Tyndale Open Study NotesDeuteronomy 3

Secular treaties (formal agreements between nations) often included a section about the past relationship between the two partners. This section reviewed what had happened before the agreement.

In this case, the purpose was to review Israel’s successes and failures since the exodus from Egypt. It reminded the people that God had kept his word, even when they did not obey him.

To prepare the Israelites for life in Canaan, Moses reminded them about life in Egypt, their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and their past mistakes. He warned them to obey God's covenant. He assured them that God's grace would follow them as they learned to trust and obey the Lord.

See Numbers 21:33–35.

Argob may be another name for Bashan. It may also refer to a specific area within Bashan that had many towns and people.

Mount Hermon is the southernmost peak in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, northeast of the Sea of Galilee. At 2,834 meters (9,300 feet) above sea level, it is the highest peak. On a clear day, you can see this impressive landmark from many kilometers away.

The alternative names Sirion and Senir suggest that the Israelites may have given Hermon its name later. Hermon is apparently related to the verb kharam, which means "to destroy" (see study note on 2:34). It may describe the destruction summarized in 3:3–7.

• His bed was probably wooden and decorated with iron. Another possibility is that the Hebrew word refers to a sarcophagus (a stone coffin). In that case, the object may have been a burial container rather than an ordinary bed.

• Rabbah is the same city as Rabbath Ammon (see study note on Deuteronomy 2:19). The text suggests that this object could still be seen there when Deuteronomy was written.

  This may mean that some kind of public display existed in Rabbah. People could look at this artifact as a reminder of the past.

See Numbers 32.

• The Reubenites and Gadites asked Moses if they could settle east of the Jordan River instead of in Canaan. Moses agreed to their request (Numbers 32:1–5).

• Aroer: See study note on Deuteronomy 2:36.

• The half-tribe of Manasseh asked for the same land as the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Moses accepted their request (see 3:12). Gad and Reuben settled between the Arnon River and the middle of Gilead (see 2:24; 2:36). Manasseh captured the land north of that, including Bashan (see 3:1).

• The Rephaites were a giant people related to the Anakites (see 2:11). This passage notes that they were native to Bashan.

• Jair was a descendant of Manasseh through Makir and Gilead (1 Chronicles 2:22).

• The Geshurites and Maacathites were small kingdoms in Bashan. They were located along the western side of the Golan Heights, east of the Sea of Galilee. These groups lived near the land that Israel later controlled.

• Havvoth-jair was the name given to Argob after Jair brought it under Israelite control (see Deuteronomy 3:4).

Machir was a clan in the tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 26:29). Jair was a relative of this clan (1 Chronicles 2:21–23). The Machir clan settled south of Bashan in northern Gilead (see Deuteronomy 3:13).

• from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea): The Hebrew name for the beautiful Sea of Galilee is Chinnereth. This name might come from the word chinnor ("harp"), because the lake is shaped somewhat like a harp.

• the Sea of the Arabah (Hebrew Yam Hammelakh, meaning "Salt Sea"): It is also called the Dead Sea (see study note on 1:1). The water has a very high mineral content, about 30 percent, which makes it difficult for most life to survive.

• Pisgah is a section of the Abarim mountain range. Its most prominent peak is Mount Nebo. Moses viewed the promised land from there, and he died there (see 34:1).

See Numbers 20:2–13 and Psalm 106:32–33.

The LORD will do the same: Israel's military success under the leadership of Moses would continue under Joshua because the Lord promised to stay with them.

For what god: Moses was not suggesting that other gods truly exist. He was affirming that only the Lord is God.

This question declares the uniqueness of the Lord. It states that no one and nothing else, whether real or imagined, can rival him.

The statement emphasizes that the Lord alone has supreme power and authority.

Beth-peor was also known as Baal-peor (4:3) or simply Peor (Numbers 23:28; Joshua 22:17). Beth-peor became the burial place of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6). At that place the false prophet Balaam had earlier attempted to curse Israel on behalf of Balak, king of Moab (Numbers 23:27–24:25).