¹tn Heb “turned and went up.”
²sn Bashan. This plateau country, famous for its oaks (Isa 2:13) and cattle (Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1), was north of Gilead along the Yarmuk River.
³tn Heb “people.”
⁴sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).
⁵tn Heb “people.”
⁶tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
⁷sn Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.
⁸tn The Hebrew term yz]r`P= refers to rural areas, at the most unwalled villages.
<sup>9</sup>tn Heb “we put them under the ban” (<r@j&n^). See note at 2:34.
sn The divine curse. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:34.
<sup>10</sup>tn Heb “city of men.”
<sup>11</sup>sn Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Known today as Jebel es-Sheik, it is probably the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark 9:2).
<sup>12</sup>sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
<sup>13</sup>sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sΠryn. See C. Gordon, Ugaritic Textbook, 495.
<sup>14</sup>sn Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see J. B. Pritchard, ANET, 280).
<sup>15</sup>sn Salecah. Today this is known as S£alkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
<sup>16</sup>sn Edrei. See note on this term in 3:1.
<sup>17</sup>tn Heb “Behold” (hN}h!).
<sup>18</sup>tn The Hebrew term cr#u#, traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NIV, NRSV) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, BAR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt.”
<sup>19</sup>tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.
<sup>20</sup>sn Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means “great [one],” probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus “still remain[ed]” there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
<sup>21</sup>tn Heb “nine cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 in (45 cm) for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long.
<sup>22</sup>tn Heb “four cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.
<sup>23</sup>tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).
<sup>24</sup>tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
sn Aroer. See note on this term in Deut 2:36.
<sup>25</sup>sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
<sup>26</sup>sn Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans, with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39-42; Josh 17:1-13).
<sup>27</sup>sn Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.
<sup>28</sup>sn Geshurites. Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere NE of Bashan (cf. Josh 12:5 ; 13:11, 13). One of David’s wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur and mother of Absalom (cf. 2 Sam 13:37; 15:8; 1 Chr 3:2).
<sup>29</sup>sn Maacathites. These were the people of a territory SW of Mount Hermon on the Jordan River. The name probably has nothing to do with David’s wife from Geshur (see note on “Geshurites” earlier in this verse).
<sup>30</sup>sn Havvoth-Jair. The Hebrew name means “villages of Jair,” the latter being named after a son (i.e., descendant) of Manasseh who took the area by conquest.
<sup>31</sup>sn Machir was the name of another descendant of Manasseh (cf. Num 32:41; 1 Chr 7:14-19). Eastern Manasseh was thus divided between the Jairites and the Machirites.
<sup>32</sup>tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).
<sup>33</sup>sn Chinnereth. This is another name for the Sea of Galilee, so called because its shape is that of a harp (the Hebrew term for “harp” is K!Nor).
<sup>34</sup>sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).
<sup>35</sup>tn The meaning of the Hebrew term tD)v=a^ (a^v=D)t) is unclear. It is usually translated either “slopes” (NIV) or “watershed” (NEB).
<sup>36</sup>sn Pisgah. This appears to refer to a small range of mountains, the most prominent peak of which is Mount Nebo (Num 21:20; 23:14; Deut 3:27; cf. 34:1).
<sup>37</sup>tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”
<sup>38</sup>tn The words “you must fight” are not present in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
<sup>39</sup>tn Heb “gives your brothers rest.”
<sup>40</sup>tn Heb “the Lord.”
<sup>41</sup>tn Heb “which you are crossing over there.”
<sup>42</sup>tn Heb “Lord Lord.” The phrase hw]hy+ yn`d)a& is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God.”
⁴³tn Heb “your servant.” The pronoun is used in the translation to clarify that Moses is speaking of himself.
⁴⁴tn Heb “your strong hand,” a symbol of God’s activity.
⁴⁵tn Heb “the Lord.”
⁴⁶tn Heb “much to you” (an idiom).
⁴⁷tn Heb “lift your eyes to the west, north, south, and east and see with your eyes.” For reasons of English style the translation removes the repetition.
⁴⁸tn Heb “command.”
⁴⁹sn Beth Peor. This is probably the spot near Pisgah where Balaam attempted to curse the nation Israel (Num 23:28). The Moabites also worshiped Baal there by the name “Baal [of] Peor” (Num 25:1-5).