“Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.”
Cross references: : Num. 21:35 ; Deut. 29:7 Therefore beside the commandment of the Lord, they had just occasion of his part to fight against him.
“And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.”
Because this was God’s appointment, therefore it may not be judged cruel.
“For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.”
The more terrible that this giant was, the greater occasion had they to glorify God for the victory.
“Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair , unto this day.”
Num. 32:41 Meaning, when he wrote this history.
“And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;”
Which separateth the Ammonites from the Amorites.
“And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war. meet: Heb. sons of power”
That is, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half Manasseh, as Num. 32:28 .
“And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.”
Josh. 15 ; Josh. 10:8 , 25 So that the victories came not by your own wisdom, strength or multitude. Num. 27:18 , 19 , 23
“O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?”
Or, wonders. He speaketh according to the common and corrupt speech of them which attribute that power unto idols that only appertaineth unto God.
“I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.”
He meaneth Zion, where the Temple should be built, and God honored.
“Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. Pisgah: or, the hill”
As before he saw by the spirits of prophecy the good mountain which was Zion: so here his eyes were lifted up above the order of nature to behold all the plentiful land of Canaan.