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Joshua

About this book
Chapter 12

1 Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites defeated and drove from their land on the east side of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern rift valley: 2 King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley)—including the city in the middle of the valley and half of Gilead—all the way to the Jabbok Valley bordering Ammonite territory. 3 His kingdom included the eastern rift valley from the Sea of Kinnereth to the sea of the rift valley (the Salt Sea), including the route to Beth Jeshimoth and the area southward below the slopes of Pisgah. 4 The territory of King Og of Bashan, one of the few remaining Rephaites, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei⁠ 5 and ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all Bashan to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead as far as the border of King Sihon of Heshbon. 6 Moses the Lord’s servant and the Israelites defeated them, and Moses the Lord’s servant assigned their land to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 7 These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley to Mount Halak up to Seir.⁠ Joshua assigned this territory to the Israelite tribes, 8 including the hill country, the foothills, the rift valley, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev—the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites: 9 the king of Jericho (one), the king of Ai—located near Bethel—(one), 10 the king of Jerusalem (one), the king of Hebron (one), 11 the king of Jarmuth (one), the king of Lachish (one), 12 the king of Eglon (one), the king of Gezer (one), 13 the king of Debir (one), the king of Geder (one), 14 the king of Hormah (one), the king of Arad (one), 15 the king of Libnah (one), the king of Adullam (one), 16 the king of Makkedah (one), the king of Bethel (one), 17 the king of Tappuah (one), the king of Hepher (one), 18 the king of Aphek (one), the king of Lasharon (one), 19 the king of Madon (one), the king of Hazor (one), 20 the king of Shimron Meron (one), the king of Acshaph (one), 21 the king of Taanach (one), the king of Megiddo (one), 22 the king of Kedesh (one), the king of Jokneam near Carmel (one), 23 the king of Dor—near Naphath Dor—(one), the king of Goyim—near Gilgal—(one), 24 the king of Tirzah (one), a total of thirty-one kings.

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 3:11 and Joshua 12:5

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Deuteronomy and Joshua describe King Og of Bashan as the last of the Rephaim, remembered for their mythological size and power. Details like his iron coffin and wide territory stress his special status and hint at legendary roots beyond ordinary kings.

Passages

Deuteronomy 3:11

Hebrew Bible
10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is 13½ feet long and 6 feet wide according to standard measure.) 12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Joshua 12:5

Hebrew Bible
3 His kingdom included the eastern rift valley from the Sea of Kinnereth to the sea of the rift valley (the Salt Sea), including the route to Beth Jeshimoth and the area southward below the slopes of Pisgah. 4 The territory of King Og of Bashan, one of the few remaining Rephaites, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei 5 and ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all Bashan to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead as far as the border of King Sihon of Heshbon. 6 Moses the Lord’s servant and the Israelites defeated them, and Moses the Lord’s servant assigned their land to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Joshua

References

"... Opposition to Israel among the Amorites was led by the kings Sihon of Heshbon and Og of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3). Joshua 12:5 records that Og “ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites.” Og was a giant, as Deuteronomy 3:11 makes clear: “only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bed was a bed of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites?” Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the common cubit. The ancient capital of Bashan was Ashtaroth. Deuteronomy 1:4 and Joshua 12:4 note that Og also lived in Edrei. These two cities had very dark spiritual associations not only for Israelites, but Canaanites ..."
Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ (Defender, 2017), 87.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 3:11 and Joshua 12:5

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