Og
Who was Og in the Bible?
Og was the Amorite king of Bashan and a remnant of the giant Rephaim who was defeated by the Israelites under Moses during their journey to the Promised Land.
Og was a powerful monarch who ruled over the region of Bashan, located east of the Jordan River. He is prominently identified in the biblical narrative as the king of the Amorites and one of the last remaining members of the Rephaim, a race of giants. His kingdom was vast, encompassing sixty fortified cities in the region of Argob, with his royal residences located in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
As the Israelites approached the Promised Land after their forty-year wilderness sojourn, Og mobilized his entire army to confront them at the Battle of Edrei. Despite his imposing physical stature and the strength of his fortifications, he was defeated by the Israelites under the leadership of Moses. His downfall, alongside that of Sihon king of the Amorites, served as a foundational victory for Israel, establishing their possession of the Transjordan and becoming a recurring symbol of divine deliverance in Jewish liturgy and historical memory.
Background and Family
Og is described as the King of Bashan, a fertile and mountainous region known for its oaks and cattle. Ethnically, the biblical text classifies him as an Amorite (Joshua 2:10), but emphasizes a more specific ancestral lineage: he was the last of the "remnant of the Rephaim" (Deuteronomy 3:11, Joshua 13:12). The Rephaim were an ancient, pre-Canaanite people noted for their extraordinary height and physical prowess.
While the biblical record does not provide a genealogy for Og, it offers a specific physical detail to underscore his giantism. Deuteronomy 3:11 records that his bed (or sarcophagus) was made of iron and measured nine cubits long and four cubits wide. Using the standard cubit (approximately 18 inches), this would make the bed roughly 13.5 feet long and 6 feet wide. The text notes that this object was kept in Rabbah of the Ammonites, serving as a lasting monument to Og's immense size long after his death.
Major Life Events
The Battle of Edrei
As the Israelites moved toward the Jordan River, they encountered the kingdom of Bashan after having already defeated Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. Unlike other nations that Israel sought to bypass, Og took the initiative to engage them. He brought his entire army out to meet Israel at Edrei (Numbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 3:1).
Before the battle, the LORD encouraged Moses, saying, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land" (Numbers 21:34). The subsequent conflict resulted in a total victory for Israel. The biblical record states that the Israelites struck down Og, his sons, and his entire army until no survivor remained (Numbers 21:35, Deuteronomy 3:3).
Conquest of the Sixty Cities
Following the defeat of Og at Edrei, the Israelites systematically took possession of his entire kingdom. This was not a nomadic territory but a highly developed state. The text emphasizes that Israel captured sixty cities—the entire region of Argob. These cities were described as being "fortified with high walls and with gates and bars," in addition to many unwalled towns (Deuteronomy 3:4-5). The vastness of this conquest, spanning from the Hermon range to the cities of Salecah and Edrei, demonstrated the military capacity of the Israelites under divine favor.
Distribution of the Land
The territory of Og was incorporated into the land given to the tribes of Israel. Specifically, the kingdom of Og was allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh, along with portions of Gilead (Numbers 32:33, Joshua 13:30-31). This region remained a significant part of Israel’s eastern holdings through the period of the United Monarchy, as evidenced by its mention in the administrative districts of King Solomon (1 Kings 4:19).
Relationship to Other Biblical Figures
Og is almost exclusively mentioned in tandem with Sihon, the king of the Amorites. Together, they represent the two great "kings of the Amorites across the Jordan" who were the first major obstacles to Israel's entry into Canaan.
His primary human adversary was Moses, who led the military campaign against him. The defeat of Og was so significant that it was later cited by Rahab of Jericho as the reason the inhabitants of Canaan were melting in fear before the Israelites (Joshua 2:10). Centuries later, the writers of the Psalms and the leaders during the time of Nehemiah looked back on Og’s defeat as a quintessential example of God's power and loving devotion toward Israel (Psalm 136:20, Nehemiah 9:22).
Spiritual Significance
The defeat of Og is portrayed in the Bible as a victory of cosmic proportions. As a member of the Rephaim, Og represents the final vestige of a giant race that stood in opposition to God's chosen people. His fall signaled that no physical size, architectural fortification, or military reputation could withstand the decree of the LORD.
In the broader biblical theology of the land, the victory over Og is the first fulfillment of the promise that Israel would dispossess nations "greater and stronger" than themselves. The repeated mention of Og in the Hallel psalms (Psalms 135 and 136) transforms a historical military event into a liturgical celebration of God's enduring mercy. For Israel, Og was the archetype of the formidable enemy who is ultimately brought low by the intervention of God.
Og serves as a theological marker for the end of the age of giants and the beginning of Israel's territorial establishment. His defeat at Edrei is presented not as a feat of Israeli military genius, but as a direct act of divine intervention, fulfilling the promises made to the patriarchs regarding the land. The preservation of his iron bed in Rabbah served as a historical witness to the reality of the threat God had overcome.
Furthermore, Og’s kingdom in Bashan represents the first fruits of the conquest. By defeating such a powerful and physically imposing king before even crossing the Jordan, the Israelites were provided with a psychological and spiritual assurance that the remaining Canaanite nations would likewise fall. In the Psalms, Og is immortalized as a symbol of the 'great kings' whom God struck down to provide an inheritance for His servants.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big was Og king of Bashan?
While his exact height is not stated, his iron bed was 9 cubits long (about 13.5 feet). The Bible identifies him as the last of the Rephaim, a race of giants.
Where was the kingdom of Bashan located?
Bashan was located east of the Jordan River and north of the Jabbok River, encompassing parts of modern-day Syria and the Golan Heights.
Which tribe of Israel received Og's land?
The kingdom of Og was primarily given to the half-tribe of Manasseh as their inheritance.
Why is Og often mentioned with Sihon?
Og and Sihon were the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan who were defeated by Moses. Their combined defeat opened the way for Israel to reach the Jordan and enter Canaan.
What happened to Og at the Battle of Edrei?
Og and his entire army were defeated by the Israelites. The biblical text states that he was struck down along with his sons and all his people, leaving no survivors.
Categories
Mentions by Book
- Numbers2
- Deuteronomy10
- Joshua6
- 1 Kings1
- Nehemiah1
- Psalms2
Scripture References
All 22 indexed verses, in canonical order, from the Berean Standard Bible.
Numbers · 2
- 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 · 10
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Deuteronomy 3:11
(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
- Deuteronomy 3:13
To the half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.)
- Deuteronomy 4:47
They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east—
- Deuteronomy 29:7
When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them.
- Deuteronomy 31:4
And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
Joshua · 6
- 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.
- 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.
- Joshua 12:4
And Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
- 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,
- 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;
- Joshua 13:31
half of Gilead; and Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. All this was for the clans of the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half of the descendants of Machir.
1 Kings · 1
- 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
- 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.
Psalms · 2
- Psalms 135:11
Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
- Psalms 136:20
and Og king of Bashan—His loving devotion endures forever.