In brief
Og is the king of Bashan, a region east of the Jordan, at the end of the forty years in the wilderness. He is presented as the last survivor of the Rephaim, a people of great height, and his iron bed was nine cubits long. He comes out to fight Israel at Edrei, but God tells Moses not to fear him. Israel defeats him and takes his sixty fortified cities. His defeat is often recalled as proof of God’s power and faithfulness.
What does the name Og King of Bashan mean?
The meaning of the name Og is uncertain and the Bible does not explain it. It is almost always tied to his kingdom: the Bible calls him Og king of Bashan (Numbers 21:33).
The story of Og King of Bashan
After the Victory over Sihon
Numbers 21:21-32Israel approaches Canaan after long years in the wilderness. Sihon, king of the Amorites, refuses passage and attacks, but he is defeated, and Israel settles in his land. The people then change direction and go up by the way of Bashan, toward the kingdom of Og.
Do Not Fear Him
Numbers 21:33-35Og, king of Bashan, goes out against Israel with all his people to fight at Edrei. Yahweh then says to Moses: “Don’t fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people, and his land.” Victory is promised before the battle, and Israel strikes down Og, his sons and his people.
Sixty Fortified Cities
Deuteronomy 3:3-7God delivers Og into Israel’s hand, and Israel strikes him until no one is left. Israel takes all his cities: sixty cities in the region of Argob, fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many villages without walls. What seemed impregnable falls before the people of God.
The Last of the Rephaim
Deuteronomy 3:11Moses explains that Og alone remained of the remnant of the Rephaim, peoples known for their great height. His iron bed, kept in Rabbah of the Ammonites, was nine cubits long and four wide. This detail underlines the stature of the king whom God delivered to Israel.
A Territory Given as an Inheritance
Deuteronomy 3:12-13Moses gives Og’s kingdom in Bashan, with all the region of Argob, to the half-tribe of Manasseh. The land of the tall king thus becomes the inheritance of part of God’s people, even before they have crossed the Jordan to enter Canaan.
A Victory Sung
Psalm 136:17-22Centuries later, Israel still sings this victory. Psalm 136 praises God who struck down great kings, naming “Og king of Bashan; for his loving kindness endures forever.” Og’s defeat becomes a reason for praise, a reminder of God’s goodness to his people.
What Og King of Bashan teaches us
- God does not ask us to deny the size of the obstacle, but not to fear it because he is with us.
- A past victory feeds faith for present battles: God reminds Moses of what he did to Sihon.
- No wall and no human strength can resist what God has decided to give to his people.
- Remembering God’s deliverances and singing of them strengthens the faith of later generations.
Key verses
Before the battle of Edrei, God promises Moses victory over Og. The word that drives out fear rests on what God has already done against Sihon.
Og’s iron bed, nine cubits long, shows the might of the last of the Rephaim. The greater the adversary, the more the victory reveals the greatness of God.
Og is named in this psalm of praise, where every verse repeats that God’s loving kindness endures forever. His defeat is part of the story of God’s goodness to Israel.
At Jericho, Rahab reports that the victory over Sihon and Og filled the people of the land with fear. Og’s defeat prepares Israel’s entry into Canaan.
Sermons about Og King of Bashan
- Learn from Past Events (Deuteronomy 1-4)The message notes that at Edrei God repeats the same word of encouragement he gave at Kadesh Barnea: had Israel received it in faith thirty-eight years earlier, the fathers’ generation would have inherited the land.
- Grow in the Knowledge of God's Love, Grace, and PowerThe message stresses that the text speaks of the wars of Yahweh: the Israelites do the fighting, but it is God who defeats the Amorite kings Sihon and Og and gives the victory.
- The Mountains of Abarim: What Moses Sees from Mount NeboThe message recalls that the road to the mountains of Abarim was not easy for Israel, with the battles against Sihon, king of the Amorites, and against Og, king of Bashan.
Frequently asked questions
Was Og, king of Bashan, a giant?
Deuteronomy 3:11 says that Og alone remained of the remnant of the Rephaim, peoples the Bible describes as tall and of great height (Deuteronomy 2:10-11). His iron bed was nine cubits long and four wide, about four meters by two. The Bible does not give his height directly.
Why did God tell Moses not to fear Og?
Og was a powerful king, at the head of sixty fortified cities, and his reputation could frighten Israel. God reassures Moses by promising to deliver Og into his hand, as he had done for Sihon (Numbers 21:34). Fear is overcome by God’s promise and by the memory of what he has already done.
Where can I find Og’s story in the Bible?
The account of his defeat is in Numbers 21:33-35 and Deuteronomy 3:1-13. Og is recalled afterward in Deuteronomy 1:4 and 29:7, in Joshua 2:10 and 9:10, in Nehemiah 9:22, and in Psalms 135:11 and 136:20, as an example of the victory God gives.