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Deuteronomy Chapter
Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 3
In
this chapter the account is carried on of the conquest of the Amorites by
Israel, of Og king of Bashan, and his kingdom, Deuteronomy 3:1,
and of the distribution of their country to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and
the half tribe of Manasseh, Deuteronomy 1:12
and then the command to the said tribes is observed, to go out armed before
their brethren, and assist them in the conquest of the land of Canaan, and then
return to their possessions, Deuteronomy 3:18
and also that to Joshua not to fear, but to do to the Canaanitish kings and
kingdoms what he had seen done to the two kings of the Amorites, Deuteronomy 3:21.
After which Moses relates the request he made, to go over Jordan and see the
good land, which was denied him, only he is bidden to look from the top of an
hill to see it, Deuteronomy 3:23.
And the chapter is closed with the charge he was to give Joshua, Deuteronomy 3:28
which was received in the valley where they abode, Deuteronomy 3:29.
Deuteronomy 3:1 “Then we turned
and went up the road to Bashan; and Og king of Bashan came out against us, he
and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
YLT
1`And we turn, and go up the
way to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan cometh out to meet us, he and all his
people, to battle, [to] Edrei.
Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan,.... Which
seems to have been higher than the kingdom of Sihon: this was a fine country
for pasturage, for the breeding of cattle, larger and lesser, and was famous
for its oaks: it is the same country which in Josephus and others goes by the
name of Batanea:
and Og the king of Bashan came out against us; got his
forces together, and came out from Ashteroth, the royal city where he dwelt:
he and all his people, to battle at Edrei; another city
in his kingdom, about six miles from the former; see Deuteronomy 1:4.
Deuteronomy 3:2 2 And
the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his
people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon
king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’
YLT
2`And Jehovah saith unto me,
Fear him not, for into thy hand I have given him, and all his people, and his
land, and thou hast done to him as thou hast done to Sihon king of the Amorite
who is dwelling in Heshbon.
And the Lord said unto me,.... When Og was marching
with all his forces against Israel:
fear him not, &c; See Gill on Numbers 21:34.
Deuteronomy 3:3 3 “So
the Lord our God also delivered into our hands Og king of Bashan, with all
his people, and we attacked him until he had no survivors remaining.
YLT
3`And Jehovah our God giveth
into our hands also Og king of Bashan, and all his people, and we smite him
till there hath not been left to him a remnant;
So the Lord our God delivered into our hands Og also the king of
Bashan, and all his people,.... As well as Sihon king of Heshbon:
and we smote him, till none was left to him remaining; or left
alive, all were slain with the sword; See Gill on Numbers 21:35.
Deuteronomy 3:4 4 And
we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take
from them: sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
YLT
4and we capture all his
cities at that time, there hath not been a city which we have not taken from
them, sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
And we took all his cities at that time,.... Not only
Edrei where the battle was fought, and Ashteroth his capital city, but all the
rest in his kingdom:
there was not a city which we took not from them; not one stood
out, but all surrendered on summons; the number of which follows:
three score cities; which was a large number for so small a
country, and shows it to be well inhabited:
all the region of Argob; which was a small
province of
the kingdom of Og in Bashan: Aben Ezra and Jarchi
observe, that it was called after a man, i.e. whose name was Argob; the Targum
of Onkelos names it Tracona, and the Targum of Jonathan Targona, the same with Trachonitis
in Josephus and other authors; see Luke 3:1, Jerom
relatesF8De loc. Heb. fol. 87. M. that in his time, about Gerasa, a
city of Arabia, fifteen miles from it to the west, there was a village which
was called Arga, which seems to carry in it some remains of the ancient name of
this country; and the Samaritan version, in all places where Argob is, calls it
Rigobaah; and in the MisnahF9Misn. Menachot, c. 8. sect. 3. mention
is made of a place called Ragab, beyond Jordan, famous for its being the second
place for the best oil.
Deuteronomy 3:5 5 All
these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a
great many rural towns.
YLT
5All these [are] cities
fenced with high walls, two-leaved doors and bar, apart from cities of villages
very many;
All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars,.... That is,
all the cities in the kingdom of Bashan; and though they were, it hindered not
their falling into the hands of the Israelites; and this might serve to
encourage them against those fears they were possessed of by the spies, with
respect to the cities in the land of Canaan; see Numbers 13:28.
besides unwalled towns a great many; small towns and villages
adjacent to the several cities, as is common.
Deuteronomy 3:6 6 And
we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly
destroying the men, women, and children of every city.
YLT
6and we devote them, as we
have done to Sihon king of Heshbon, devoting every city, men, the women, and
the infants;
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.
Deuteronomy 3:7 7 But
all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves.
YLT
7and all the cattle, and the
spoil of the cities, we have spoiled for ourselves.
But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities,.... The oxen
and sheep, camels and asses; their gold and silver, and the furniture of their
houses; their stores of corn, and of other fruits of the earth, even all their
substance of whatsoever kind:
we took for a prey to ourselves; made them their own
property, and used them for their own profit and service, whereby they became
greatly enriched.
Deuteronomy 3:8 8 “And
at that time we took the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites
who were on this side of the Jordan, from the River Arnon to Mount
Hermon
YLT
8`And we take, at that time,
the land out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorite, which is beyond the
Jordan, from the brook Arnon unto mount Hermon;
And we took at that time out of the hands of the two kings of the
Amorites,.... Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan:
the land that was on this side Jordan; where Moses
then was, being in the plains of Moab, and was the country beyond Jordan, with
respect to the land of Canaan, and when in that:
from the river of Arnon unto Mount Hermon; Arnon was a
river which divided Moab and the Amorites, Numbers 22:13 and
Hermon was a mountain of Gilead, which ended where Lebanon began, and was the
northerly border of this country. It was remarkable for the dew that fell on
it; See Gill on Psalm 133:3.
Deuteronomy 3:9 9 (the
Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir),
YLT
9(Sidonians call Hermon,
Sirion; and the Amorites call it Senir,)
Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion,.... Which
name it has in Psalm 29:6 a name
the inhabitants of Sidon gave it, but for what reason it is not easy to say;
however, that it was well known to Tyre and Sidon, appears from snow in summer
time being brought to the former, as will be hereafter observed:
and the Amorites call it Shenir; in whose possession it
was last. BochartF11Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 14. col. 865. thinks
it had its name from the multitude of wild cats in it, Shunar in the Chaldee
tongue being the name of that creature; but Jarchi says Shenir in the Canaanitish
language signifies "snow"; so, in the Targums of Onkelos and
Jonathan, it is called the mountain of snow; and the Hebrew who read to Jerom,
and taught him, affirmed to him that this mountain hung over Paneas, from
whence snow in summer time was brought to Tyre for pleasureF12De
loc. Heb. fol. 88. B, C. , and the same is confirmed by AbulfedaF13Apud
Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. par. 2. p. 920. . There is said to be upon the top
of it a famous temple, which is used for worship by the Heathens, over against
Paneas and LebanonF14De loc. Heb. fol. 88. B, C. ; and it is highly
probable there was one even at this time, when it was possessed by the
Amorites, since it is called Mount Baalhermon, Judges 3:3, from
the worship of Baal, or some other idol upon it, as it should seem. Besides
these, it had another name, Mount Sion, Deuteronomy 4:48
but to be distinguished from Mount Zion near Jerusalem. The names of it in this
place are very differently interpreted by HillerusF15Onomastic.
Sacr. p. 561, 562, 786, 929. ; though he thinks it had them all on account of
the snow on it, which was as a net all over it; for Hermon, he observes,
signifies a net, a dragnet, and Shenir an apron, and Sirion a coat of mail, all
from the covering of this mount with snow.
Deuteronomy 3:10 10 all
the cities of the plain, all Gilead, and all Bashan, as far as Salcah and
Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
YLT
10all the cities of the
plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the
kingdom of Og in Bashan,
All the cities of the plain,.... There was a plain by
Medeba, and Heshbon and her cities were in a plain, with some others given to
the tribe of Reuben, Joshua 13:16.
and all Gilead; Mount Gilead, and the cities belonging to
it, a very fruitful country, half of which fell to the share of the Reubenites,
and the rest to the half tribe of Manasseh:
and all Bashan; of which Og was king, called Batanea, a
very fertile country, as before observed:
unto Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan; which seem to
be frontier cities of the latter: see Deuteronomy 1:4.
The former, AdrichomiusF16Thestrum Terrae Sanct. p. 94. says, was
situated by the city Geshur and Mount Hermon, and was the boundary of the
country of Bashan to the north; and according to Benjamin of TudelaF17Itinerar.
p. 57. , it was half a day's journey from Gilead: as Edrei seems to be its
boundary to the south.
Deuteronomy 3:11 11 “For
only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants.[a] Indeed his
bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people
of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width,
according to the standard cubit.
YLT
11for only Og king of Bashan
had been left of the remnant of the Rephaim; lo, his bedstead [is] a bedstead
of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the sons of Ammon? nine cubits its length, and
four cubits its breadth, by the cubit of a man.
For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants,.... The
meaning seems to be, either that he was the only one that was left of the race
of the giants the Ammonites found when they took possession of this country, Deuteronomy 2:20 or
that was left when the Amorites took it from the Ammonites; and who having by
some means or other ingratiated himself into their affections, because of his
stature, strength, and courage, and other qualifications they might discern in
him, made him their king:
behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron: his body
being so large and bulky, he might think it most proper and safest for him to
have a bedstead made of iron to lie upon, or to prevent noxious insects
harbouring in it; nor was it unusual to have bedsteads made of other materials
than wood, as of gold, silver, and ivory; See Gill on Amos 6:4. Some
learned menF18Vid. Dickinson. Delph. Phaenieizant. c. 2. p. 12. have
been of opinion, that the beds of Typho in Syria, made mention of by HomerF19Iliad.
z. , refer to this bedstead of Og:
is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? which was the
royal city of the Ammonites, in the times of David, 2 Samuel 12:26, now
called Philadelphia, as Jerom saysF20De loc. Heb. fol. 94. C. . This
bedstead might be either sent thither by Og, before the battle at Edrei, for
safety, or rather might be sold by the Israelites to the inhabitants of
Rabbath, who kept it, as a great curiosity:
nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of
it, after the cubit of a man; a common cubit, so that it was four yards
and a half long, and two yards broad. Onkelos renders it, after the king's
cubit; and the king's cubit at Babylon, according to HerodotusF21Clio,
sive, l. 1. c. 175. , was larger by three fingers than the common one; such as
the cubit in Ezekiel 40:5, which
was a cubit and an hand's breadth; and this makes the dimensions of the
bedstead yet larger. And by this judgment may be made of the tallness of Og's
stature, though this is not always a sure rule to go by; for Alexander, when in
India, ordered his soldiers to make beds of five cubits long, to be left behind
them, that they might be thought to be larger men than they were, as Diodorus
SiculusF23Bibliothec. l. 17. p. 563. and CurtiusF24Hist.
l. 9. c. 3. relate; but there is little reason to believe that Og's bedstead
was made with such a view. Maimonides observesF25Moreh Nevochim,
par. 2. c. 47. p. 325. , that a bed in common is a third part larger than a
man; so that Og, according to this way of reckoning, was six cubits high, and
his stature doubly larger than a common man's; but less than a third part may
well be allowed to a bed, which will make him taller still; the height of Og is
reckoned by WolfiusF26Apud Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 401.
to be about thirteen feet eleven inches of Paris measure.
Deuteronomy 3:12 12 “And
this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is
by the River Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilead and its cities, I gave to
the Reubenites and the Gadites.
YLT
12`And this land we have
possessed, at that time; from Aroer, which [is] by the brook Arnon, and the
half of mount Gilead, and its cities, I have given to the Reubenite, and to the
Gadite;
And this land, which we possessed at that time,.... Or took
possession of, having conquered it; for it still remained in their possession:
from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon: on the
borders of Moab, from thence as far as Gilead was the land which was taken from
Sihon king of Heshbon, Deuteronomy 2:36.
and half Mount Gilead, and the cities thereof: which were
taken from Og king of Bashan, Deuteronomy 3:10.
gave I unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites; at their request,
on certain conditions to be performed by them, afterwards repeated.
Deuteronomy 3:13 13 The
rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of
Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the
giants.[b]
YLT
13and the rest of Gilead and
all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I have given to the half tribe of Manasseh; all
the region of Argob, to all that Bashan, called the land of Rephaim.
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.
Deuteronomy 3:14 14 Jair
the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, as far as the border of the
Geshurites and the Maachathites, and called Bashan after his own name, Havoth
Jair,[c] to this
day.)
YLT
14`Jair son of Manasseh hath
taken all the region of Argob, unto the border of Geshuri, and Maachathi, and
calleth them by his own name, Bashan-Havoth-Jair, unto this day.
Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob,.... Or
Trachonitis; the small towns belonging to Gilead, as in Numbers 32:41.
unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; these were
little kingdoms in Syria, on which the country of Argob bordered, and had kings
over them in the time of David, and came not into the possession of the
Israelites; see Joshua 13:13.
and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair, unto this
day; see Numbers 32:41.
Deuteronomy 3:15 15 “Also
I gave Gilead to Machir.
YLT
15And to Machir I have given
Gilead.
And I gave Gilead unto Machir. The son of Manasseh; not
to him personally, who cannot be thought to have been living at this time, but
to his posterity, to the Machirites; see Numbers 32:40.
Deuteronomy 3:16 16 And
to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead as far as the River Arnon,
the middle of the river as the border, as far as the River Jabbok, the
border of the people of Ammon;
YLT
16`And to the Reubenite and
to the Gadite I have given from Gilead even unto the brook Arnon, the middle of
the valley and the border, even unto Jabbok the brook, the border of the sons
of Ammon,
And unto the Reubenites, and unto the Gadites,.... The
tribes of Reuben and Gad:
I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon: see Deuteronomy 3:12.
half the valley and the border; or rather half the
river, the river Arnon; and so it is rendered "the middle of the
river", in Joshua 12:2 and so
here the middle of the torrent by the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint versions,
and by Onkelos:
even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of
Ammon; beyond which the land given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad reached
not; see Deuteronomy 2:37.
Deuteronomy 3:17 17 the
plain also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the
east side of the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.
YLT
17and the plain, and the
Jordan, and the border, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, the
salt sea, under the springs of Pisgah, at the [sun]-rising.
The plain also, and Jordan,.... The plain by Jordan,
the plains of Moab on the side of it, together with the river:
and the coast thereof; the country adjoining to
it:
from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the
salt sea; that is, from Gennesaret, as the Targums of Onkelos and
Jonathan, called the land of Gennesaret, Matthew 14:34, from
thence to the sea of Sodom, the sea of the plain, where the cities of the plain
stood, Sodom, Gomorrah, &c. and the salt sea, so called from the salt and
nitrous waters of it, the lake Asphaltites:
under Ashdothpisgah eastward; mentioned among the
cities given to the tribe of Reuben, Joshua 13:20
rendered "the springs of Pisgah", Deuteronomy 4:49,
the word having the signification of effusions, pourings out; so the Targums.
Deuteronomy 3:18 18 “Then
I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The Lord your God
has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor shall cross over armed
before your brethren, the children of Israel.
YLT
18`And I command you, at that
time, saying, Jehovah your God hath given to you this land to possess it; armed
ye pass over before your brethren the sons of Israel, all the sons of might.
And I commanded you at that time,.... Not all Israel, but
the tribes of Reuben and God, and the half tribe of Manasseh; for what follows
only concerns them:
saying, the Lord your God hath given you this land to possess it; the land
before described, lately in the hands of Sihon and Og; this at their request
Moses gave them, by the direction of the Lord, on the following condition:
you shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of
Israel, all that are meet for the war; that is, they should
pass over Jordan with the rest of the tribes, being armed to assist them in the
conquest of Canaan: for this phrase, which we render "before your
brethren", does not signify that they went in the forefront of them, only
that they were present with them, and joined them in their war against their
enemies; see Numbers 32:29 and
therefore should be rendered "with your brethren"F1לפני אחיכם "cum fratribus
vestris", Noldius, p. 531, No. 1492. ; even as many of them as were able
to bear arms, at least as many as Joshua would choose to take of them; for he
did not take them all by a great many; see Joshua 4:13.
Deuteronomy 3:19 19 But
your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much
livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you,
YLT
19Only, your wives, and your
infants, and your cattle -- I have known that ye have much cattle -- do dwell
in your cities which I have given to you,
But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle,.... These
were to be left behind: for
I know that ye have much cattle; which made the countries
of Gilead and Bashan, so famous for pasturage, agreeable to them; see Numbers 32:1 these,
under the care of servants, and also their wives and children:
shall abide in your cities which I have given you; and which
they rebuilt and repaired, Numbers 32:34.
Deuteronomy 3:20 20 until
the Lord has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess
the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond
the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given
you.’
YLT
20till that Jehovah give rest
to your brethren like yourselves, and they also have possessed the land which
Jehovah your God is giving to them beyond the Jordan, then ye have turned back
each to his possession, which I have given to you.
Until the Lord have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto
you,.... Rest from their enemies, and habitations to dwell quietly
in; so the land of Canaan is called a rest, Deuteronomy 12:9
typical of the rest which remains for the people of God:
and until they also possess the land which the Lord your God hath
given them beyond Jordan; for so Canaan was with respect to Moses and the people with him,
who were then in the plains of Moab; otherwise the country in which he was with
respect to Canaan is usually called beyond Jordan; this the Lord had given in
promise to Israel, and they were just now ready to enter into and possess it,
by virtue of his gift, and which made it sure unto them:
and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I
have given you; as accordingly they did, Joshua 22:1.
Deuteronomy 3:21 21 “And
I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass.
YLT
21`And Jehoshua I have
commanded at that time, saying, Thine eyes are seeing all that which Jehovah
your God hath done to these two kings -- so doth Jehovah to all the kingdoms
whither thou are passing over;
And I commanded Joshua at that time,.... After the conquest
of the two kings, and the assignment of their countries to the above tribes;
and after Moses had it made known to him that he should quickly die, and Joshua
should be his successor; then, by the direction of God, he gave him the
following charge:
saying, thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done
unto these two kings; Sihon and Og; how their kingdoms were taken from them, and given
to Israel, and they slain with the sword; this Joshua was an eyewitness of, and
was, no doubt, greatly concerned in the battles with them, being the general in
the Israelitish armies; at least this was sometimes his post, and he cannot be
thought to have been unemployed in these wars:
so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest; all the
kingdoms in the land of Canaan, where there were many, thirty one at least;
these would be all conquered and put into the hands of the Israelites, and
their kings slain.
Deuteronomy 3:22 22 You
must not fear them, for the Lord your God
Himself fights for you.’
YLT
22fear them not, for Jehovah
your God, He is fighting for you.
Ye shall not fear them,.... On account of the
numbers, strength, courage, and gigantic stature of the inhabitants, at least
some of them; nor on account of their walled towns, and fortified cities:
for the Lord your God he shall fight for you; as he did,
particularly at Jericho, the walls of which city fell at the sound of rams'
horns; and at Gibeon, when he cast down hailstones on their enemies, and more
were slain by them than with the sword; and in all their battles it was he that
gave them success and victory.
Deuteronomy 3:23 23 “Then
I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying:
YLT
23`And I entreat for grace
unto Jehovah, at that time, saying,
And I besought the Lord at that time,.... When he
was told he should die, and Joshua should succeed him; or when the two kings
were slain, and their kingdoms conquered; this being the beginning, pledge, and
earnest of what God had promised to do for the people of Israel; Moses was very
desirous of living to see the work completed, and therefore sought the Lord by
prayer and supplication:
saying; as follows.
Deuteronomy 3:24 24 ‘O
Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty
hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything
like Your works and Your mighty deeds?
YLT
24Lord Jehovah, Thou -- Thou
hast begun to shew Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for who [is]
a God in the heavens or in earth who doth according to Thy works, and according
to Thy might?
O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness and
thy mighty hand,.... To give a specimen of the greatness of his power in subduing
the two kings and their kingdoms, and delivering them up into the hands of the
Israelites. Moses had seen instances of the mighty power of God in Egypt, at
the Red sea, and in the wilderness; but this was the beginning of his power, in
vanquishing the Canaanites, and putting their land into the possession of the
Israelites, as he had promised; of which the Amorites were a part, and a
principal nation of them: and thus God, when he begins a work of grace upon the
soul of man, begins to show the exceeding greatness of his power, and which is
further exerted in carrying it on, and bringing it to perfection:
for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according
to thy works, and according to thy might? here Moses speaks
according to the notion of Heathens, who supposed there were other gods in
heaven and in earth besides the true God; and upon this supposition observes,
let there be as many as they will, or can be imagined, there is none of them
like the Lord God of Israel for power and might; or are able to do such works
as he has done, in nature, in the creation of all things out of nothing, in
providence, in supporting what he has made, and in governing the world; and in
those amazing instances of his power, in bringing down judgments upon wicked
men, kings, and kingdoms; and in the deliverance of his own people from them,
and putting them and their kingdoms into the possession of them; which were the
wondrous works of might Moses had in view, and a sense of which was impressed
on his mind at this time.
Deuteronomy 3:25 25 I
pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant
mountains, and Lebanon.’
YLT
25Let me pass over, I pray
Thee, and see the good land which [is] beyond the Jordan, this good
hill-country, and Lebanon.
I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond
Jordan,.... The land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey; a
land which he describes as a most excellent one, Deuteronomy 8:7. To
see this land, he was very desirous of going over the river Jordan, beyond which
it lay with respect to the place where he now was:
that goodly mountain, and Lebanon; or, "that goodly
mountain, even Lebanon"; which lay to the north of the land of Canaan, and
was famous for cedar and odoriferous trees. But if two distinct mountains are
meant, the goodly mountain may design Mount Moriah, on which the temple was
afterwards built, and of which Moses might have a foresight; and some by
Lebanon think that is meant, which was built of the cedars of Lebanon, and
therefore goes by that name, Zechariah 11:1 and
a foreview of this made the mountain so precious to Moses, and desirable to be
seen by him. So the Targum of Jonathan;"that goodly mountain in which is
built the city of Jerusalem, and Mount Lebanon, in which the Shechinah shall
dwell'to which agrees the note of Aben Ezra, who interprets the goodly mountain
of Jerusalem, and Lebanon of the house of the sanctuary. In the Septuagint it
is called Antilibanus. Mount Libanus had its name not from frankincense growing
upon it, as some have thought; for it does not appear that any did grow upon
it, for that came from Seba in Arabia Felix; but from the whiteness of it,
through the continual snows that were on it, just as the Alps have their name
for the same reason; and so Jerom saysF2In Hieremiam, c. 18. 14. of
Lebanon, that the snow never leaves from the tops of it, or is ever so overcome
by the heat of the sun as wholly to melt; to the same purpose also TacitusF3Hist.
l. 5. c. 6. says, and Mr. MaundrellF4Journey from Aleppo, p. 139,
140. , who was there in May, speaks of deep snow on it, and represents the
cedars as standing in snow.
Deuteronomy 3:26 26 “But
the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So
the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.
YLT
26`And Jehovah sheweth
himself wroth with me, for your sake, and hath not hearkened unto me, and
Jehovah saith unto me, Enough for thee; add not to speak unto Me any more about
this thing:
But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes,.... Not at
this time, and for this prayer of his, but on account of he and Aaron not
sanctifying him at the waters of Meribah; or of some expressions of unbelief,
and unadvised words, which dropped from his lips through their provocation of
him; see Numbers 20:12.
and would not hear me; now, and grant the above
request, having before declared that he and Aaron should not bring the people
of Israel into the land he had given them; and Moses with all his entreaties
could not prevail upon him to repeal the sentence:
and the Lord said unto me, let it suffice; that he had
seen the conquest of the two kings, and the delivery of their kingdoms into the
hands of Israel; and that he had brought the people through the wilderness to
the borders of the land of Canaan, and that he should have a distant sight of
the land, as after directed:
speak no more unto me of this matter; intimating it
would be in vain, and to no purpose, to solicit such a favour, since it would
never be granted; it was a determined point, and he would never recede from it.
Deuteronomy 3:27 27 Go
up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the
south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross
over this Jordan.
YLT
27go up [to] the top of
Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and
eastward, and see with thine eyes -- for thou dost not pass over this Jordan;
Get thee up into the top of Pisgah,.... Which was the
highest eminence of Mount Nebo, and so a very proper place to take a prospect
from; see Deuteronomy 32:49.
and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and
eastward; to all the four points of the heaven, and to all the four
quarters and borders of the land of Canaan:
and behold it with thine eyes; even the land of Canaan,
and particularly Lebanon, though it lay to the north of it, that mountain he
had such a desire to see. Moses, though old, his natural sight was very strong,
and not in the least dim; and it is not improbable that it might be more than
ordinarily increased and assisted at this time:
for thou shall not go over this Jordan; into the land
of Canaan; this affair, of not being suffered to enter there, Moses frequently
takes notice of, no less than four or five times, it being what lay near his
heart.
Deuteronomy 3:28 28 But
command 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 will
see.’
YLT
28and charge Jehoshua, and
strengthen him, and harden him, for he doth pass over before this people, and
he doth cause them to inherit the land which thou seest.
But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him,.... Charge
him to take the care of the children of Israel, to introduce them into the good
land, and put them into the possession of it; encourage him against all fear of
his and their enemies, and strengthen him with promises of the presence of God,
and of his gracious help and assistance:
for he shall go over before this people; over the
river Jordan, at the head of them, as their leader and commander; a type of
Christ, the leader and commander of his people, who as their King goes forth at
the head of them, and will introduce them all into his Father's kingdom and
glory:
and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see; and no more; not
enter into, but Joshua should; and having conquered it, should divide it by lot
for an inheritance to them, and their children after them; a type of Christ, in
whom and by whom the saints obtain an inheritance by lot, Ephesians 1:11.
Deuteronomy 3:29 29 “So
we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.
YLT
29`And we dwell in a valley
over-against Beth-Peor.
So we abode in the valley over against Bethpeor. In the plains
of Moab, over against a temple built for Baalpeor upon a mountain, so called
from that idol, or that idol from the mountain; this is the valley where Moses
was buried, Deuteronomy 34:6.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)