^2:24Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon,³⁵ and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war! ^2:25This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the earth³⁶ with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.”³⁷

Defeat of Sihon, King of Heshbon

^2:26Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth³⁸ Desert to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace: ^2:27“Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the roadway.³⁹ I will not turn aside to the right or the left. ^2:28Sell me food for cash⁴⁰ so that I can eat and sell me water to drink.⁴¹ Just allow me to go through on foot, ^2:29just as the descendants of Esau who live at Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land the Lord our God is giving us.” ^2:30But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because the Lord our⁴² God had made him obstinate⁴³ and stubborn⁴⁴ so that he might deliver him over to you⁴⁵ this very day. ^2:31The Lord said to me, “Look! I have already begun to give over Sihon and his land to you. Start right now to take his land as your possession.” ^2:32When Sihon and all his troops⁴⁶ emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz,⁴⁷^2:33the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with his sons⁴⁸ and everyone else.⁴⁹^2:34At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of them⁵⁰ under divine judgment,⁵¹ including even the women and children; we left no survivors. ^2:35We kept only the livestock and plunder from the cities for ourselves. ^2:36From Aroer,⁵² which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi),⁵³ all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us—the Lord our God gave them all to us. ^2:37However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok,⁵⁴ the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the Lord our God.

Defeat of King Og of Bashan

^3:1Next we set out on¹ the route to Bashan,² but King Og of Bashan and his whole army³ came out to meet us in battle at Edrei.⁴^3:2The Lord, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army,⁵ and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.” ^3:3So the Lord our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole army and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left.⁶^3:4We captured all his cities at that time—there was not a town we did not take from them—sixty cities, all the region of Argob,⁷ the dominion of Og in Bashan. ^3:5All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars;⁸ in addition there were a great many open villages.⁹^3:6We put all of these under divine judgment¹⁰ just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon—every occupied city,¹¹ including women and children. ^3:7But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves. ^3:8So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon¹²^3:9(the Sidonians¹³ call Hermon Sirion¹⁴ and the Amorites call it Senir),¹⁵^3:10all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah¹⁶ and Edrei,¹⁷ cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ^3:11Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy¹⁸ that his sarcophagus¹⁹ was made of iron.²⁰ Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath²¹ of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet²² long and six feet²³ wide according to standard measure.)²⁴

Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments

^3:12This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer²⁵ by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites.²⁶^3:13The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh.²⁷ (All the region of Argob,²⁸ that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim. ^3:14Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with the Geshurites²⁹ and Maacathites³⁰ (namely Bashan) and called it by his name, Havvoth-Jair,³¹ which it retains to this very day.) ^3:15I gave Gilead to Machir.³²^3:16To the Reubenites and Gadites I allocated the territory extending from Gilead as far as Wadi Arnon (the exact middle of the wadi was a boundary) all the way to the Wadi Jabbok, the Ammonite border. ^3:17The Arabah and the Jordan River³³ were also a border, from the sea of Chinnereth³⁴ to the sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea),³⁵ beneath the watershed³⁶ of Pisgah³⁷ to the east.

Instructions to the Transjordanian Tribes

^3:18At that time I instructed you as follows: “The Lord your God has given you this land for your possession. You warriors are to cross over before your fellow Israelites³⁸ equipped for battle. ^3:19But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you. ^3:20You must fight³⁹ until the Lord gives your countrymen victory⁴⁰ as he did you and they take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory that I have given you.” ^3:21I also commanded Joshua at the same time, “You have seen everything the Lord your God did to these two kings; he⁴¹ will do the same to all the kingdoms where you are going.⁴²^3:22Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will personally fight for you.”

Denial to Moses of the Promised Land

^3:23Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the Lord, ^3:24“O, Lord God,⁴³ you have begun to show me⁴⁴ your greatness and strength.⁴⁵ (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?) ^3:25Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River—this good hill country and the Lebanon!”⁴⁶^3:26But the Lord was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me. Instead, he⁴⁷ said to me, “Enough of that!⁴⁸ Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. ^3:27Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south, and east,⁴⁹ for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan. ^3:28Commission⁵⁰ Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.” ^3:29So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor.⁵¹

The Privileges of the Covenant

^4:1Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances¹ I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors,² is giving you. ^4:2Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to³ you. ^4:3You have witnessed what the Lord did at Baal Peor,⁴ how he⁵ eradicated from your midst everyone who followed Baal Peor.⁶^4:4But you who remained faithful to the Lord your God are still alive to this very day, every one of you. ^4:5Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord my God told me to do, so that you might carry them out in⁷ the land you are about to enter and possess. ^4:6So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding⁸ to the people who will learn of all these statutes and say, “Indeed, this great nation is a very wise⁹ people.” ^4:7In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? ^4:8And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just¹⁰ as this whole law¹¹ that I am about to share with¹² you today?

Reminder of the Horeb Covenant

^4:9Again, however, pay very careful attention,¹³ lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren. ^4:10You¹⁴ stood before the Lord your God at Horeb and he¹⁵ said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I can tell them my commands.¹⁶ Then they will learn to revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their children.” ^4:11You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it¹⁷ and yet dark with a thick cloud.¹⁸^4:12Then the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but you could not see anything—only a voice was heard.¹⁹^4:13And he revealed to you the covenant²⁰ he has commanded you to keep, the ten commandments,²¹ writing them on two stone tablets. ^4:14Moreover, at that same time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to keep in the land which you are about to enter and possess.²²

The Nature of Israel’s God

^4:15Be very careful,²³ then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire. ^4:16I say this²⁴ so you will not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the form of any kind of figure. This includes the likeness of a human male or female, ^4:17any kind of land animal, any bird that flies in the sky, ^4:18anything that crawls²⁵ on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters of the earth.²⁶^4:19When you look up²⁷ to the sky²⁸ and see the sun, moon, and stars—the whole heavenly creation²⁹—you must not be seduced to worship and serve them,³⁰ for the Lord your God has assigned³¹ them to all the people³² of the world.³³^4:20You, however, the Lord has selected and brought from Egypt, that iron-smelting furnace,³⁴ to be his special people³⁵ as you are today. ^4:21But the Lord became angry with me because of you and vowed that I would never cross the Jordan nor enter the good land that he³⁶ is about to give you.³⁷^4:22So I must die here in this land; I will not cross the Jordan. But you are going over and will possess that³⁸ good land. ^4:23Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant of the …

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Deuteronomy 4:29: But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading Deuteronomy 2:24–4:46 in Logos

Footnotes

35 Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tell Hesbān, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south southwest of Amman, Jordan). Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26–30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
36 Heb “under heaven” (so , ).
37 Heb “from before you.”
38 Kedemoth. This is probably Aleiyan, about 8 mi (13 km) north of the Arnon and between Dibon and Mattanah.
39 Heb “in the way in the way” (בַּדֶּרֶךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, baderekh baderekh). The repetition lays great stress on the idea of resolute determination to stick to the path. §7.2.3c.
40 Heb “silver.”
41 Heb “and water for silver give to me so that I may drink.”
42 The translation follows the in reading the first person pronoun. The , followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”
43 Heb “hardened his spirit” (so , , ); “made his spirit stubborn.”
44 Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so , ); “made his heart defiant.”
45 Heb “into your hand.”
46 Heb “people.”
47 Jahaz. This is probably Khirbet el-Medeiyineh. See J. Dearman, “The Levitical Cities of Reuben and Moabite Toponymy,” 276 (1984): 55–57.
48 The translation follows the Qere or marginal reading; the Kethib (consonantal text) has the singular, “his son.”
49 Heb “all his people.”
50 Heb “every city of men.” This apparently identifies the cities as inhabited.
51 Heb “under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). The verb employed is חָרַם (kharam, usually in the Hiphil) and the associated noun is חֵרֶם (kherem). See J. Naudé, , 2:, and, for a more thorough discussion, Susan Niditch, War in the Hebrew Bible, 28–77. Divine judgment refers to God’s designation of certain persons, places, and things as objects of his special wrath and judgment because, in his omniscience, he knows them to be impure and hopelessly unrepentant.
52 Aroer. Now known as ʿAraʾir on the northern edge of the Arnon river, Aroer marked the southern limit of Moab and, later, of the allotment of the tribe of Reuben (Josh 13:9, 16).
53 Heb “the city in the wadi.” This enigmatic reference may refer to Ar or, more likely, to Aroer itself. Epexegetically the text might read, “From Aroer …, that is, the city in the wadi.” See D. L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–11 (), 49.
54 Wadi Jabbok. Now known as the Zerqa River, this is a major tributary of the Jordan that normally served as a boundary between Ammon and Gad (Deut 3:16).
1 Heb “turned and went up.”
2 Bashan. This plateau country, famous for its oaks (Isa 2:13) and cattle (Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1), was north of Gilead along the Yarmuk River.
3 Heb “people.”
4 Edrei is probably modern Derʿa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).
5 Heb “people.”
6 Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
7 Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.
8 Or “high walls and barred gates” (); Heb “high walls, gates, and bars.” Since “bars” could be understood to mean “saloons,” the qualifying adjective “locking” has been supplied in the translation.
9 The Hebrew term פְּרָזִי (péraziy) refers to rural areas, at the most “unwalled villages” (, “unwalled towns”).
10 Heb “we put them under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). See note at . The divine curse. See note on this phrase in .
11 Heb “city of men.”
12 Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.
13 Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
14 Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See 495.
15 Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see 280).
16 Salecah. Today this is known as Salkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
17 Edrei. See note on this term in .
18 Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
19 The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (’eres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. , , , ) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, “King Og’s Iron Bed: Fact or Fancy?” BR 6 (1990): 16–21, 44; cf. also “his sarcophagus of basalt”; , “his coffin.”
20 Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.
21 Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means “great [one],” probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus “still remain[ed]” there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
22 Heb “nine cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 in (45 cm) for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long.
23 Heb “four cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.
24 Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).
25 The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Aroer. See note on this term in .
26 Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28–42).
27 Half the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans, with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39–42; Josh 17:1–13).
28 Argob. See note on this term in v. .
29 Geshurites. Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere northeast of Bashan (cf. Josh 12:5; 13:11, 13). One of David’s wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur and mother of Absalom (cf. 2 Sam 13:37; 15:8; 1 Chr 3:2).
30 Maacathites. These were the people of a territory southwest of Mount Hermon on the Jordan River. The name probably has nothing to do with David’s wife from Geshur (see note on “Geshurites” earlier in this verse).
31 Havvoth-Jair. The Hebrew name means “villages of Jair,” the latter being named after a son (i.e., descendant) of Manasseh who took the area by conquest.
32 Machir was the name of another descendant of Manasseh (cf. Num 32:41; 1 Chr 7:14–19). Eastern Manasseh was thus divided between the Jairites and the Machirites.
33 The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).
34 Heb “from Chinnereth.” The words “the sea of” have been supplied in the translation as a clarification. Chinnereth. This is another name for the Sea of Galilee, so called because its shape is that of a harp (the Hebrew term for “harp” is כִּנּוֹר, kinnor).
35 The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).
36 The meaning of the Hebrew term אַשְׁדֹּת (’ashdot) is unclear. It is usually translated either “slopes” (, , ) or “watershed” ().
37 Pisgah. This appears to refer to a small range of mountains, the most prominent peak of which is Mount Nebo (Num 21:20; 23:14; Deut 3:27; cf. 34:1).
38 Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”
39 The words “you must fight” are not present in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
40 Heb “gives your brothers rest.”
41 Heb “the Lord.” The translation uses the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
42 Heb “which you are crossing over there.”
43 Heb “Lord Lord.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (’adonay yéhvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.” Cf. , , “Sovereign Lord.”
44 Heb “your servant.” The pronoun is used in the translation to clarify that Moses is speaking of himself, since in contemporary English one does not usually refer to oneself in third person.
45 Heb “your strong hand” (so ), a symbol of God’s activity.
46 The article is retained in the translation (“the Lebanon,” cf. also , ) to indicate that a region (rather than the modern country of Lebanon) is referred to here. Other recent English versions accomplish this by supplying “mountains” after “Lebanon” (, , ).
47 Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
48 Heb “much to you” (an idiom).
49 Heb “lift your eyes to the west, north, south, and east and see with your eyes.” The translation omits the repetition of “your eyes” for stylistic reasons.
50 Heb “command”; , , “charge Joshua.”
51 Beth Peor. This is probably the spot near Pisgah where Balaam attempted to curse the nation Israel (Num 23:28). The Moabites also worshiped Baal there by the name “Baal [of] Peor” (Num 25:1–5).
1 These technical Hebrew terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) occur repeatedly throughout the Book of Deuteronomy to describe the covenant stipulations to which Israel had been called to subscribe (see, in this chapter alone, vv. 1, 5, 6, 8). The word חֻקִּים derives from the verb חֹק (khoq, “to inscribe; to carve”) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim) from שָׁפַט (shafat, “to judge”). They are virtually synonymous and are used interchangeably in Deuteronomy.
2 Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 37).
3 Heb “commanding.”
4 The and read “to Baal Peor,” that is, the god worshiped at that place; see note on the name “Beth Peor” in .
5 Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
6 Or “followed the Baal of Peor” (so , , ), referring to the pagan god Baal.
7 Heb “in the midst of” (so ).
8 Heb “it is wisdom and understanding.”
9 Heb “wise and understanding.”
10 Or “pure”; or “fair”; Heb “righteous.”
11 The Hebrew phrase הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (hattorah hazzo’t), in this context, refers specifically to the Book of Deuteronomy. That is, it is the collection of all the חֻקִּים (khuqqim, “statutes,” 4:1) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “ordinances,” 4:1) to be included in the covenant text. In a full canonical sense, of course, it pertains to the entire Pentateuch or Torah.
12 Heb “place before.”
13 Heb “watch yourself and watch your soul carefully.”
14 The text begins with “(the) day (in) which.” In the Hebrew text v. 10 is subordinate to v. 11, but for stylistic reasons the translation treats v. 10 as an independent clause, necessitating the omission of the subordinating temporal phrase at the beginning of the verse.
15 Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in .
16 Heb “my words.” See v. 13; in Hebrew the “ten commandments” are the “ten words.”
17 Heb “a mountain burning with fire as far as the heart of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
18 Heb “darkness, cloud, and heavy cloud.”
19 The words “was heard” are supplied in the translation to avoid the impression that the voice was seen.
20 This is the first occurrence of the word בְּרִית (bérit, “covenant”) in the Book of Deuteronomy but it appears commonly hereafter (4:23, 31; 5:2, 3; 7:9, 12; 8:18; 9:9, 10, 11, 15; 10:2, 4, 5, 8; 17:2; 29:1, 9, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 25; 31:9, 16, 20, 25, 26; 33:9). Etymologically, it derives from the notion of linking or yoking together. See M. Weinfeld, 2:255.
21 Heb “the ten words.”
22 Heb “to which you are crossing over to possess it.”
23 Heb “give great care to your souls.”
24 The words “I say this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 16 is subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.
25 Heb “creeping thing.”
26 Heb “under the earth.”
27 Heb “lest you lift up your eyes.” In the Hebrew text vv. 16–19 are subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.
28 Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
29 Heb “all the host of heaven.”
30 In the Hebrew text the verbal sequence in v. 19 is “lest you look up … and see … and be seduced … and worship them … and serve them.” However, the first two actions are not prohibited in and of themselves. The prohibition pertains to the final three actions. The first two verbs describe actions that are logically subordinate to the following actions and can be treated as temporal or circumstantial: “lest, looking up … and seeing …, you are seduced.” See 2: §168.h.
31 Or “allotted.”
32 Or “nations.”
33 Heb “under all the heaven.” The OT views the heavenly host as God’s council, which surrounds his royal throne ready to do his bidding (see 1 Kgs 22:19). God has given this group, sometimes called the “sons of God” (cf. Job 1:6; 38:7; Ps 89:6), jurisdiction over the nations. See Deut 32:8 (). Some also see this assembly as the addressee in Ps 82. While God delegated his council to rule over the nations, he established a theocratic government over Israel and ruled directly over his chosen people via the Mosaic covenant. See v. 20, as well as Deut 32:9.
34 A כּוּר (kur) was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, 2:); cf. “that iron foundry, Egypt.” The term is a metaphor for intense heat. Here it refers to the oppression and suffering Israel endured in Egypt. Since a crucible was used to burn away impurities, it is possible that the metaphor views Egypt as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.
35 Heb “to be his people of inheritance.” The Lord compares his people to valued property inherited from one’s ancestors and passed on to one’s descendants.
36 Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in .
37 The Hebrew text includes “(as) an inheritance,” or “(as) a possession.”
38 Heb “this.” The translation uses “that” to avoid confusion; earlier in the verse Moses refers to Transjordan as “this land.”