translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: DEU

label: NET study note

text: 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.


text: 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 ).


text: Argob . This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible , 314.


text: Mount Hermon . This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.


text: Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.


text: Sirion . This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn . See UT 495.


text: 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 ANET 280).


text: Salecah . Today this is known as Salkhad , in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.


text: Edrei . See note on this term in 3:1 .


text: 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.


text: 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 ).


text: Half the tribe of 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 ).


text: Argob . See note on this term in v. 4 .


text: Geshurites . Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere northeast 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 ).


text: Maacathites . These were the people of a territory southwest 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).


text: 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.


text: 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.


text: The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3 ; Josh 3:16 ).


text: 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 ).


text: 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 ).