Deuteronomy 3
Big idea: Og of Bashan falls, sixty walled cities are taken, and the land east of the Jordan is divided between Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh — on the condition that their fighting men cross over armed ahead of everyone else. Moses charges Joshua with the sentence he will hear again and again: you shall not fear them, for Yahweh your God himself fights for you. And then the chapter's most human moment. Moses prays — Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness; what god is there in heaven or earth that can do works like yours? Please let me go over and see the good land. The answer is one of the shortest in Scripture: that is enough; speak no more to me of this matter. Go up Pisgah and look, but you shall not go over.
Chapter 3 ends with Moses told to look but not cross. Chapter 4 turns from the story to its lesson: take care, lest you forget.
3:1–11 — Sixty cities, and a bed of iron
We turned and went up the way to Bashan, and Og came out against us at Edrei. Yahweh said: don't fear him, for I have delivered him with all his people and his land into your hand; do to him as you did to Sihon. So Yahweh delivered Og into our hand, and we struck him until no one was left. We took all his cities — sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan, all fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled villages. We destroyed them utterly as we did Sihon's, and took the livestock and plunder for ourselves. We took the land from the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan, from the Arnon to Mount Hermon. (The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.) We took all the cities of the plain, all Gilead and all Bashan. (For only Og remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bedstead was a bedstead of iron — nine cubits long and four wide.)
1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan. Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 Yahweh said to me, “Don’t fear him; for I have delivered him, with all his people and his land, into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 3 So Yahweh our God also delivered into our hand Og, the king of Bashan, and all his people. We struck him until no one was left to him remaining. 4 We took all his cities at that time. There was not a city which we didn’t take from them: sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, in addition to a great many villages without walls. 6 We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones. 7 But all the livestock, and the plunder of the cities, we took for plunder for ourselves. 8 We took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon. 9 (The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.) 10 We took all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, to Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 (For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron. Isn’t it in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its width, after the cubit of a man.)
3:12–22 — Pass over armed before your brothers
This land we took at that time: from Aroer by the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities, I gave to Reuben and Gad; the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh — all Argob. (Jair took the region of Argob to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites and called them Havvoth Jair, to this day.) I gave Gilead to Machir. To Reuben and Gad I gave from Gilead to the valley of the Arnon and to the river Jabbok, the Ammonite border, and the Arabah with the Jordan from Chinnereth to the Salt Sea under the slopes of Pisgah. And I commanded you then: Yahweh your God has given you this land to possess; all you men of valor shall pass over armed before your brothers, the children of Israel. Your wives, little ones and livestock shall live in the cities I have given you, until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers as to you, and they also possess the land beyond the Jordan; then each shall return to his own possession. And I commanded Joshua: your eyes have seen all Yahweh your God has done to these two kings — so shall he do to all the kingdoms where you go over. You shall not fear them, for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.
12 This land we took in possession at that time: from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites; 13 and the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh—all the region of Argob, even all Bashan. (The same is called the land of Rephaim. 14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them, even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth Jair, to this day.) 15 I gave Gilead to Machir. 16 To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even to the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and its border, even to the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 17 the Arabah also, and the Jordan and its border, from Chinnereth even to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward. 18 I commanded you at that time, saying, “Yahweh your God has given you this land to possess it. All of you men of valor shall pass over armed before your brothers, the children of Israel. 19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your livestock, (I know that you have much livestock), shall live in your cities which I have given you, 20 until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also possess the land which Yahweh your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then you shall each return to his own possession, which I have given you.” 21 I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, “Your eyes have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to these two kings. So shall Yahweh do to all the kingdoms where you go over. 22 You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.”
3:23–29 — Speak no more to me of this matter
I begged Yahweh at that time: Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand — for what god is there in heaven or earth that can do works like yours, and mighty acts like yours? Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that fine mountain, and Lebanon. But Yahweh was angry with me because of you and didn't listen to me. Yahweh said: that is enough! Speak no more to me of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, northward, southward and eastward, and see with your eyes — for you shall not go over this Jordan. But commission 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 shall see. So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.
23 I begged Yahweh at that time, saying, 24 “Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness, and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or in earth that can do works like yours, and mighty acts like yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that fine mountain, and Lebanon.” 26 But Yahweh was angry with me because of you, and didn’t listen to me. Yahweh said to me, “That is enough! Speak no more to me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and see with your eyes; for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But commission 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 shall see.” 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).