Og עוֹג
King of Bashan, defeated by Israel
Who is Og in the Bible?
Og was the Amorite king of Bashan who ruled the fertile region east of the Jordan River during the Israelites' exodus from Egypt (Numbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 3:1). When the Israelites encountered his forces, God promised to deliver Og into their hands, and Moses led Israel to a decisive victory at Edrei, where Og and his entire army were destroyed (Numbers 21:34, Deuteronomy 3:3, 3:6). His defeated territory was divided among the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh (Numbers 32:33, Deuteronomy 3:12-13). Og was noted for his extraordinary size, described as one of the last of the Rephaim (giants), with an iron bed measuring nine cubits long and four cubits wide, symbolizing his great stature (Deuteronomy 3:11). His defeat became a celebrated testimony to God's power and faithfulness, remembered throughout Israel's history as evidence that the Lord would fight for his people against even the mightiest enemies (Deuteronomy 31:4, Joshua 2:10, Psalm 135:11, Psalm 136:20).
Biography
Og was the Amorite king of Bashan during the time of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Num.21.33; Deu.3.1). He ruled over the region of Bashan, which was known for its fertile land and fortified cities (Deu.3.4-5). Og and his army confronted the Israelites, but God delivered him into the hands of Moses and the Israelites (Num.21.34; Deu.3.3). The Israelites defeated Og, conquered his territory, and allocated it to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh (Num.32.33; Deu.3.12-13; Jos.13.30-31). Og was renowned for his great size, and his iron bedstead was mentioned as a symbol of his stature (Deu.3.11). The defeat of Og was remembered as a significant victory for the Israelites and a testament to God's power and faithfulness (Deu.31.4; Jos.2.10; 9.10; Psalm Jos.135.11; 136.20).
In Scripture
6 biblical books ; 4 with study contentNumbers 2 verses
- Numbers 21:33
"Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet them in battle at Edrei."
- Numbers 32:33
"So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them."
Deuteronomy 5 verses
- Deuteronomy 1:4
"This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth."
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 3:1
"Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei."
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 3:3
"So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We struck them down until no survivor was left."
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 3:4
"At that time we captured all sixty of his cities. There was not a single city we failed to take—the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan."
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 3:10
"all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as the cities of Salecah and Edrei in the kingdom of Og."
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Joshua 5 verses
- Joshua 2:10
"For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction."
Study Joshua → - Joshua 9:10
"and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth."
Study Joshua → - Joshua 12:4
"And Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei."
Study Joshua → - Joshua 13:12
"the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a remnant of the Rephaim. Moses had struck them down and dispossessed them,"
Study Joshua → - Joshua 13:30
"The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities;"
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1 Kings 1 verse
- 1 Kings 4:19
"Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. There was also one governor in the land of Judah."
Nehemiah 1 verse
- Nehemiah 9:22
"You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan."
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Psalms 2 verses
- Psalms 135:11
"Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan."
Study Psalms → - Psalms 136:20
"and Og king of Bashan—His loving devotion endures forever."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | עוֹג | ʿwōg | Og , a king of Bashan |
Og
5; De 3:1-12). The defeat took place at Edrei, one of the chief of these cities (Nu 21:33; Jos 12:4), and Og and his people were "utterly destroyed" (De 3:6). Og is described as the last of the REPHAIM (which see), or giant-race of that district, and his giant stature is borne out by what is told in De 3:11 of the dimensions of his "bedstead of iron" (`eres barzel), 9 cubits long and 4 broad (13 1/2 ft. by 6 ft.), said to be still preserved at Rabbath of Ammon when the verse describing it was written. It is not, of course, necessary to conclude that Og's own height, though immense, was as great as this. Some, however, prefer to suppose that what is intended is "a sarcophagus of black basalt," which iron-like substance abounds in the Hauran. The conquered territory was subsequently bestowed on the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Nu 32:33; De 3:12,13). Other references to Og are De 1:4; 4:47; 31:4; Jos 2:10; 9:10; 13:12,30). The memory of this great conquest lingered all through the national history (Ps 135:11; 136:20). On the conquest, compare Stanley, Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church, I, 185-87.
See ARGOB; BASHAN.
James Orr
o'-had ('ohadh, meaning unknown): A son of Simeon, mentioned as third in order (Ge 46:10; Ex 6:15). The name is not found in the list of <ref osis