Deuteronomy 11:1

Reiteration of the Call to Obedience

11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments ¹  at all times.

Deuteronomy 2:1--3:29

The Journey from Kadesh Barnea to Moab

2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea ²  just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time. 2:2 At this point the Lord said to me, 2:3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north. 2:4 Instruct ³  these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives ⁴  the descendants of Esau, ⁵  who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully. 2:5 Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir ⁶  as an inheritance for Esau. 2:6 You may purchase ⁷  food to eat and water to drink from them. 2:7 All along the way I, the Lord your God, ⁸  have blessed your every effort. ⁹  I have ¹⁰  been attentive to ¹¹  your travels through this great wasteland. These forty years I have ¹²  been with you; you have lacked for nothing.’”

2:8 So we turned away from our relatives ¹³  the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the desert route, ¹⁴  from Elat ¹⁵  and Ezion Geber, ¹⁶  and traveling the way of the Moab wastelands. 2:9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have given Ar ¹⁷  to the descendants of Lot ¹⁸  as their possession. 2:10 (The Emites ¹⁹  used to live there, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. 2:11 These people, as well as the Anakites, are also considered Rephaites; ²⁰  the Moabites call them Emites. 2:12 Previously the Horites ²¹  lived in Seir but the descendants of Esau dispossessed and destroyed them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land it came to possess, the land the Lord gave them.) ²²  2:13 Now, get up and cross the Wadi Zered.” ²³  So we did so. ²⁴  2:14 Now the length of time it took for us to go from Kadesh Barnea to the crossing of Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, time for all the military men of that generation to die, just as the Lord had vowed to them. 2:15 Indeed, it was the very hand of the Lord that eliminated them from within ²⁵  the camp until they were all gone.

Instructions Concerning Ammon

2:16 So it was that after all the military men had been eliminated from the community, ²⁶  2:17 the Lord said to me, 2:18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar. ²⁷  2:19 But when you come close to the Ammonites, do not harass or provoke them because I am not giving you any of the Ammonites’ land as your possession; I have already given it to Lot’s descendants ²⁸  as their possession.

2:20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites. ²⁹  The Rephaites lived there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites. ³⁰  2:21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaites ³¹  in advance of the Ammonites, ³²  so they dispossessed them and settled down in their place. 2:22 This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and settle in their area to this very day. 2:23 As for the Avvites ³³  who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtorites ³⁴  who came from Crete ³⁵  destroyed them and settled down in their place.)

2:24 Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, ³⁶  and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war! 2:25 This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the earth ³⁷  with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.” ³⁸ 

Defeat of Sihon, King of Heshbon

2:26 Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth ³⁹  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. ⁴⁰  I will not turn aside to the right or the left. 2:28 Sell me food for cash ⁴¹  so that I can eat and sell me water to drink. ⁴²  Just allow me to go through on foot, 2:29 just 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.” 2:30 But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because the Lord our ⁴³  God had made him obstinate ⁴⁴  and stubborn ⁴⁵  so that he might deliver him over to you ⁴⁶  this very day. 2:31 The 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.” 2:32 When Sihon and all his troops ⁴⁷  emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz, ⁴⁸  2:33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with his sons ⁴⁹  and everyone else. ⁵⁰  2:34 At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of them ⁵¹  under divine judgment, ⁵²  including even the women and children; we left no survivors. 2:35 We kept only the livestock and plunder from the cities for ourselves. 2:36 From Aroer, ⁵³  which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi), ⁵⁴  all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us – the Lord our God gave them all to us. 2:37 However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok, ⁵⁵  the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the Lord our God.

Defeat of King Og of Bashan

3:1 Next we set out on ⁵⁶  the route to Bashan, ⁵⁷  but King Og of Bashan and his whole army ⁵⁸  came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. ⁵⁹  3:2 The Lord, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army, ⁶⁰  and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.” 3:3 So 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. ⁶¹  3:4 We 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, ⁶²  the dominion of Og in Bashan. 3:5 All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars; ⁶³  in addition there were a great many open villages. ⁶⁴  3:6 We put all of these under divine judgment ⁶⁵  just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon – every occupied city, ⁶⁶  including women and children. 3:7 But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves. 3:8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon ⁶⁷  3:9 (the Sidonians ⁶⁸  call Hermon Sirion ⁶⁹  and the Amorites call it Senir), ⁷⁰  3:10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah ⁷¹  and Edrei, ⁷²  cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 3:11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy ⁷³  that his sarcophagus ⁷⁴  was made of iron. ⁷⁵  Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath ⁷⁶  of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet ⁷⁷  long and six feet ⁷⁸  wide according to standard measure.) ⁷⁹ 

Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments

3:12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer ⁸⁰  by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites. ⁸¹  3:13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. ⁸²  (All the region of Argob, ⁸³  that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim. 3:14 Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with the Geshurites ⁸⁴  and Maacathites ⁸⁵  (namely Bashan) and called it by his name, Havvoth-Jair, ⁸⁶  which it retains to this very day.) 3:15 I gave Gilead to Machir. ⁸⁷  3:16 To 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. 3:17 The Arabah and the Jordan River ⁸⁸  were also a border, from the sea of Chinnereth ⁸⁹  to the sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea), ⁹⁰  beneath the watershed ⁹¹  of Pisgah ⁹²  to the east.

Instructions to the Transjordanian Tribes

3:18 At 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 Israelites ⁹³  equipped for battle. 3:19 But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you. 3:20 You must fight ⁹⁴  until the Lord gives your countrymen victory ⁹⁵  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.” 3:21 I also commanded Joshua at the same time, “You have seen everything the Lord your God did to these two kings; he ⁹⁶  will do the same to all the kingdoms where you are going. ⁹⁷  3:22 Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will personally fight for you.”

Denial to Moses of the Promised Land

3:23 Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the Lord, 3:24 “O, Lord God, ⁹⁸  you have begun to show me ⁹⁹  your greatness and strength. ¹⁰⁰  (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?) 3:25 Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River – this good hill country and the Lebanon!” ¹⁰¹  3:26 But the Lord was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me. Instead, he ¹⁰²  said to me, “Enough of that! ¹⁰³  Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 3:27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south, and east, ¹⁰⁴  for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan. 3:28 Commission ¹⁰⁵  Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.” 3:29 So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor. ¹⁰⁶ 

[11:1]  ¹ tn This collocation of technical terms for elements of the covenant text lends support to its importance and also signals a new section of paraenesis in which Moses will exhort Israel to covenant obedience. The Hebrew term מִשְׁמָרוֹת (mishmarot, “obligations”) sums up the three terms that follow – חֻקֹּת (khuqot), מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishppatim), and מִצְוֹת (mitsot).

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.

[2:4]  ³ tn Heb “command” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “charge the people as follows.”

[2:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “brothers”; NAB “your kinsmen.”

[2:4]  ⁵ sn The descendants of Esau (Heb “sons of Esau”; the phrase also occurs in 2:8, 12, 22, 29). These are the inhabitants of the land otherwise known as Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. Jacob’s brother Esau had settled there after his bitter strife with Jacob (Gen 36:1-8). “Edom” means “reddish,” probably because of the red sandstone of the region, but also by popular etymology because Esau, at birth, was reddish (Gen 25:25).

[2:5]  ⁴ sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.

[2:6]  ⁵ tn Heb includes “with silver.”

[2:7]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text does not have the first person pronoun; it has been supplied for purposes of English style (the Lord is speaking here).

[2:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”

[2:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “he has.” This has been converted to first person in the translation in keeping with English style.

[2:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “known” (so ASV, NASB); NAB “been concerned about.”

[2:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord your God has.” This has been replaced in the translation by the first person pronoun (“I”) in keeping with English style.

[2:8]  ⁷ tn Or “brothers”; NRSV “our kin.”

[2:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “the way of the Arabah” (so ASV); NASB, NIV “the Arabah road.”

[2:8]  ⁹ sn Elat was a port city at the head of the eastern arm of the Red Sea, that is, the Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilat). Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28), Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22), and Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:5-6) used it as a port but eventually it became permanently part of Edom. It may be what is known today as Tell el-Kheleifeh. Modern Eilat is located further west along the northern coast. See G. Pratico, “Nelson Glueck’s 1938-1940 Excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh: A Reappraisal,” BASOR 259 (1985): 1-32.

[2:8]  ¹⁰ sn Ezion Geber. A place near the Gulf of Aqaba, Ezion-geber must be distinguished from Elat (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 2 Chr 8:17-18). It was, however, also a port city (1 Kgs 22:48-49). It may be the same as the modern site Gezirat al-Fauran, 15 mi (24 km) south-southwest from Tell el-Kheleifah.

[2:9]  ⁸ sn Ar was a Moabite city on the Arnon River east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned elsewhere in the “Book of the Wars of Yahweh” (Num 21:15; cf. 21:28; Isa 15:1). Here it is synonymous with the whole land of Moab.

[2:9]  ⁹ sn The descendants of Lot. Following the destruction of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, as God’s judgment, Lot fathered two sons by his two daughters, namely, Moab and Ammon (Gen 19:30-38). Thus, these descendants of Lot in and around Ar were the Moabites.

[2:10]  ⁹ sn Emites. These giant people, like the Anakites (Deut 1:28), were also known as Rephaites (v. 11). They appear elsewhere in the narrative of the invasion of the kings of the east where they are said to have lived around Shaveh Kiriathaim, perhaps 9 to 11 mi (15 to 18 km) east of the north end of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:5).

[2:11]  ¹⁰ sn Rephaites. The earliest reference to this infamous giant race is, again, in the story of the invasion of the eastern kings (Gen 14:5). They lived around Ashteroth Karnaim, probably modern Tell Ashtarah (cf. Deut 1:4), in the Bashan plateau east of the Sea of Galilee. Og, king of Bashan, was a Rephaite (Deut 3:11; Josh 12:4; 13:12). Other texts speak of them or their kinfolk in both Transjordan (Deut 2:20; 3:13) and Canaan (Josh 11:21-22; 14:12, 15; 15:13-14; Judg 1:20; 1 Sam 17:4; 1 Chr 20:4-8). They also appear in extra-biblical literature, especially in connection with the city state of Ugarit. See C. L’Heureux, “Ugaritic and Biblical Rephaim,” HTR 67 (1974): 265-74.

[2:12]  ¹¹ sn Horites. Most likely these are the same as the well-known people of ancient Near Eastern texts described as Hurrians. They were geographically widespread and probably non-Semitic. Genesis speaks of them as the indigenous peoples of Edom that Esau expelled (Gen 36:8-19, 31-43) and also as among those who confronted the kings of the east (Gen 14:6).

[2:12]  ¹² tn Most modern English versions, beginning with the ASV (1901), regard vv. 10-12 as parenthetical to the narrative.

[2:13]  ¹² sn Wadi Zered. Now known as Wadi el-H£esa, this valley marked the boundary between Moab to the north and Edom to the south.

[2:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “we crossed the Wadi Zered.” This has been translated as “we did so” for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[2:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “from the middle of.” Although many recent English versions leave this expression untranslated, the point seems to be that these soldiers did not die in battle but “within the camp.”

[2:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and it was when they were eliminated, all the men of war, to die from the midst of the people.”

[2:18]  ¹⁵ sn Ar. See note on this word in Deut 2:9.

[2:19]  ¹⁶ sn Lot’s descendants. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:9.

[2:20]  ¹⁷ sn Rephaites. See note on this word in Deut 2:11.

[2:20]  ¹⁸ sn Zamzummites. Just as the Moabites called Rephaites by the name Emites, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (or Zazites; Gen 14:5).

[2:21]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Rephaites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:21]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Ammonites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:23]  ¹⁹ sn Avvites. Otherwise unknown, these people were probably also Anakite (or Rephaite) giants who lived in the lower Mediterranean coastal plain until they were expelled by the Caphtorites.

[2:23]  ²⁰ sn Caphtorites. These peoples are familiar from both the OT (Gen 10:14; 1 Chr 1:12; Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7) and ancient Near Eastern texts (Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:37-38; ANET 138). They originated in Crete (OT “Caphtor”) and are identified as the ancestors of the Philistines (Gen 10:14; Jer 47:4).

[2:23]  ²¹ tn Heb “Caphtor”; the modern name of the island of Crete is used in the translation for clarity (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).

[2:24]  ²⁰ sn Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tell Hesba„n, 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.

[2:25]  ²¹ tn Heb “under heaven” (so NIV, NRSV).

[2:25]  ²² tn Heb “from before you.”

[2:26]  ²² sn Kedemoth. This is probably Aleiyan, about 8 mi (13 km) north of the Arnon and between Dibon and Mattanah.

[2:27]  ²³ tn 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. IBHS 116 §7.2.3c.

[2:28]  ²⁴ tn Heb “silver.”

[2:28]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and water for silver give to me so that I may drink.”

[2:30]  ²⁵ tc The translation follows the LXX in reading the first person pronoun. The MT, followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”

[2:30]  ²⁶ tn Heb “hardened his spirit” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “made his spirit stubborn.”

[2:30]  ²⁷ tn Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “made his heart defiant.”

[2:30]  ²⁸ tn Heb “into your hand.”

[2:32]  ²⁶ tn Heb “people.”

[2:32]  ²⁷ sn Jahaz. This is probably Khirbet el-Medeiyineh. See J. Dearman, “The Levitical Cities of Reuben and Moabite Toponymy,” BASOR 276 (1984): 55-57.

[2:33]  ²⁷ tc The translation follows the Qere or marginal reading; the Kethib (consonantal text) has the singular, “his son.”

[2:33]  ²⁸ tn Heb “all his people.”

[2:34]  ²⁸ tn Heb “every city of men.” This apparently identifies the cities as inhabited.

[2:34]  ²⁹ tn 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, NIDOTTE, 2:276-77, and, for a more thorough discussion, Susan Niditch, War in the Hebrew Bible, 28-77.

[2:36]  ²⁹ sn Aroer. Now known as àAraáir 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).

[2:36]  ³⁰ tn 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 (WBC), 49.

[2:37]  ³⁰ sn 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).

[3:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “turned and went up.”

[3:1]  ³² sn 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.

[3:1]  ³³ tn Heb “people.”

[3:1]  ³⁴ sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).

[3:2]  ³² tn Heb “people.”

[3:3]  ³³ tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.

[3:4]  ³⁴ sn Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.

[3:5]  ³⁵ tn Or “high walls and barred gates” (NLT); Heb “high walls, gates, and bars.” Since “bars” could be understood to mean “saloons,” the qualifying adjective “locking” has been supplied in the translation.

[3:5]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew term פְּרָזִי (pÿraziy) refers to rural areas, at the most “unwalled villages” (KJV, NASB “unwalled towns”).

[3:6]  ³⁶ tn Heb “we put them under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). See note at 2:34.

[3:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “city of men.”

[3:8]  ³⁷ sn Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.

[3:9]  ³⁸ sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.

[3:9]  ³⁹ sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See UT 495.

[3:9]  ⁴⁰ sn 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 ANET 280).

[3:10]  ³⁹ sn Salecah. Today this is known as Salkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.

[3:10]  ⁴⁰ sn Edrei. See note on this term in 3:1.

[3:11]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).

[3:11]  ⁴¹ tn The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (’eres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) 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 NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt”; TEV, CEV “his coffin.”

[3:11]  ⁴² tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.

[3:11]  ⁴³ sn 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.

[3:11]  ⁴⁴ tn 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.

[3:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “four cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.

[3:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).

[3:12]  ⁴¹ tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:12]  ⁴² sn 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).

[3:13]  ⁴² sn 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).

[3:13]  ⁴³ sn Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.

[3:14]  ⁴³ sn 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).

[3:14]  ⁴⁴ sn 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).

[3:14]  ⁴⁵ sn 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.

[3:15]  ⁴⁴ sn 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.

[3:17]  ⁴⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).

[3:17]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “from Chinnereth.” The words “the sea of” have been supplied in the translation as a clarification.

[3:17]  ⁴⁷ sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).

[3:17]  ⁴⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term אַשְׁדֹּת (’ashdot) is unclear. It is usually translated either “slopes” (ASV, NAB, NIV) or “watershed” (NEB).

[3:17]  ⁴⁹ sn 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).

[3:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”

[3:20]  ⁴⁷ tn The words “you must fight” are not present in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[3:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “gives your brothers rest.”

[3:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” The translation uses the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[3:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “which you are crossing over there.”

[3:24]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Lord Lord.” The phrase אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih) is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.” Cf. NIV, TEV, NLT “Sovereign Lord.”

[3:24]  ⁵⁰ tn 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.

[3:24]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “your strong hand” (so NIV), a symbol of God’s activity.

[3:25]  ⁵⁰ tn The article is retained in the translation (“the Lebanon,” cf. also NAB, NRSV) 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” (TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:26]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.

[3:26]  ⁵² tn Heb “much to you” (an idiom).

[3:27]  ⁵² tn 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.

[3:28]  ⁵³ tn Heb “command”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “charge Joshua.”

[3:29]  ⁵⁴ sn 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).