Deuteronomy 3:1-29
1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
2 And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining.
4 And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
5 All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.
6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.
7 But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.
8 And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon;
9 (Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion; and the Amorites call it Shenir;)
10 All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
12 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.
13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.
14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair, unto this day.
15 And I gave Gilead unto Machir.
16 And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;
17 The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgaha eastward.
18 And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meetb for the war.
19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you;
20 Until the LORD have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the LORD your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.
21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.
22 Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.
23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,
24 O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah,c and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.
29 So we abode in the valley over against Bethpeor.
OG, KING OF BASHAN, DEFEATED
(vs.1-11)
The history of Og's defeat is in Numbers 21:33. Moses recounts this. Og and his people came out against Israel to battle, just as the ungodly would oppose the truth of the God of Glory. The Lord encouraged Moses to have no fear, for He had decreed the defeat of this particular enemy (v.2). As God had promised, so He gave Og and all his people into the hands of Israel with the result that no survivors remained (v.3). At the same time they captured all of Og's sixty cities, though they were well fortified with high wails, gates and bars, as well as a great number of rural towns (vs.4-5). The people were totally destroyed, men, women and children, and only the livestock and other spoil were kept by Israel (vs.6-7).
Considering verses 8 to 11 it appears that Bashan was connected with the Amorites, two of whose kings were mentioned as being dispossessed of their land by lsrael at this time. Without doubt the cities spoken of here (v.10) are significant from a spiritual point of view, but it may be safer not to attempt an interpretation of this significance.
However, in speaking of these things, it was the intention of Moses to encourage Israel to be unafraid to enter the land of Canaan and dispossess their enemies there. The terrible, indiscriminate slaughter of a whole culture may seem to us naturally reprehensible. But God is wiser than we. He knows what He is doing. He had told Abraham years before, "The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Genesis 15:16). But now the time had come when it was complete. Idolatry and demon worship had risen to such a height that there was no hope of recovery (1 Kings 21:26). Little children would be better dead than exposed to the evil indulged in by their parents, and parents would be better dead than left to continue in the abominations that were prevalent in their whole society.
ln that area of the Amorites we are told that Og was the last of the giants (v.11). His bedstead was kept as a relic in Rabbah of Ammon, its length being nine cubits (at least 13.5) feet) and its width four cubits (at least 6 feet). His great size must have been intimidating to his enemies, but not to the God of Israel.
LAND DIVIDED BETWEEN THE 2.5 TRIBES
(vs.12-22)
Moses now publicly confirms the way in which he had divided the land already conquered between the two and one half tribes who had desired to remain on the east of Jordan. What had been taken from Sihon king of Heshbon was divided between the Reubenites and Gadites (v.12). The rest of Gilead and all Bashan was given to the half tribe of Manasseh. This area had been called the land of the giants (v.13).
A leader named Jair of the tribe of Manasseh was foremost in capturing the region of Bashan and called Bashan after his own name, Havoth Jair, meaning "villages of Jair" (v.14). Verses 16-17 give a little more detail as regards the possessions given to the Reubenites and Gadites.
Thus Moses reminds them of his command that all the men of war from these tribes should cross over Jordan armed for battle, while their wives, their children and livestock would remain in the cities they had possessed until the Lord gave the enemies of Israel into their hands, then the warriors from these tribes could return (vs.18-20). This tells us that, though they wanted to settle in an area short of their crossing the Jordan, they were not excused from the unity of bearing the same conflict that the rest of Israel bore. Thus, today, if some believers do not have the spiritual energy and faith to enter fully into the blessings of our inheritance in heavenly places, yet they are expected to take part in fighting "the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12) by which conflict they are identified with all the people of God, and not with an ungodly world.
Moses then speaks of commanding Joshua at the same time that, since Joshua had seen the way in which the Lord had defeated Sihon and Og, then Joshua must have confidence that the Lord would as easily defeat all the kingdoms whose opposition they had yet to encounter. Because Moses was now giving authority into the hands of Joshua, he insisted that Joshua must not fear his enemies, "for the Lord your God Himself fights for you" (vs.21-22)
MOSES REFUSED PERMISSION TO ENTER CANAAN
(vs.23-29)
We can well understand why Moses would plead with the Lord, as they were nearing Canaan, that God would change His mind and allow Moses to enter the land with Israel. He felt that God had only begun to show Moses His greatness, and he was so impressed with the majesty of God's glory that he longed to go over Jordan and see Israel established in their land. but Moses reports to Israel that God had sternly reproved him for his pleading this way, telling him, "Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter" (v.26). He would see the land, but not enter it (v.27). Joshua would take his place as leader of Israel (v.28).