Deuteronomy 3

Moses continues his review of the wilderness years. God gives Israel victory over Og king of Bashan, and the land east of the Jordan is shared among Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh. Moses then pleads to enter the land himself, is refused, and is told to prepare Joshua to lead the people in.

Deuteronomy 3:1

After defeating Sihon, Israel turned north toward Bashan, a rich and fertile land. Og and his whole army marched out to fight at Edrei. Israel did not pick this battle; a hostile king came out to meet them.

BSA: army (“all his people, entire nation”): Og did not send a few troops; he brought out his whole people against Israel.

Deuteronomy 3:2

Before the battle God spoke to Moses and told him not to fear. The victory was already given: God says He has delivered Og, his people and his land. Sihon’s defeat was the pattern, and it gave Israel something real to remember.

BSA: delivered (“given over, handed over”): God speaks of the victory as already handed over, before a single blow is struck.

See also: Numbers 21:33-35.

Deuteronomy 3:3

God did just what He promised. Og and his army fell into Israel’s hands, and none survived. Moses stresses that it was the LORD our God who did it, as with Sihon before.

BSA: survivor (“remnant, one left behind”): The defeat was complete; no remnant of Og’s force remained.

Deuteronomy 3:4-5

Israel took all sixty cities of the region of Argob, none excepted. These were strong towns with high walls, gates and bars, plus many open villages. Moses wants Israel to see that no defenses can stand when God has given the victory.

BSA: fortified (“strengthened, made secure”): These were the best defenses of the day, which makes their fall more striking.

Deuteronomy 3:6-7

As with Sihon, the cities were put under the ban. This was a solemn act of judgment on peoples God had long given time to repent, not ordinary plunder. The livestock and spoil were kept by Israel. Christians find this chapter hard and read it in light of God’s justice and patience.

Hebrew: חָרַם (ḥāram, H2763) — “to devote to destruction, to put under the ban.” The word means something set apart for God and removed from ordinary use. Here it describes God’s judgment carried out through Israel, not a private war of conquest.

See also: Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 20:16-18.

Deuteronomy 3:8-10

Moses sums up the conquest: all the land east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley in the south to Mount Hermon in the north. The two Amorite kings were overthrown. Mount Hermon had different names among different peoples, which shows how far the land reached.

BSA: plateau (“plain, level area”): This was the flat tableland east of the Jordan, good country for grazing and farming.

Deuteronomy 3:11

Og was the last of the Rephaim, a people known for great size. His iron bed was over thirteen feet long and about six feet wide, and it was still on show in Rabbah. It stands as a reminder that even this giant fell to the LORD.

BSA: Rephaim (“giants, powerful ones”): They were a people remembered for their great stature and strength.

See also: Genesis 14:5.

Deuteronomy 3:12-13

Moses now describes how he divided the new land. Reuben and Gad received the southern part, along the Arnon, plus half of Gilead. The half-tribe of Manasseh received northern Gilead and all of Bashan, once the land of the Rephaim.

See also: Numbers 32:33.

Deuteronomy 3:14-15

Jair, from Manasseh, took the Argob region and named its villages after himself. That name was still in use when Moses spoke. Gilead was given to Machir, another family of Manasseh. Each family received a place in the inheritance.

BSA: renamed (“called, named”): Jair put his own name on the villages he took, and the name lasted.

Deuteronomy 3:16-17

Moses marks out the borders of Reuben and Gad: from Gilead to the Arnon in the south, to the Jabbok in the north beside Ammon, and the Jordan on the west. The slopes of Pisgah lay to the east. Careful boundaries show that this inheritance was real.

See also: Numbers 34:12.

Deuteronomy 3:18-20

The eastern tribes had their land already, yet Moses told them to cross the Jordan armed, ahead of their brothers. Their families and livestock could stay in the new cities. They would stay with the others until all Israel had rest. The land was a shared task, not a private gain.

BSA: rest (“settles and remains in one place, to settle down”): Rest means a settled home with no enemies pressing in, and every tribe was to have it.

See also: Joshua 1:12-15.

Deuteronomy 3:21-22

Moses encourages Joshua, his successor. Joshua had seen what God did to the two kings, and the same God would do it again. The fear is answered by one reason: the LORD Himself will fight for them.

BSA: Himself (“He, the personal pronoun emphasizing God’s action”): The stress falls on God in person acting for His people, not just helping them.

See also: Exodus 14:14.

Deuteronomy 3:23-25

Moses begs the LORD to let him cross the Jordan. He starts by praising God’s greatness, since no god in heaven or earth does such works. Then he asks only to see the good land, even its hills and Lebanon. It is the humble prayer of a man who has served long.

BSA: pleaded (“besought, entreated”): Moses asked for grace, not as something he had earned. servant (“one who serves, a bondservant”): Moses comes to God as a servant, relying on his Master’s kindness.

Hebrew: וָאֶתְחַנַּן (wāʾetḥannan, H2603) — “and I sought favor, I pleaded for grace.” It comes from the word for grace. Moses is not claiming a right; he is begging for a gift.

Deuteronomy 3:26

God said no. He was angry with Moses because of the people, referring to the time Moses struck the rock at Meribah. Moses is told to stop asking. Even a faithful servant can face a hard answer, though God did not turn him away from Himself.

BSA: angry (“wroth, deeply displeased”): God was seriously displeased, and the refusal was not careless.

See also: Numbers 20:7-12; Deuteronomy 1:37.

Deuteronomy 3:27

God still gave Moses a mercy: he could climb Pisgah and look in every direction. He would see the whole land with his own eyes but not enter it. The refusal and the kindness stand side by side.

BSA: eyes (“with your physical sight, in person”): Moses would see the real land himself, not just hear about it.

See also: Deuteronomy 34:1-4.

Deuteronomy 3:28

God gave Moses one last task: to commission Joshua, encourage him and strengthen him. Joshua would lead Israel across and give them the inheritance. Moses is asked to hand on the work gladly, even though he will not share in its end.

BSA: encourage (“comfort, strengthen”): Joshua needed to be built up in heart as well as given a title.

See also: Numbers 27:18-23.

Deuteronomy 3:29

The chapter ends quietly. Israel stayed in the valley opposite Beth-peor, still east of the Jordan. The wait before the crossing is also the place where Moses will give the teaching that follows.

See also: Deuteronomy 4:46.