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, Deuteronomy 3:1, and of the distribution of their country to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, Deuteronomy 1:12 and th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WE TURNED AND WENT UP THE WAY TO BASHAN,.... Which seems to have been higher than the kingdom of Sihon: this was a fine country for pasturage, for the breeding of cattle, larger and lesser, and was famous for its oaks: it is the same country which in Josephus and others goes by the name of Bata... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO ME,.... When Og was marching with all his forces against Israel: FEAR HIM NOT, c Numbers 21:34.... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THE LORD OUR GOD DELIVERED INTO OUR HANDS OG ALSO THE KING OF BASHAN, AND ALL HIS PEOPLE,.... As well as Sihon king of Heshbon: AND WE SMOTE HIM, TILL NONE WAS LEFT TO HIM REMAINING; or left alive, all were slain with the sword; Numbers 21:35.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WE TOOK ALL HIS CITIES AT THAT TIME,.... Not only Edrei where the battle was fought, and Ashteroth his capital city, but all the rest in his kingdom: THERE WAS NOT A CITY WHICH WE TOOK NOT FROM THEM; not one stood out, but all surrendered on summons; the number of which follows: THREE SCORE CI... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THESE CITIES WERE FENCED WITH HIGH WALLS, GATES, AND BARS,.... That is, all the cities in the kingdom of Bashan; and though they were, it hindered not their falling into the hands of the Israelites; and this might serve to encourage them against those fears they were possessed of by the spies, w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WE UTTERLY DESTROYED THEM,.... Not the cities, but the inhabitants of them: AS WE DID TO SIHON KING OF HESHBON; they did not destroy his cities, for they took them and dwelt in them; but the people that lived there, as follows here: UTTERLY DESTROYING THE MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, OF EVERY CIT... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ALL THE CATTLE, AND THE SPOIL OF THE CITIES,.... The oxen and sheep, camels and asses; their gold and silver, and the furniture of their houses; their stores of corn, and of other fruits of the earth, even all their substance of whatsoever kind: WE TOOK FOR A PREY TO OURSELVES; made them their... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WE TOOK AT THAT TIME OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE TWO KINGS OF THE AMORITES,.... Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan; THE LAND THAT [WAS] ON THIS SIDE JORDAN; where Moses then was, being in the plains of Moab, and was the country beyond Jordan, with respect to the land of Canaan, and when i... [ Continue Reading ]
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 obser... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN,.... There was a plain by Medeba, and Heshbon and her cities were in a plain, with some others given to the tribe of Reuben, Joshua 13:16 AND ALL GILEAD; Mount Gilead, and the cities belonging to it, a very fruitful country, half of which fell to the share of the Reubeni... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR ONLY OG KING OF BASHAN REMAINED OF THE REMNANT OF GIANTS,.... The meaning seems to be, either that he was the only one that was left of the race of the giants the Ammonites found when they took possession of this country, Deuteronomy 2:20 or that was left when the Amorites took it from the Ammon... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THIS LAND, WHICH WE POSSESSED AT THAT TIME,.... Or took possession of, having conquered it; for it still remained in their possession: FROM AROER, WHICH IS BY THE RIVER ARNON: on the borders of Moab, from thence as far as Gilead was the land which was taken from Sihon king of Heshbon, Deuterono... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF GILEAD,.... The other half of the mount, with the cities belonging to it: AND ALL BASHAN, BEING THE KINGDOM OF OG, GAVE I UNTO THE HALF TRIBE OF MANASSEH; see Numbers 32:33 ALL THE REGION OF ARGOB, WITH ALL BASHAN; the region of Trachonitis, in Bashan; see Deuteronomy 3:4, WHICH W... [ Continue Reading ]
JAIR THE SON OF MANASSEH TOOK ALL THE COUNTRY OF ARGOB,.... Or Trachonitis; the small towns belonging to Gilead, as in Numbers 32:41 UNTO THE COASTS OF GESHURI AND MAACHATHI; these were little kingdoms in Syria, on which the country of Argob bordered, and had kings over them in the time of David, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I GAVE GILEAD UNTO MACHIR. The son of Manasseh; not to him personally, who cannot be thought to have been living at this time, but to his posterity, to the Machirites; see Numbers 32:40.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND UNTO THE REUBENITES, AND UNTO THE GADITES,.... The tribes of Reuben and Gad: I GAVE FROM GILEAD EVEN UNTO THE RIVER ARNON: see Deuteronomy 3:12 HALF THE VALLEY AND THE BORDER; or rather half the river, the river Arnon; and so it is rendered "the middle of the river", in Joshua 12:2 and so here... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PLAIN ALSO, AND JORDAN,.... The plain by Jordan, the plains of Moab on the side of it, together with the river: AND THE COAST THEREOF; the country adjoining to it: FROM CHINNERETH EVEN UNTO THE SEA OF THE PLAIN, [EVEN] THE SALT SEA; that is, from Gennesaret, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonat... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I COMMANDED YOU AT THAT TIME,.... Not all Israel, but the tribes of Reuben and God, and the half tribe of Manasseh; for what follows only concerns them: SAYING, THE LORD YOUR GOD HATH GIVEN YOU THIS LAND TO POSSESS IT; the land before described, lately in the hands of Sihon and Og; this at thei... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YOUR WIVES, AND YOUR LITTLE ONES, AND YOUR CATTLE,.... These were to be left behind: for I KNOW THAT YE HAVE MUCH CATTLE; which made the countries of Gilead and Bashan, so famous for pasturage, agreeable to them; see Numbers 32:1 these, under the care of servants, and also their wives and child... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTIL THE LORD HAVE GIVEN REST UNTO YOUR BRETHREN, AS WELL AS UNTO YOU,.... Rest from their enemies, and habitations to dwell quietly in; so the land of Canaan is called a rest, Deuteronomy 12:9 typical of the rest which remains for the people of God: AND UNTIL THEY ALSO POSSESS THE LAND WHICH THE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I COMMANDED JOSHUA AT THAT TIME,.... After the conquest of the two kings, and the assignment of their countries to the above tribes; and after Moses had it made known to him that he should quickly die, and Joshua should be his successor; then, by the direction of God, he gave him the following c... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL NOT FEAR THEM,.... On account of the numbers, strength, courage, and gigantic stature of the inhabitants, at least some of them; nor on account of their walled towns, and fortified cities: FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD HE SHALL FIGHT FOR YOU; as he did, particularly at Jericho, the walls of which... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I BESOUGHT THE LORD AT THAT TIME,.... When he was told he should die, and Joshua should succeed him; or when the two kings were slain, and their kingdoms conquered; this being the beginning, pledge, and earnest of what God had promised to do for the people of Israel; Moses was very desirous of l... [ Continue Reading ]
O LORD GOD, THOU HAST BEGUN TO SHOW THY SERVANT THY GREATNESS AND THY MIGHTY HAND,.... To give a specimen of the greatness of his power in subduing the two kings and their kingdoms, and delivering them up into the hands of the Israelites. Moses had seen instances of the mighty power of God in Egypt,... [ Continue Reading ]
I PRAY THEE, LET ME GO OVER AND SEE THE GOOD LAND THAT IS BEYOND JORDAN,.... The land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey; a land which he describes as a most excellent one, Deuteronomy 8:7. To see this land, he was very desirous of going over the river Jordan, beyond which it lay with r... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE LORD WAS WROTH WITH ME FOR YOUR SAKES,.... Not at this time, and for this prayer of his, but on account of he and Aaron not sanctifying him at the waters of Meribah; or of some expressions of unbelief, and unadvised words, which dropped from his lips through their provocation of him; see Num... [ Continue Reading ]
GET THEE UP INTO THE TOP OF PISGAH,.... Which was the highest eminence of Mount Nebo, and so a very proper place to take a prospect from; see Deuteronomy 32:49 AND LIFT UP THINE EYES WESTWARD, AND NORTHWARD, AND SOUTHWARD, AND EASTWARD; to all the four points of the heaven, and to all the four quar... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT CHARGE JOSHUA, AND ENCOURAGE HIM, AND STRENGTHEN HIM,.... Charge him to take the care of the children of Israel, to introduce them into the good land, and put them into the possession of it; encourage him against all fear of his and their enemies, and strengthen him with promises of the presence... [ Continue Reading ]
SO WE ABODE IN THE VALLEY OVER AGAINST BETHPEOR. In the plains of Moab, over against a temple built for Baalpeor upon a mountain, so called from that idol, or that idol from the mountain; this is the valley where Moses was buried, Deuteronomy 34:6.... [ Continue Reading ]