Deuteronomy 3

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

Verse 4

3:4 Argob might be synonymous with Bashan or might refer to a heavily populated part of Bashan.

Verse 8

3:8 Mount Hermon is the southernmost peak in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains northeast of the Sea of Galilee; at 9,300 feet above sea level, it is also the highest. On a clear day, this impressive landmark is visible from many miles away.

Verse 9

3:9 The alternative names Sirion and Senir suggest that Hermon was perhaps a later name given by the Israelites. Hermon is apparently related to the verb kharam, which means “to destroy” (see study note on 2:34), and perhaps describes the destruction summarized in 3:3-7.

Verse 11

3:11 His bed was probably wooden, inlaid with iron. Alternatively, the Hebrew word might suggest a sarcophagus or coffin. • Rabbah is the same city as Rabbath Ammon (see study note on Deut 2:19). Apparently there was some kind of museum at Rabbah when Deuteronomy was written, and this artifact could be seen there.

Verse 12

3:12-20 See Num 32.

3:12 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had asked Moses to let them settle east of the Jordan rather than in Canaan, and he allowed them to do so (Num 32:1-5). • Aroer: See study note on Deut 2:36.

Verse 13

3:13 The half-tribe of Manasseh made the same request as Reuben and Gad (3:12), and Moses accepted their request. Gad and Reuben settled between the Arnon (see 2:24) and the middle of Gilead (see 2:36), and Manasseh took everything north of that, including Bashan (see 3:1). • The Rephaites, a giant people related to the Anakites (see 2:11), are noted here as being indigenous to Bashan.

Verse 14

3:14 Jair was a descendant of Manasseh from Makir and Gilead (1 Chr 2:22). • Geshurites and Maacathites, kingdoms of Bashan, lay along the west side of the Golan Heights, east of the Sea of Galilee. • The Towns of Jair was the name given Argob (see Deut 3:4) after Jair brought it under Israelite control.

Verse 15

3:15 Makir was a clan in the tribe of Manasseh (Num 26:29) to which Jair was related (1 Chr 2:21-23). The clan of Makir settled south of Bashan in the northern part of Gilead (see Deut 3:13).

Verse 17

3:17 from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea: The Hebrew name for the beautiful Sea of Galilee is kinnereth, which might come from kinnor (“harp”) because of its shape. • The Dead Sea (Hebrew yam hammelakh, “Salt Sea”), here also called the Sea of the Arabah (see study note on 1:1), has a very high mineral content (about 30 percent). • Pisgah is a section of the Abarim mountain range; its most prominent peak is Mount Nebo, where Moses died (see 34:1).

Verse 21

3:21-29 See Num 20:2-13; Ps 106:32-33.

3:21 He will do the same: Israel’s military success under Moses’ leadership could be expected to continue under Joshua because the Lord promised to remain with them.

Verse 24

3:24 Is there any god? Moses did not believe that other gods existed; he was simply affirming that only the Lord is God. Nothing and no one else, real or imaginary, can rival the one true God.

Verse 29

3:29 Beth-peor, otherwise known as Baal-peor (see 4:3) or simply Peor (Num 23:28; Josh 22:17), became Moses’ burial place (Deut 34:6). At that place the false prophet Balaam had earlier attempted to curse Israel on behalf of Balak, king of Moab (Num 23:27–24:25).