And we utterly destroyed them ,.... Not the cities, but the inhabitants of them: as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon ; they did not destroy his cities, for they took them and dwelt in them; but the people that lived there, as follows here: utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city ; see Deuteronomy 2:34 . read more
EXPOSITION CONQUEST OF OG , KING OF BASHAN . The Amorites had wrested from Moab a portion of the territory taken by the Moabites and the Edomites from the giant aborigines; and Og, who was of the same giant race, ruled over the northern half of the region of Gilead and over all Bashan. This district also God purposed Israel to possess; and therefore, before crossing the Jordan , a diversion was made north. wards by the Israelites, for the purpose of... read more
The conquest of Og. Og, King of Bashan, was a yet more formidable adversary than Sihon. We read with wonder of that extraordinary territory over which he ruled, the region of Argob, with its sixty cities built of black stone, hard as iron, and perched amidst the masses of basaltic rock, which are the characteristic feature of the district, and which formed an apparently impregnable barrier against assault. The suddenness, completeness, and decisiveness of the conquest of this region,... read more
The destruction of Og, King of Bashan. We have here an account of another conquest, for which the victory over Sihon, King of the Amorites, prepared the people. Bashan was "called the land of the giants" ( Deuteronomy 3:13 ), and Og, the king, was manifestly the greatest of the giants—hence the particulars about his bedstead, as being nine cubits long and four broad ( Deuteronomy 3:11 ). In a rude age and country , force was the recognized ruler, and the biggest man in consequence... read more
Self-propagating conquest. There is solid truth in the French proverb: "It is the first step that costs." An untried course makes large demands on a man's thought, self-watchfullness, and energy; but when habit is acquired, the machinery of the soul works with smooth facility. Enterprises which are most arduous at the first, become by repetition as simple as a natural instinct. I. CONQUEST INDUCES NEW ENERGY . The joy of conquest is a spur to fresh endeavor. The appetite for... read more
The destruction of the populations. The difficulty is often urged of the numerous cases of the destruction of entire populations recorded in Scripture, and said to be commanded by God. It is a difficulty which all have felt, and which deserves remark. It is not questioned that, as a matter of policy , it was wise to root out these populations from the lands in which they dwelt; but the justice and humanity of the measure are thought to be more doubtful. The believer, on the other hand,... read more
From Kadesh to Jordan (2:1-3:29)God told the Israelites that if they went through the land of Edom, they were not to seize any territory. This was partly because Edom was Israel’s brother nation (being descended from Esau), and partly because the Edomites’ territory, formerly possessed by the Horites, had been given them by God (2:1-7). Similar restrictions applied to Israel’s relations with the nations of Moab and Ammon, both of which were also related to Israel (being descended from Lot).... read more
destroyed . . . destroying = devoted to destruction. Hebrew. haram . Compare Deuteronomy 7:2 . men. Hebrew. methim = adult males. App-14 . women. Some codices, with The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "and the women". read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 3:1-11
We have here another brave country delivered into the hand of Israel, that of Bashan; the conquest of Sihon is often mentioned together with that of Og, to the praise of God, the rather because in these Israel's triumphs began, Ps. 135:11; 136:19, 20. See, I. How they got the mastery of Og, a very formidable prince, 1. Very strong, for he was of the remnant of the giants (Deut. 3:11); his personal strength was extraordinary, a monument of which was preserved by the Ammonites in his bedstead,... read more