Numbers 21:33-35

Numbers 21:33-35

[33] And they turned  and went up  by the way  of Bashan:  and Og  the king  of Bashan  went out  against  them, he, and all his people,  to the battle  at Edrei.  [34] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Fear  him not: for I have delivered  him into thy hand,  and all his people,  and his land;  and thou shalt do  unto Sihon  king  of the Amorites,  which dwelt  at Heshbon.  [35] So they smote  him, and his sons,  and all his people,  until there was none  left  him alive:  and they possessed  his land. 

What does Numbers 21:33-35 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Heshbon was a city, but Bashan was a territory. Bashan lay north of the Yarmuk Wadi. Evidently at the time of Israel"s conquest Og controlled the territory south of the Yarmuk as far as the Jabbok, the area known as Gilead. [1] Og"s domain lay north of the Jabbok Wadi and extended north as far as Mt. Hermon, about60 miles north of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee). The town of Edrei ( Numbers 21:33) stood near the border of Bashan. See Deuteronomy 3:1-17 for a fuller description of this victory.
The Israelites moved their camp from Mt. Pisgah ( Numbers 21:20) farther west and a little north to the plains of Moab ( Numbers 21:1) between Beth-jeshimoth and Abel-shittim (lit. meadow of acacia groves; Numbers 33:49). This site was closer to the Jordan River and opposite Jericho, which stood about five miles west of the Jordan. The people stayed at this location until they crossed the Jordan under Joshua"s leadership ( Joshua 3:1). The remaining events Moses recorded in Numbers and all those he penned in Deuteronomy took place here.
These victories gave the Israelites possession of all the land east of the Jordan River, west of the border of the Ammonites, north to Mt. Hermon, and south to the Arnon. The Israelites defeated the Amorites that occupied this area. They did not fight the Edomites, Moabites, or Ammonites, however, by the command of God because these people were their relatives. They were not Canaanites. This great victory over Og assured the Israelites further that God would give them victory on the other side of the Jordan ( Numbers 21:34).