The Torah’s descriptions of Og, king of Bashan nearly defy reason. Yet, there can be no escaping it: the
king and his warriors were true to life. Deuteronomy 3 chronicles their last stand at the hand of the
Jews. Abravanel helps us better understand the events and aftermath, providing salient takeaways.
“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, unto battle at Edrei.”
Contextually, this section comes on the heels of the Hebrews’ war and defeat of Sihon. Our lead verse
identifies the aggressor: “And Og the king of Bashan came out against us…” Just as ornery as his
compatriot Sihon, Og pooh-poohed the prophet's peace overture. An unprovoked attack ensued.
What can be said about Og, king of Bashan? First of all, the lighting speed with which he assembled his
troops attests to a topflight fighting organization. Second, we note that the monarch was stouthearted.
Though he watched his stalwart ally (Sihon) get flattened, it didn't faze him; Og was a force to be
reckoned with.
In efforts to bolster Moses, the Maker bade: "Do not fear him." The prophet heard that in spite of Og's
alacrity in mounting his army, nothing will come of it. Angst dissipated, as God informed Moses that
mighty Og would soon be toast, vanquished by the Hebrews. And He told Moses, “…for I have delivered
him, and all his people, and his land, into your hand…”
Our verses convey how everything played out exactly as the Creator promised. Og and co. went down,
down to the last man. As for his all of his cities, they were sacked. And those cities had not been
haphazardly built, maintained, or manned. "All of the cities were fortified to the hilt, securely-locked
entrance gates", records the Torah.
Abravanel relays three aspects of a victory most impressive and astounding. One, Og had been defeated,
though a fearless king and plucky commander. Uncommonly do kings fall to enemies' hands. Two, the
victory had not been partial, meaning that some of the troops had been routed, and others escaped.
The resounding win resulted in Og’s total ruin. Three, not only were enemy forces destroyed on the
battlefield, but even those defending the celebrated citadels got clobbered. The likelihood of conquering
each and every fortress is, well, nil. They are, after all, designed to repel enemy attacks. Yet here, not a
single one held out for days, let alone weeks or months. "And all of his cities were captured." In short
order, they fell. "At that time, there was not one city that we had not captured from them." Zero.
For the military annals and to be exact, "Sixty cities." Here are the specs. "All of the cities were fortified
to the hilt, securely-locked entrance gates." A few verses later, Moses provides a debriefing. "And at
that time, we took the lands belonging to the two Amorite kings."
Ancients, after victory, commonly changed the names of places where battles took place. In that vein,
the Torah clarifies. "Sidonians called Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.” In sum, Senir and
Hermon are one and the same, the import being to substantiate the narrative’s authenticity.
Next, verses provide an historical sketch of Og, king of Bashan, Moses’ nemesis. "Of all of the Rephaim,
only Og, the king of Bashan, survived." This biography comes after the Jewish people's storied victory
over Og. It explains why Og wasted no time to saddle up and lead his troops; he hailed from the
Rephaim, fearless soldiers of great repute.
Something else is also going on. It also explains why God earlier needed to prop up Jewish morale. "Do
not fear him." No such bolstering was necessary on the eve of the war with Sihon. In contrast to Sihon,
Og was a different kind of animal. Fierce and driven, Og descended from a long line of ruthless warlords.
The mere mention of his name struck awe in man. Sihon, by no means a pushover, still had not
measured up to Og.
Crediting Og as the verse does teaches just how wily and resourceful the jumbo generalissimo was.
Footnoted for posterity is that Bashan's commander-in-chief remained alive, despite all of his fellow
Rephaim folk having suffered defeat, and death. A living legend, Og mastered the art of warfare. Born to
a nation of soldiers, he surpassed them all.
More about the man. "Behold his bed was made of metal." Generally, people sleep on wooden
bedframes. Not Og. On account of his massive build and weight, wood would not support him. His was a
bed of steel. Our senses themselves testify to Og's superhuman strength. To this very day, Abravanel
adds, there is in Rabbat Ammon a gigantic bed made of iron. Of course, wooden chairs or anything else
made of wood that broke underneath his weight.
A third proof to show how Og's bulging muscles were, in fact, massive may be deduced from the phrase
detailing the dimensions of his divan – "nine cubits length by four cubits wide." Indeed, Og was a
grotesque creature owing to his disjointed body build, one whose height and breadth were wildly out of
proportion. Whereas, most men's breadth is a third of their height, Og's was half his height, thus he
resembled a square block.
Classic commentators write that our verse's depiction of "big Og" is spot on, with nary a hint of
hyperbole. Fact: Og's bed was mucho mucho grande, designed to accommodate him so he could sprawl
out on it, as men are wont to do. In sum, Og's height nearly doubled those of his peers, an aberration by
any stretch of the imagination. Add it to Ripley's Believe it or not.
