Deuteronomy 3:13

3:12-20 This country was settled on the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: see Nu 32. Moses repeats the condition of the grant to which they agreed. When at rest, we should desire to see our brethren at rest too, and should be ready to do what we can towards it; for we are not born for ourselves, but are members one of another.

And the rest of Gilead,.... The other half of the mount, with the cities belonging to it: and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; see Numbers 32:33. all the region of Argob, with all Bashan; the region of Trachonitis, in Bashan; see Deuteronomy 3:4, which was called the land of giants; or of Rephaim; this Jarchi says is the country of the Rephaim given to Abraham, Genesis 15:20.

Verse 13. - The last part of this verse is differently construed and rendered by different translators. By some the clause all the region of Argob is connected with what precedes, while others regard this clause as in apposition with what follows. Targum: "All the region of Trachona, and all that province was called the land of giants;" LXX. "And all the region of Argob, all that Bashan: the land of the Rephaim it was reckoned:" Vulgate: "The whole region of Argob, and all Bashan is called the land of giants." Modern interpreters for the most part adopt the order of the Targum. The clause may be rendered thus: The whole region of Argob as respects all Bashan [ i.e. in so far as it formed part of the kingdom of Bashan under Og] was reputed the land of the Rephaim . Deuteronomy 3:13

Giants - Or Rephaim: see the marginal reference note. A bedstead of iron - The "iron" was probably the black basalt of the country, which not only contains a large proportion, about 20 percent, of iron, but was actually called "iron," and is still so regarded by the Arabians. Iron was indeed both known and used, principally for tools (see e. g. Deuteronomy 19:5 and compare Genesis 4:22 note), at the date in question by the Semitic people of Palestine and the adjoining countries; but bronze was the ordinary metal of which weapons, articles of furniture, etc., were made. The word translated "bedstead" is derived from a root signifying "to unite" or "bind together," and so "to arch" or "cover with a vault." The word may then certainly mean "bier," and perhaps does so in this passage. Modern travelers have discovered in the territories of Og sarcophagi as well as many other articles made of the black basalt of the country. Is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? - Probably after the defeat and death of Og at Edrei the remnant of his army fled into the territory of the friendly Ammonites, and carried with them the corpse of the giant king. After the cubit of a man - i. e. after the usual and ordinary cubit, counted as people are accustomed to count. Taking 18 inches to the cubit, the bedstead or sarcophagus would thus be from thirteen to fourteen feet long.

12, 13. this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer … gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites—The whole territory occupied by Sihon was parcelled out among the pastoral tribes of Reuben and Gad. It extended from the north bank of the Arnon to the south half of mount Gilead—a small mountain ridge, now called Djelaad, about six or seven miles south of the Jabbok, and eight miles in length. The northern portion of Gilead and the rich pasture lands of Bashan—a large province, consisting, with the exception of a few bleak and rocky spots, of strong and fertile soil—was assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh.

12, 13. this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer … gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites—The whole territory occupied by Sihon was parcelled out among the pastoral tribes of Reuben and Gad. It extended from the north bank of the Arnon to the south half of mount Gilead—a small mountain ridge, now called Djelaad, about six or seven miles south of the Jabbok, and eight miles in length. The northern portion of Gilead and the rich pasture lands of Bashan—a large province, consisting, with the exception of a few bleak and rocky spots, of strong and fertile soil—was assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh.

13 . the rest of Gilead ] From the Jabboḳ to the Yarmûḳ. This, with all Bashan, the kingdom of ‘Ôg , fell to the half-tribe of Manasseh, and is further defined as all the region of Argob (see Deuteronomy 3:4 ). R.V. following the Heb. punctuation adds even all Bashan , but as Rev. Marg. suggests, this phrase is part of the next note: all that Bashan is called a land of Repha‘îm . In Numbers 32:1-32 ; Numbers 32:34-38 (a section with obvious marks of P but containing earlier elements) only Re’uben and Gad are assigned land E. of Jordan. Moses’ allotment there to the half-tribe of Manasseh is recorded in deuteronomic passages, as here and Numbers 33:33 (editorial); while Deborah’s song, Jdg 5:14 , takes Machir as a W. clan, but J, Numbers 33:39 ; Numbers 33:41 , assigns the conquest of Gile‘ad to Machir, son of Manasseh, and the capture of its towns to Ya’îr, son of Manasseh; Numbers 33:40 , adding that Moses gave Gile‘ad; to Manasseh, is regarded as a later insertion both because of the statement just cited from Deborah and because Judges 10 assigns the Ḥawwôth-Ya’îr to Ya’îr, a Gileadite in the days of the Judges. There thus appear to have been two traditions of the occupation of Gile‘ad by part of Manasseh, one as early as J ( Numbers 33:39 ; Numbers 33:41 ) followed by D, which dates it under Moses; and one, which records the conquering clan as settled first in W. Palestine, and thence invading Gile‘ad under the Judges. This second tradition is preferred by many, e.g. Wellh

. Gesch. (2) 33, and Budde, who points out that the Bnê Yoseph could not have complained to Joshua, Joshua 17:14-18 , that they had only one lot if, besides this western territory which he gave them, part of them had already received from Moses land E. of Jordan. He proposes to insert Gile‘ad in Joshua 17:18 , so as to make it the new lot granted by Joshua. But in that case some allusion to the crossing of Jordan would have been natural, nor would the occupation of Gile‘ad have helped the Joseph tribe against the Canaanites of W. Palestine. Moreover, Gile‘ad is said to have been the father of Abi‘ezer and Shechem (JE, Joshua 17:2 ; P, Numbers 26:29 ff.) and therefore older in Manasseh’s line than these W. septs of the tribe. So there is something to be said for the occupation of Gile‘ad by Manasseh under Moses. But the whole matter is obscure. See further Hastings, D.B. iii. 230 f., HGHL , 577. Cp. the next notes.

Review of the Distribution of the Conquered Land. - The land which the Israelites had taken belonging to these two kingdoms was given by Moses to the two tribes and a half for their possession, viz., the southern portion from Aroer in the Arnon valley (see at Numbers 32:34 ), and half Gilead (as far as the Jabbok: see at Deuteronomy 3:10 ) with its towns, which are enumerated in Joshua 13:15-20 and Joshua 13:24-28 , to the Reubenites and Gadites; and the northern half of Gilead, with the whole of Bashan (i.e., all the region of Argob: see at Deuteronomy 3:4 , and Numbers 32:33 ), to the half-tribe of Manasseh. לכל־הבּשׁן, "as for all Bashan," is in apposition to "all the region of Argob," and the ל simply serves to connect it; for "all the region of Argob" was not merely one portion of Bashan, but was identical with "all Bashan," so far as it belonged to the kingdom of Og (see at v. 4). All this region passed for a land of giants. הקּרא, to be called, i.e., to be, and to be recognised as being.