And we took all his cities at that time — there was not a city that we did not take from them — sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
After Og fell, his whole kingdom fell with him. The verse raises two questions: what kind of place Argob was, and why God dealt with it as He did.
The region of Argob
Argob was not vague territory. It had fixed borders, a name that fit its ground, and a later place in Israel's history.
Morrish Bible DictionaryA district lying to the south of Damascus which formed a part of Bashan, where the giants lived. It had at one time 60 cities, which Og ruled. Its name means "stony" and it forms a remarkable plateau of basalt, which rises some 30 feet above the surrounding fertile plain. The district runs 22 miles north to south and 14 miles east to west, and its boundary is marked in the Bible by the word chebel, which means "as by a rope." Moses conquered Og, and Jair of Manasseh took the fortified cities, and it became a part of Manasseh's lot. Later it was called Trachonitis.
Cities built to last
These sixty cities were no cluster of villages. You can still see what they were built from.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe kingdom of Og in Bashan was a powerful kingdom. The cities had high walls with gates and bars. Their number was sixty. Archaeological research has proven that strong, fortified cities stood in that territory, and their ruins can still be seen. One writer describes the oldest houses and ruined towers of Bashan: "Simple, built of heavy blocks of basalt, cut rough, and as hard as iron, with very thick walls and very strong stone gates and doors. Many of the doors were about eighteen inches thick, and were once fastened with huge bolts, of which traces still remain."
Defences that saved nobody
Behind those walls stood an old and powerful people. Against Israel it counted for nothing.
C E StuartOg, one of the Rephaim, an ancient and most powerful race, found that his fortified cities with high walls, gates, and bars could give him no protection against the invading army. Like a flood, which carries everything before it, Israel had spread over his land. Israel took all his cities. They killed all the inhabitants. They carried off all the cattle and spoil as plunder.
Grace and government
The killing of whole populations raises hard questions. One writer says there is only one right way to read it: as God acting in government, not in grace.
C. H. MackintoshWe must look at God's instructions about Og and Sihon purely in the light of the government of God. This subject is little understood, though it is of very deep interest and practical importance. We must accurately distinguish between grace and government. When we consider God in government, we see Him show His power in righteousness and punish evildoers... We find Him commanding His people to kill men, women and little children with the edge of the sword.
The same writer says one fact settles the matter:
C. H. MackintoshIsrael had the direct authority of God for what they did to Sihon and Og... The introduction of God and His authority is the one perfect answer to every question, the divine solution of every difficulty.
A rehearsal for Canaan
Israel had once refused to enter the land because of its inhabitants. Taking sixty fortified cities was the answer to that fear, delivered in advance.
Leslie M. GrantMoses gave these addresses only after two special enemies had been killed — Sihon and Og. The victory over these two enemies predicted further victory in the land. Israel had been afraid of entering the land before because of such enemies (Og was a giant — Deut. 3:11); now God had given them an object lesson in experience that should encourage them.
Moses' order of telling carries its own message. Chapter 1 had shown what disobedience costs:
William KellyDeuteronomy 1 lets us see the end of disobedience; Deuteronomy 2 and 3 let us know just as clearly the result of obedience.
Reading the cities as a picture
One writer reads the names of Og's land and cities as a picture of a particular sin:
Numerical Bible NotesHe is king of Bashan, which means "the fertile," and his strong city is Edrei, "plenty of pasture." He lives in Ashtaroth, a city named after the Phoenician goddess Venus, whose worshippers honoured her with shameful rites... enough, it may be, to identify him with the spirit of luxury and self-indulgence... That this Og is a giant, sadly, we know too well: he has brought down many a strong man.
Summary
- Place — Argob was a stony basalt plateau in Bashan. Sixty cities stood there, and the district later fell to Manasseh.
- Strength — Their walls, gates and bars were massive. Ruins of those basalt houses can still be seen.
- Powerlessness — Not one of the sixty held. Walls, gates and bars gave Og no protection at all.
- Authority — This destruction belongs to God's government, not His grace. Israel acted under His direct command, and that sets it apart from ordinary conquest.
- Purpose — Sixty captured cities were an object lesson for a people once too afraid to enter Canaan. Chapter 1 shows the cost of disobedience; chapters 2 and 3 show the result of obedience.