Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Chavoux Luyt <chavoux AT gmail.com>]

Shalom Jim

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From: JimStinehart AT aol.com

To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Cc: 
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:45:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [b-hebrew] Hebrew Grammar and Moses’ Attack on King Og of Bashan

<snip>

1.  Bashan was not on the route of the Conquest.  [It’s too far north and east.]

 

2.  And Bashan was not part of the originally Promised Land, either, which in the Patriarchal narratives is confined to Canaan, whose eastern border is the Jordan River. 

<snip>

How then to explain Numbers 12: 33, 35?  “And they [Moses and the Israelites] turned and went up by the way of Bashan:  and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.  … So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive:  and they possessed his land.”

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The very text you quote gives the answer (Num.21:33): "Og went out against them..." this was simply the aftermath of essentially the same war as the one started when "Sihon", king of Cheshbon would not allow Israel to trek through his land on their way to Canaan (Num.21:21-23), but attacked them instead. There is no indication that it was the original plan to attack these kings (since as you mentioned, it wasn't part of the promised land as such), but in response to their aggression, Israel fought against them and took their land. No mystery here at all!

Cheers

Chavoux