Deuteronomy 3
New English Translation
Defeat of King Og of Bashan
3 Next we set out on[a] the route to Bashan,[b] but King Og of Bashan and his whole army[c] came out to meet us in battle at Edrei.[d] 2 The Lord, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army,[e] and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.” 3 So the Lord our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole army, and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left.[f] 4 We captured all his cities at that time—there was not a town we did not take from them—sixty cities, all the region of Argob,[g] the dominion of Og in Bashan. 5 All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars;[h] in addition there were a great many open villages.[i] 6 We put all of these under divine judgment[j] just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon—every occupied city,[k] including women and children. 7 But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves. 8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon[l] 9 (the Sidonians[m] call Hermon Sirion[n] and the Amorites call it Senir),[o] 10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah[p] and Edrei,[q] cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy[r] that his sarcophagus[s] was made of iron.[t] Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath[u] of the Ammonites? It is 13½ feet[v] long and 6 feet[w] wide according to standard measure.)[x]
Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments
12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer[y] by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites.[z] 13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh.[aa] (All the region of Argob,[ab] that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim. 14 Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with the Geshurites[ac] and Maacathites[ad]—namely Bashan—and called it by his name, Havvoth Jair,[ae] which it retains to this very day.) 15 I gave Gilead to Machir.[af] 16 To the Reubenites and Gadites I allocated the territory extending from Gilead as far as Wadi Arnon (the exact middle of the wadi was a boundary) all the way to the Wadi Jabbok, the Ammonite border. 17 The rift valley[ag] and the Jordan River[ah] were also a border, from the Sea of Kinnereth[ai] to the sea of the rift valley (that is, the Salt Sea),[aj] beneath the slopes[ak] of Pisgah[al] to the east.
Instructions to the Transjordanian Tribes
18 At that time I instructed you as follows: “The Lord your God has given you this land for your possession. You warriors are to cross over equipped for battle before your fellow Israelites.[am] 19 But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you. 20 You must fight[an] until the Lord gives your countrymen victory[ao] as he did you and they take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory that I have given you.” 21 I also commanded Joshua at the same time, “You have seen everything the Lord your God did to these two kings; he[ap] will do the same to all the kingdoms where you are going.[aq] 22 Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will personally fight for you.”
Denial to Moses of the Promised Land
23 Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the Lord, 24 “O, Sovereign Lord,[ar] you have begun to show me[as] your greatness and strength.[at] (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?) 25 Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River—this good hill country and the Lebanon!”[au] 26 But the Lord was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me. Instead, he[av] said to me, “Enough of that![aw] Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south, and east,[ax] for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan. 28 Commission[ay] Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.” 29 So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor.[az]
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 3:1 tn Heb “turned and went up.”
- Deuteronomy 3:1 sn Bashan. This plateau country, famous for its oaks (Isa 2:13) and cattle (Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1), was north of Gilead along the Yarmuk River.
- Deuteronomy 3:1 tn Heb “people.”
- Deuteronomy 3:1 sn Edrei is probably modern Derʿa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).
- Deuteronomy 3:2 tn Heb “people.”
- Deuteronomy 3:3 tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
- Deuteronomy 3:4 sn Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.
- Deuteronomy 3:5 tn Or “high walls and barred gates” (NLT); Heb “high walls, gates, and bars.” Since “bars” could be understood to mean “saloons,” the qualifying adjective “locking” has been supplied in the translation.
- Deuteronomy 3:5 tn The Hebrew term פְּרָזִי (perazi) refers to rural areas, at the most “unwalled villages” (KJV, NASB “unwalled towns”).
- Deuteronomy 3:6 tn Heb “we put them under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). See note at 2:34.sn The divine curse. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:34.
- Deuteronomy 3:6 tn Heb “city of men.”
- Deuteronomy 3:8 sn Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.
- Deuteronomy 3:9 sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
- Deuteronomy 3:9 sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See UT 495.
- Deuteronomy 3:9 sn Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see ANET 280).
- Deuteronomy 3:10 sn Salecah. Today this is known as Salkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
- Deuteronomy 3:10 sn Edrei. See note on this term in 3:1.
- Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
- Deuteronomy 3:11 tn The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (ʿeres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, “King Og’s Iron Bed: Fact or Fancy?” BR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt”; TEV, CEV “his coffin.”
- Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.
- Deuteronomy 3:11 sn Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means “great [one],” probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus “still remain[ed]” there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
- Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “9 cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 in (45 cm) for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long.
- Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “4 cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.
- Deuteronomy 3:11 tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).
- Deuteronomy 3:12 tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn Aroer. See note on this term in Deut 2:36.
- Deuteronomy 3:12 sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
- Deuteronomy 3:13 sn Half the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans, with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39-42; Josh 17:1-13).
- Deuteronomy 3:13 sn Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.
- Deuteronomy 3:14 sn Geshurites. Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere northeast of Bashan (cf. Josh 12:5 ; 13:11, 13). One of David’s wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur and mother of Absalom (cf. 2 Sam 13:37; 15:8; 1 Chr 3:2).
- Deuteronomy 3:14 sn Maacathites. These were the people of a territory southwest of Mount Hermon on the Jordan River. The name probably has nothing to do with David’s wife from Geshur (see note on “Geshurites” earlier in this verse).
- Deuteronomy 3:14 sn Havvoth Jair. The Hebrew name means “villages of Jair,” the latter being named after a son (i.e., descendant) of Manasseh who took the area by conquest.
- Deuteronomy 3:15 sn Machir was the name of another descendant of Manasseh (cf. Num 32:41; 1 Chr 7:14-19). Eastern Manasseh was thus divided between the Jairites and the Machirites.
- Deuteronomy 3:17 sn The rift valley extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River runs through it from Galilee to the Dead Sea, so the rift valley, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea work together naturally as a boundary.
- Deuteronomy 3:17 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).
- Deuteronomy 3:17 tn Heb “from Kinnereth.” The words “the sea of” have been supplied in the translation as a clarification.sn Kinnereth. This is another name for the Sea of Galilee, so called because its shape is that of a harp (the Hebrew term for “harp” is כִּנּוֹר, kinnor).
- Deuteronomy 3:17 sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).
- Deuteronomy 3:17 sn The slopes (אֲשֵׁדוֹת, ʾashedot) refer to the ascent from the rift valley, generally in the region of the Dead Sea, up to the flatlands (or wilderness).
- Deuteronomy 3:17 sn Pisgah. This appears to refer to a small range of mountains, the most prominent peak of which is Mount Nebo (Num 21:20; 23:14; Deut 3:27; cf. 34:1). Pisgah is east of the northern tip of the Dead Sea. The slopes ascend approximately 3600 feet from the Dead Sea to Pisgah, while the plains to the east lie only a few hundred feet below these heights.
- Deuteronomy 3:18 tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 3:20 tn The words “you must fight” are not present in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 3:20 tn Heb “gives your brothers rest.”
- Deuteronomy 3:21 tn Heb “the Lord.” The translation uses the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 3:21 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there.”
- Deuteronomy 3:24 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (ʾadonay yehvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.”
- Deuteronomy 3:24 tn Heb “your servant.” The pronoun is used in the translation to clarify that Moses is speaking of himself, since in contemporary English one does not usually refer to oneself in third person.
- Deuteronomy 3:24 tn Heb “your strong hand” (so NIV), a symbol of God’s activity.
- Deuteronomy 3:25 tn The article is retained in the translation (“the Lebanon,” cf. also NAB, NRSV) to indicate that a region (rather than the modern country of Lebanon) is referred to here. Other recent English versions accomplish this by supplying “mountains” after “Lebanon” (TEV, CEV, NLT).
- Deuteronomy 3:26 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
- Deuteronomy 3:26 tn Heb “much to you” (an idiom).
- Deuteronomy 3:27 tn Heb “lift your eyes to the west, north, south, and east and see with your eyes.” The translation omits the repetition of “your eyes” for stylistic reasons.
- Deuteronomy 3:28 tn Heb “command”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “charge Joshua.”
- Deuteronomy 3:29 sn Beth Peor. This is probably the spot near Pisgah where Balaam attempted to curse the nation Israel (Num 23:28). The Moabites also worshiped Baal there by the name “Baal [of] Peor” (Num 25:1-5).
Deuteronomio 3
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Conquista del regno di Og
3 Poi ci voltammo e salimmo per la via di Basan. Og re di Basan, con tutta la sua gente, ci venne incontro per darci battaglia a Edrei. 2 Il Signore mi disse: Non lo temere, perché io darò in tuo potere lui, tutta la sua gente e il suo paese; tu farai a lui quel che hai fatto a Sicon, re degli Amorrei, che abitava a Chesbon. 3 Così il Signore nostro Dio mise in nostro potere anche Og, re di Basan, con tutta la sua gente; noi lo abbiamo sconfitto, senza lasciargli alcun superstite. 4 Gli prendemmo in quel tempo tutte le sue città; non ci fu città che noi non prendessimo loro: sessanta città, tutta la regione di Argob, il regno di Og in Basan. 5 Tutte queste città erano fortificate, con alte mura, porte e sbarre, senza contare le città aperte, che erano molto numerose. 6 Noi le votammo allo sterminio, come avevamo fatto di Sicon, re di Chesbon: votammo allo sterminio ogni città, uomini, donne, bambini. 7 Ma il bestiame e le spoglie delle città asportammo per noi come preda.
8 In quel tempo, abbiamo preso ai due re degli Amorrei il paese che è oltre il Giordano, dal torrente Arnon al monte Ermon 9 - quelli di Sidone chiamano Sirion l'Ermon, gli Amorrei lo chiamano Senir -, 10 tutte le città della pianura, tutto Gàlaad, tutto Basan fino a Salca e a Edrei, città del regno di Og in Basan. 11 Perché Og, re di Basan, era rimasto l'unico superstite dei Refaim. Ecco, il suo letto, un letto di ferro, non è forse a Rabba degli Ammoniti? E' lungo nove cubiti secondo il cubito di un uomo.
Spartizione della Transgiordania
12 In quel tempo abbiamo preso in possesso questo paese: ai Rubeniti e ai Gaditi diedi il territorio di Aroer, sul torrente Arnon, fino a metà della montagna di Gàlaad con le sue città.
13 Alla metà della tribù di Manàsse diedi il resto di Gàlaad e tutto il regno di Og in Basan; tutta la regione di Argob con tutto Basan, che si chiamava il paese dei Refaim. 14 Iair, figlio di Manàsse, prese tutta la regione di Argob, sino ai confini dei Ghesuriti e dei Maacatiti, e chiamò con il suo nome i villaggi di Basan, che anche oggi si chiamano Villaggi di Iair. 15 Diedi Gàlaad a Machir. 16 Ai Rubeniti e ai Gaditi diedi da Gàlaad fino al torrente Arnon, fino alla metà del torrente che serve di confine e fino al torrente Iabbok, frontiera degli Ammoniti, 17 e l'Araba il cui confine è costituito dal Giordano, da Genèsaret fino al mare dell'Araba, cioè il Mar Morto, sotto le pendici del Pisga, verso l'oriente.
Ultime disposizioni di Mosè
18 Ora in quel tempo io vi diedi quest'ordine: Il Signore vostro Dio vi ha dato questo paese in proprietà. Voi tutti, uomini vigorosi, passerete armati alla testa degli Israeliti vostri fratelli. 19 Soltanto le vostre mogli, i vostri fanciulli e il vostro bestiame (so che di bestiame ne avete molto) rimarranno nelle città che vi ho date, 20 finché il Signore abbia dato una dimora tranquilla ai vostri fratelli come ha fatto per voi, e prendano anch'essi possesso del paese che il Signore vostro Dio sta per dare a loro oltre il Giordano. Poi ciascuno tornerà nel possesso che io vi ho dato.
21 In quel tempo diedi anche a Giosuè quest'ordine: I tuoi occhi hanno visto quanto il Signore vostro Dio ha fatto a questi due re; lo stesso farà il Signore a tutti i regni nei quali tu stai per entrare. 22 Non li temete, perché lo stesso Signore vostro Dio combatte per voi.
23 In quel medesimo tempo, io supplicai il Signore: 24 Signore Dio, tu hai cominciato a mostrare al tuo servo la tua grandezza e la tua mano potente; quale altro Dio, infatti, in cielo o sulla terra, può fare opere e prodigi come i tuoi? 25 Permetti che io passi al di là e veda il bel paese che è oltre il Giordano e questi bei monti e il Libano. 26 Ma il Signore si adirò contro di me, per causa vostra, e non mi esaudì. Il Signore mi disse: Basta, non parlarmi più di questa cosa. 27 Sali sulla cima del Pisga, volgi lo sguardo a occidente, a settentrione, a mezzogiorno e a oriente e contempla il paese con gli occhi; perché tu non passerai questo Giordano. 28 Trasmetti i tuoi ordini a Giosuè, rendilo intrepido e incoraggialo, perché lui lo passerà alla testa di questo popolo e metterà Israele in possesso del paese che vedrai.
29 Così ci fermammo nella valle di fronte a Bet-Peor.
Deuteronomy 3
New King James Version
King Og Defeated(A)
3 “Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan; and (B)Og king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle (C)at Edrei. 2 And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to (D)Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’
3 “So the Lord our God also delivered into our hands Og king of Bashan, with all his people, and we [a]attacked him until he had no survivors remaining. 4 And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, (E)all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a great many rural towns. 6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king (F)of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city. 7 But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves.
8 “And at that time we took the (G)land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were on this side of the Jordan, from the River Arnon to Mount (H)Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call (I)Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir), 10 (J)all the cities of the plain, all Gilead, and (K)all Bashan, as far as Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
11 (L)“For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of (M)the [b]giants. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in (N)Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.
The Land East of the Jordan Divided(O)
12 “And this (P)land, which we possessed at that time, (Q)from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilead and (R)its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites. 13 (S)The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the [c]giants. 14 (T)Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, (U)as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and (V)called Bashan after his own name, [d]Havoth Jair, to this day.)
15 “Also I gave (W)Gilead to Machir. 16 And to the Reubenites (X)and the Gadites I gave from Gilead as far as the River Arnon, the middle of the river as the border, as far as the River Jabbok, (Y)the border of the people of Ammon; 17 the plain also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth (Z)as far as the east side of the Sea of the Arabah (AA)(the Salt Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.
18 “Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. (AB)All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel. 19 But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you, 20 until the Lord has given (AC)rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may (AD)return to his possession which I have given you.’
21 “And (AE)I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass. 22 You must not fear them, for (AF)the Lord your God Himself fights for you.’
Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land
23 “Then (AG)I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: 24 ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant (AH)Your greatness and Your [e]mighty hand, for (AI)what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25 I pray, let me cross over and see (AJ)the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’
26 “But the Lord (AK)was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 (AL)Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. 28 But (AM)command[f] 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 you will see.’
29 “So we stayed in (AN)the valley opposite Beth Peor.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 3:3 struck
- Deuteronomy 3:11 Heb. rephaim
- Deuteronomy 3:13 Heb. rephaim
- Deuteronomy 3:14 Lit. Towns of Jair
- Deuteronomy 3:24 strong
- Deuteronomy 3:28 charge
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
