1Wir wandten uns, wir stiegen den Weg ins Baschan hinan. Ausfuhr Og König des Baschan uns entgegen, er und all sein Kriegsvolk, zum Kampf nach Edreď. 2ER sprach zu mir: Fürchte ihn nimmer, denn in deine Hand gebe ich ihn, all sein Volk und sein Land, du sollst ihm tun, wie du Ssichon dem Amoriterkönig tatest, der in Cheschbon saß. 3ER unser Gott gab in unsre Hand auch Og König des Baschan und all sein Volk, wir schlugen ihn, ohne ihm einen Entronnenen übrig zu lassen, 4wir eroberten all seine Städte zu jener Frist, nicht war eine Burg, die wir ihnen nicht genommen hätten, sechzig Städte, den Bezirk Argob all, Ogs Königreich im Baschan, 5all diese Städte umwehrt: ragende Mauer, Doppelpforte und Riegel, außer den Städten des flachen Lands, sehr vielen, 6wir bannten sie, wie wir Ssichon König von Cheschbon taten, alle Stadtleute, die Weiber und die Kleinen zu bannen, 7und alles Vieh und das Plündergut der Städte beuteten wir uns. 8Wir nahmen zu jener Frist das Land aus der Hand der zwei Amoriterkönige, die diesseit des Jordans waren, vom Bach Arnon bis zum Gebirg Chermon, 9die Sidonier rufen den Chermon Ssirjon, der Amoriter - die rufen ihn Ssnir, 10alle Städte der Ebne, alles Gilad, alles Baschan bis Ssalka und Edreď, die Städte des Königreichs Ogs im Baschan. 11Denn nur Og König des Baschan war überblieben vom Rest der Gespenstischen, da, sein Bett, ein Bett von Basalt, ists nicht in dem Großort der Söhne Ammons, neun Ellen seine Länge, vier Ellen seine Breite, nach Manneselle? 12Dieses Land ererbten wir zu jener Frist, von Aroer, das am Bach Arnon ist, und das halbe Gebirg Gilad und seine Städte gab ich dem Rubeniten und dem Gaditen, 13und den Rest des Gilad und alles Baschan, Ogs Königreich, gab ich dem halben Zweig Mnasche, all den Bezirk des Argob. Jenes Baschan allsamt wird Land der Gespenstischen gerufen. 14Jaür Sohn Mnasches nahm all den Strich Argob bis zur Markgrenze des Geschuriters und des Maachatiters, man ruft sie, das Baschan, nach seinem Namen Zeltdörfer Jaürs, bis auf diesen Tag. 15Machir gab ich das Gilad, 16und dem Rubeniten und dem Gaditen gab ich vom Gilad: bis zum Bach Arnon, der Mitte des Bachtals, als Markgrenze, und bis zum Jabbokbach, der Markgrenze der Söhne Ammons, 17die Steppe also, den Jordan als Markgrenze von Kinneret bis zum Meer der Steppe, dem Salzmeer, unter den Abhängen des Pisga - aufgangwärts. 18Euch hier gebot ich zu jener Frist, sprechend: ER euer Gott hat euch dieses Land gegeben, es zu ererben, sturmgerüstet schreitet euren Brüdern, den Söhnen Jissraels, voran, alle Heertüchtigen, 19nur eure Weiber, euer Kleinvolk und eure Herden - ich weiß, daß ihr vielen Herdenstand habt - sollen in euren Städten bleiben, die ich euch gab, 20bis daß ER eure Brüder gleich euch ruhen läßt und auch sie das Land ererben, das ER euer Gott ihnen gibt, jenseit des Jordans, dann kehrt ihr jedermann zu seinem Erbe zurück, das ich euch gegeben habe. 21Jehoschua aber entbot ich zu jener Frist, sprechend: Deine Augen sinds, die alles sahn, was ER euer Gott diesen zwei Königen tat, so wird ER allen Königreichen tun, dahinüber du schreitest, 22fürchtet sie nicht, denn ER euer Gott, er ists, der für euch kämpft. 23Um Gunst ging ich IHN an zu jener Frist, sprach: 24Mein Herr, DU, du hast begonnen, deinen Knecht deine Größe und deine starke Hand sehen zu lassen, denn welche Gottmacht ist, im Himmel und auf der Erde, die gleichtäte deinen Taten, deinen Heldenwerken! 25Dürfte ich doch hinüberschreiten, daß ich sehe das gute Land, das über dem Jordan ist, dieses gute Gebirg und den Libanon! 26ER überwallte wider mich eurethalben, nicht hörte er hin zu mir, ER sprach zu mir: Genug dir! fahre nimmer fort, zu mir noch um dies zu reden! 27ersteige das Haupt des Pisga, hebe deine Augen westwärts, nordwärts, mittagwärts, morgenwärts, und sieh mit deinen Augen, denn nicht wirst du diesen Jordan überschreiten. 28Und entbiete Jehoschua, stärke ihn, festige ihn, denn er wird diesem Volk voran hinüberschreiten, er wird ihnen das Land zueignen, das du sehen wirst. - 29Wir setzten uns in der Talschlucht, gegen Por-Haus zu.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 CONQUEST OF OG, KING OF BASHAN. (Deu. 3:1-20)
we turned, and went up the way to Bashan--Bashan ("fruitful" or "flat"), now El-Bottein, lay situated to the north of Gilead and extended as far as Hermon. It was a rugged mountainous country, valuable however for its rich and luxuriant pastures.
Og the king of Bashan came out against us--Without provocation, he rushed to attack the Israelites, either disliking the presence of such dangerous neighbors, or burning to avenge the overthrow of his friends and allies.
2 The Lord said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand--Og's gigantic appearance and the formidable array of forces he will bring to the field, need not discourage you; for, belonging to a doomed race, he is destined to share the fate of Sihon [
Num 21:25].
3 Argob was the capital of a district in Bashan of the same name, which, together with other fifty-nine cities in the same province, were conspicuous for their lofty and fortified walls. It was a war of extermination. Houses and cities were razed to the ground; all classes of people were put to the sword; and nothing was saved but the cattle, of which an immense amount fell as spoil into the hands of the conquerors. Thus, the two Amorite kings and the entire population of their dominions were extirpated. The whole country east of the Jordan--first upland downs from the torrent of the Arnon on the south to that of the Jabbok on the north; next the high mountain tract of Gilead and Bashan from the deep ravine of Jabbok--became the possession of the Israelites.
9 Hermon--now Jebel-Es-Sheick--the majestic hill on which the long and elevated range of Anti-Lebanon terminates. Its summit and the ridges on its sides are almost constantly covered with snow. It is not so much one high mountain as a whole cluster of mountain peaks, the highest in Palestine. According to the survey taken by the English Government Engineers in 1840, they were about 9376 feet above the sea. Being a mountain chain, it is no wonder that it should have received different names at different points from the different tribes which lay along the base--all of them designating extraordinary height: Hermon, the lofty peak; "Sirion," or in an abbreviated form "Sion" (
Deut 4:48), the upraised, glittering; "Shenir," the glittering breastplate of ice.
11 only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants--literally, "of Rephaim." He was not the last giant, but the only living remnant in the trans-jordanic country (
Josh 15:14), of a certain gigantic race, supposed to be the most ancient inhabitants of Palestine.
behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron--Although beds in the East are with the common people nothing more than a simple mattress, bedsteads are not unknown. They are in use among the great, who prefer them of iron or other metals, not only for strength and durability, but for the prevention of the troublesome insects which in warm climates commonly infest wood. Taking the cubit at half a yard, the bedstead of Og would measure thirteen and a half feet, so that as beds are usually a little larger than the persons who occupy them, the stature of the Amorite king may be estimated at about eleven or twelve feet; or he might have caused his bed to be made much larger than was necessary, as Alexander the Great did for each of his foot soldiers, to impress the Indians with an idea of the extraordinary strength and stature of his men [LE CLERC]. But how did Og's bedstead come to be in Rabbath, of the children of Ammon? In answer to this question, it has been said, that Og had, on the eve of engagement, conveyed it to Rabbath for safety. Or it may be that Moses, after capturing it, may have sold it to the Ammonites, who had kept it as an antiquarian curiosity till their capital was sacked in the time of David. This is a most unlikely supposition, and besides renders it necessary to consider the latter clause of this verse as an interpolation inserted long after the time of Moses. To avoid this, some eminent critics take the Hebrew word rendered "bedstead" to mean "coffin." They think that the king of Bashan having been wounded in battle, fled to Rabbath, where he died and was buried; hence the dimensions of his "coffin" are given [DATHE, ROOS].
12 this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer . . . gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites--The whole territory occupied by Sihon was parcelled out among the pastoral tribes of Reuben and Gad. It extended from the north bank of the Arnon to the south half of mount Gilead--a small mountain ridge, now called Djelaad, about six or seven miles south of the Jabbok, and eight miles in length. The northern portion of Gilead and the rich pasture lands of Bashan--a large province, consisting, with the exception of a few bleak and rocky spots, of strong and fertile soil--was assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob--The original inhabitants of the province north of Bashan, comprising sixty cities (
Deut 3:4), not having been extirpated along with Og, this people were afterwards brought into subjection by the energy of Jair. This chief, of the tribe of Manasseh, in accordance with the pastoral habits of his people, called these newly acquired towns by a name which signifies "Jair's Bedouin Villages of Tents."
unto this day--This remark must evidently have been introduced by Ezra, or some of the pious men who arranged and collected the books of Moses.
15 I gave Gilead unto Machir--It was only the half of Gilead (
Deut 3:12-
Deut 3:13) which was given to the descendants of Machir, who was now dead.
16 from Gilead--that is, not the mountainous region, but the town Ramoth-gilead,
even unto the river Arnon half the valley--The word "valley" signifies a wady, either filled with water or dry, as the Arnon is in summer, and thus the proper rendering of the passage will be--"even to the half or middle of the river Arnon" (compare
Josh 12:2). This prudent arrangement of the boundaries was evidently made to prevent all disputes between the adjacent tribes about the exclusive right to the water.
25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon--The natural and very earnest wish of Moses to be allowed to cross the Jordan was founded on the idea that the divine threatening might be conditional and revertible. "That goodly mountain" is supposed by Jewish writers to have pointed to the hill on which the temple was to be built (
Deut 12:5;
Exod 15:2). But biblical scholars now, generally, render the words--"that goodly mountain, even Lebanon," and consider it to be mentioned as typifying the beauty of Palestine, of which hills and mountains were so prominent a feature.
26 speak no more unto me of this matter--that is, My decree is unalterable.