Deuteronomy 3

Translator Notes

1. The verbs va-nefen va-na'al ('we turned and went up') indicate the northward advance from Sihon's conquered territory into Bashan. Like Sihon (2:32), Og initiates combat — va-yetse liqratenu ('he came out to meet us') hu v'khol ammo ('he and all his people'). Edrei, Og's second capital (along with Ashtaroth, 1:4), was the site of this decisive engagement. The full mobilization of kol ammo again signals total defeat.

Translator Notes

1. The reassurance al tira oto ('do not fear him') suggests that Og's reputation inspired genuine terror — his legendary size (v. 11) made him a formidable opponent. The perfect tense natati ('I have given') once again declares the outcome settled before battle. The instruction v'asita lo ('do to him') ka'asher asita le-Sichon ('as you did to Sihon') prescribes the same total warfare applied to the first Amorite king. The Sihon precedent becomes the template.

Translator Notes

1. The word gam ('also') links this victory to the Sihon campaign — a second divine triumph. The phrase ad bilti hish'ir lo sarid ('until there was not left to him a survivor') describes total military annihilation. The emphatic YHWH Eloheinu ('the LORD our God') as subject of va-yitten ('He gave') keeps the theological focus: victories belong to God, Israel is the instrument.

Translator Notes

1. The count shishim ir ('sixty cities') emphasizes the scale of the conquest — this was a substantial kingdom, not a small tribal area. The phrase kol chevel Argov ('the entire region/district of Argob') designates a specific administrative district within Bashan. The double negative lo hayetah qiryah asher lo laqachnu ('there was not a city that we did not take') underscores the comprehensiveness of the victory — every fortified position fell.

Translator Notes

1. The description — arim betsurot chomah gevohah ('fortified cities with high walls'), delatayim u-veriach ('double doors/gates and a crossbar') — details serious military architecture. These were not easy targets; their capture testifies to divine assistance. The additional arei ha-perazi ('unwalled/open cities') harbeh me'od ('very many') indicates that the rural countryside was also taken. The contrast recalls the fearful report about 'cities fortified to heaven' (1:28) — God overcame exactly what Israel feared.

Translator Notes

1. The cherem (ban of destruction) is applied identically to Og's kingdom as to Sihon's (2:34). The verb va-nacharim otam ('we devoted them to destruction') followed by the infinitive absolute hacharim kol ir ('devoting every city') intensifies the totality. The categories metim, ha-nashim, v'ha-taf ('men, women, and children') indicate complete destruction of the population. As with Sihon, the cherem was understood as divinely commanded warfare specific to these Amorite kingdoms.

Translator Notes

1. As in the Sihon campaign (2:35), the behemah ('livestock') and shlal ha-arim ('spoil of the cities') were exempt from the cherem and available as bazonu lanu ('we plundered for ourselves'). The material wealth of Og's sixty fortified cities represented substantial resources for the Israelite tribes who would settle in this region.

Translator Notes

1. The summary statement encompasses the full extent of Transjordanian conquest: mi-yad shnei malkhei ha-Emori ('from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites') — Sihon and Og. The territory stretches mi-nachal Arnon ('from the Arnon Gorge') in the south ad har Chermon ('to Mount Hermon') in the far north — a vast expanse covering modern-day southern Jordan to the Golan Heights. The phrase be'ever ha-Yarden ('on the far side of the Jordan') positions this as the eastern portion of God's land grant.

Translator Notes

1. This parenthetical geographic note preserves three names for the same mountain: Chermon (Hebrew), Siryon (Sidonian/Phoenician), and Senir (Amorite). The multiple designations reflect the mountain's prominence as a landmark visible to many peoples. The Sidonian name Siryon may relate to shiryon ('coat of armor/breastplate'), perhaps from the mountain's snow-capped appearance. Such multi-lingual place references demonstrate Moses's geographical awareness.

Translator Notes

1. Three geographical zones summarize the conquest: ha-mishor ('the plateau/tableland' — the high plain east of the Dead Sea), ha-Gil'ad ('Gilead' — the central Transjordanian hill country), and ha-Bashan ('Bashan' — the fertile northern region). The boundary markers Salkhah (in the far northeast) and Edrei (Og's southern capital) define the kingdom's extent. The entire territory is identified as arei mamlekhet Og ('cities of the kingdom of Og').

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Og is identified as the last survivor (nish'ar mi-yeter ha-Repha'im — 'remaining from the remnant of the Rephaim') of the ancient giant race. His arso ('bed/couch' — possibly a sarcophagus or ceremonial bed) of barzel ('iron') measured tesha ammot ('nine cubits') by arba ammot ('four cubits') — approximately 13.5 by 6 feet using the standard ammah ('cubit') of about 18 inches. The bed is located be-Rabbat benei Ammon ('in Rabbah of the Ammonites' — modern Amman, Jordan) — an archaeological exhibit verifiable by Moses's audience. The iron bed, in an age when iron was rare, signals Og's wealth and power.

Translator Notes

1. Moses now transitions from conquest narrative to land distribution. The southern portion — me-Aro'er on the nachal Arnon to chatsi har ha-Gil'ad ('half the hill country of Gilead') — was allocated to the La-Re'uveni v'la-Gadi ('Reubenites and Gadites'). These two tribes had requested Transjordanian territory because of their large herds (Numbers 32). Moses's role as land-distributor (natati — 'I gave') foreshadows the book of Joshua.

Translator Notes

1. The northern and larger portion — yeter ha-Gil'ad v'khol ha-Bashan ('the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan') — went to chatsi shevet ha-Menasheh ('the half-tribe of Manasseh'). The parenthetical note that Bashan was formerly called erets Repha'im ('land of the Rephaim') connects to the giant traditions of chapter 2. The chevel ha-Argov ('district of Argob') with its sixty cities (v. 4) represents a substantial inheritance for the Manassites.

Translator Notes

1. Ya'ir ben Menasheh is credited with personally securing the chevel Argov ('district of Argob'). The boundaries extend ad gevul ha-Geshuri v'ha-Ma'akhati ('to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites') — two Aramean peoples who retained their territories within the region. Naming the settlements chavvot Ya'ir ('villages/camps of Jair') after himself established his permanent claim. The phrase ad ha-yom ha-zeh ('to this day') confirms the name persisted into the narrator's time.

Translator Notes

1. Makhir, the eldest son (or clan) of Manasseh, received ha-Gil'ad ('Gilead') — the central Transjordanian hill country. The brevity of the allocation (natati — 'I gave') contrasts with the longer descriptions of other grants, perhaps because Machir's claim was well-established and undisputed. Machir's clan was known for its military prowess, making them suitable guardians of this frontier territory.

Translator Notes

1. The Reubenite and Gadite allocation is defined by water boundaries: from the Gil'ad in the north to nachal Arnon in the south, with tokh ha-nachal u-gevul ('the middle of the gorge and its border') as the precise southern limit, and nachal Yabboq ('the Jabbok River') as the northern boundary. The Jabbok also served as gevul benei Ammon ('the border of the Ammonites'), respecting the restriction of 2:19.

Translator Notes

1. The western boundary is the Aravah v'ha-Yarden ('the Arabah valley and the Jordan River') stretching mi-Kinneret ('from Kinnereth' — the Sea of Galilee) southward to Yam ha-Aravah, Yam ha-Melach ('the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea' — the Dead Sea). The reference point ashdot ha-Pisgah ('the slopes/watershed of Pisgah') eastward locates the territory relative to the mountain where Moses will later view the promised land. This geographical detail links the land distribution to Moses's personal exclusion.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The condition attached to the eastern tribes' inheritance: chalutsim ta'avru lifnei acheikhem ('as armed troops you shall cross over before your brothers'). The word chalutsim ('armed, equipped for battle') from chalats ('to strip for action, to arm') means ready for combat. The eastern tribes cannot simply settle — they must first help the western tribes conquer their portion. The phrase kol benei chayil ('all capable warriors') specifies military-age men. Brotherhood (acheikhem — 'your brothers') demands solidarity.

Translator Notes

1. The exemption extends to nesheikhem ('your wives'), tapkhem ('your children'), and miqnekhem ('your livestock'). Moses's parenthetical acknowledgment yada'ti ki miqneh rav lakhem ('I know that you have much livestock') recalls the original reason these tribes requested Transjordanian territory (Numbers 32:1). The concession is practical: non-combatants stay in the secured cities (be'areikhem asher natati lakhem — 'in your cities which I have given you') while warriors cross over.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The duration of service is ad asher yaniach YHWH la-acheikhem ('until the LORD gives rest to your brothers') — the key term menuachah/yaniach ('rest') in Deuteronomy means secure settlement in the land, free from military threat. The parallel kakhem ('like you') establishes equity: you have rest, so fight until they do too. Only after the western tribes are settled may the eastern troops return ish li-yrushatoh ('each man to his inheritance'). Mutual obligation defines Israelite solidarity.

Translator Notes

1. Moses's charge to Joshua appeals to firsthand experience: einekha ha-ro'ot ('your eyes — the seeing ones') — Joshua saw the defeats of Sihon and Og personally. The promise ken ya'aseh YHWH ('thus the LORD will do') to kol ha-mamlakhot ('all the kingdoms') extrapolates from two victories to universal application. What God did to two Amorite kings, He will do to all Canaanite kingdoms. Joshua's faith is to be grounded in observed evidence, not abstract hope.

Translator Notes

1. The prohibition lo tira'um ('do not fear them') is grounded in the declaration YHWH Eloheikhem hu ha-nilcham lakhem ('the LORD your God — He is the one fighting for you'). The emphatic pronoun hu ('He') and the participle ha-nilcham ('the one fighting') present God as an ongoing, active warrior on Israel's behalf. This theological affirmation — that God Himself is the real combatant — is the foundation of all Deuteronomic warfare theology.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb va-etchannan ('I pleaded, implored') from chanan ('to be gracious, to show favor') is a hitpael form — literally 'I made myself an object seeking grace.' This is one of the most emotionally raw moments in Deuteronomy: Moses, the great leader who guided Israel through forty years, begs for entry into the promised land. The verb's root is the same as 'grace' — Moses appeals not to his merit but to God's undeserved favor.

Translator Notes

1. Moses addresses God with the double divine name Adonai YHWH ('Lord GOD') — a formal, intensely personal address. His argument is theological: attah hachilota le-har'ot ('You have begun to show') — if God has only started revealing His power, then surely there is more to see! The rhetorical question mi El ba-shamayim uva-arets ('who is a god in heaven or earth') who could match God's deeds (k'ma'asekha — 'like Your works') and power (k'gevurotekha — 'like Your mighty acts') is not merely praise but a plea: a God this great should surely let Moses see the land.

Translator Notes

1. The particle na ('please, I beg you') attached to ev'rah ('let me cross') transforms the request from demand to desperate plea. Moses's desire is simply to see: v'er'eh ('and let me see') ha-arets ha-tovah ('the good land'). His longing focuses on two features: ha-har ha-tov ha-zeh ('that good/beautiful mountain' — likely referring to the temple mount or the central highlands) and ha-Levanon ('Lebanon' — famous for its cedars). The prayer reveals that for Moses, the land is not merely territory but the culmination of his life's purpose.

Translator Notes

1. The verb va-yit'abber ('He was furious, crossed over in anger') from avar in the hitpael is one of the strongest expressions of divine anger in the Hebrew Bible — God's wrath boiled over. The cause: lema'ankhem ('on your account/because of you') — Moses attributes his punishment to the people's provocations. God's response rav lakh ('enough for you') echoes the rav lakhem ('enough for you') of 1:6 and 2:3, but here it terminates discussion rather than beginning action. The prohibition al tosef dabber ('do not continue speaking') shuts the door with finality.

Translator Notes

1. God offers Moses a consolation: aleh rosh ha-Pisgah ('go up to the top of Pisgah') and see the land from every direction — yamah ('westward'), tsafonah ('northward'), teimanah ('southward'), mizrachah ('eastward'). The command ur'eh be'einekha ('see with your eyes') grants visual access to what is physically denied. The final clause ki lo ta'avor et ha-Yarden ha-zeh ('because you will not cross this Jordan') is both tender and absolute — God grants the sight while confirming the prohibition.

Translator Notes

1. Three imperatives define Moses's final duty regarding Joshua: tsav ('commission/charge'), chazzeqehu ('strengthen him'), and ammetsehu ('fortify/encourage him'). The verbs chazaq and amats form a standard pair for bolstering courage (see Joshua 1:6-9). The poignant contrast: hu ya'avor ('he will cross over') while Moses will not; hu yanchil otam ('he will cause them to inherit') ha-arets asher tir'eh ('the land that you will see'). Moses's legacy is the one who prepared the successor, not the one who completed the mission.

Translator Notes

1. The chapter closes with Israel encamped ba-gai mul Beit Pe'or ('in the valley opposite Beth-peor'). Beth-peor ('house/temple of Peor') was a Moabite cultic site associated with the disastrous apostasy of Numbers 25, when Israelite men joined in Baal-peor worship. The location is both geographically specific and theologically charged — Moses delivers his final speeches within sight of a place that represents Israel's vulnerability to idolatry. The pe paragraph marker signals a major section break.