for us]. (do not thou fear them; for the Lord your God shall fight for you.)
23 And I prayed the Lord in that time, and said, (And I prayed to the Lord at that time, and said,)
24 Lord God, thou hast begun to show to me thy servant thy greatness, and thy full strong hand, for none other God there is, either in heaven, either in earth, that may do thy works, and may be comparisoned to thy strength (for there is no other god, either in heaven, or on earth, who can do thy works, and whose strength can be compared to thy strength).
25 Therefore I shall pass, and shall see this best land beyond (the) Jordan, and this noble hill, and Lebanon. (And so I shall cross over, and shall see this best land beyond the Jordan River, and this noble hill country, and the mountains of Lebanon.)
26 And the Lord was wroth to me for you, neither he heard me, but he said to me, It sufficeth to thee; speak thou no more of this thing to me. (But because of you, the Lord was angry with me, and he would not listen to me, and he said to me, It sufficeth for thee; speak thou no more of this thing to me.)
27 Go thou up into the highness of Pisgah, and cast about thine eyes to the west, and north, and south, and east, and behold, for thou shalt not pass this Jordan. (Go thou up onto the top of Mount Pisgah, and cast thine eyes to the west, and the north, and the south, and the east, and see it all, for thou shalt not cross over the Jordan River.)
28 Command thou to Joshua, and strengthen thou him, and comfort him; for he shall go before this people, and he shall part to them the land, which thou shalt see. (Then command thou to Joshua, and strengthen thou him, and encourage him; for he shall lead this people across to take the land, which thou shalt only see.)
29 And we dwelled in the valley against the temple of Bethpeor. (And so we stayed in the valley opposite the town of Bethpeor.)

Deuteronomy 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The conquest of Og king of Bashan. (1-11) The land of Gilead and Bashan. (12-20) Moses encourages Joshua. (21-29)

Verse 1 1-11 Og was very powerful, but he did not take warning by the ruin of Sihon, and desire conditions of peace. He trusted his own strength, and so was hardened to his destruction. Those not awakened by the judgments of God on others, ripen for the like judgments on themselves.

Verses 12-20 This country was settled on the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: see ( Numbers 32 ) . Moses repeats the condition of the grant to which they agreed. When at rest, we should desire to see our brethren at rest too, and should be ready to do what we can towards it; for we are not born for ourselves, but are members one of another.

Verses 21-29 Moses encouraged Joshua, who was to succeed him. Thus the aged and experienced in the service of God, should do all they can to strengthen the hands of those who are young, and setting out in religion. Consider what God has done, what God has promised. If God be for us, who can be against us, so as to prevail? We reproach our Leader if we follow him trembling. Moses prayed, that, if it were God's will, he might go before Israel, over Jordan into Canaan. We should never allow any desires in our hearts, which we cannot in faith offer up to God by prayer. God's answer to this prayer had a mixture of mercy and judgment. God sees it good to deny many things we desire. He may accept our prayers, yet not grant us the very things we pray for. It God does not by his providence give us what we desire, yet if by his grace he makes us content without, it comes to much the same. Let it suffice thee to have God for thy Father, and heaven for thy portion, though thou hast not every thing thou wouldst have in the world. God promised Moses a sight of Canaan from the top of Pisgah. Though he should not have the possession of it, he should have the prospect of it. Even great believers, in this present state, see heaven but at a distance. God provided him a successor. It is a comfort to the friends of the church of Christ, to see God's work likely to be carried on by others, when they are silent in the dust. And if we have the earnest and prospect of heaven, let these suffice us; let us submit to the Lord's will, and speak no more to Him of matters which he sees good to refuse us.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 3

In this chapter the account is carried on of the conquest of the Amorites by Israel, of Og king of Bashan, and his kingdom, De 3:1-11, and of the distribution of their country to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, De 1:12-17 and then the command to the said tribes is observed, to go out armed before their brethren, and assist them in the conquest of the land of Canaan, and then return to their possessions, De 3:18-20 and also that to Joshua not to fear, but to do to the Canaanitish kings and kingdoms what he had seen done to the two kings of the Amorites, De 3:21,22. After which Moses relates the request he made, to go over Jordan and see the good land, which was denied him, only he is bidden to look from the top of an hill to see it, De 3:23-27. And the chapter is closed with the charge he was to give Joshua, De 3:28 which was received in the valley where they abode, De 3:29.

Deuteronomy 3 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.