Og
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Role: King of Bashan; Amorite giant; defeated by Moses east of the Jordan
- Key Passages: Numbers 21:33–35; Deuteronomy 3:1–11; Psalm 135:11; 136:20
- Associated Book: Numbers, Deuteronomy
Summary
Og, king of Bashan, was the last of the Rephaim — the giant race of the ancient world. His defeat east of the Jordan River at Edrei was Israel’s second major conquest victory, following the defeat of Sihon the Amorite. Moses led Israel against him at the LORD’s command: “Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand.” The entire city of Bashan was devoted to destruction. Og’s enormous iron bedstead (or sarcophagus) — nine cubits long (~13.5 feet) by four cubits wide — was preserved in Rabbath of Ammon as a monument to his extraordinary size (Deuteronomy 3:11).
Og’s defeat was remembered as a foundational demonstration of divine faithfulness, celebrated in the Psalms (135:11; 136:20) as proof that the God who defeated the greatest earthly powers would give Israel the promised land. His territory (Bashan) became part of the portion allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Cross-References
- Sihon — the Amorite king whose defeat immediately preceded Og’s (Numbers 21:21–32)
- Moses First Speech — Deuteronomy 3 rehearses Og’s defeat as a precedent for faith
- Joshua (Son of Nun) — successor who completed the conquest Og’s defeat inaugurated