Reigning in Hermon - Joshua 12:5

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east, Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon. And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah: And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei”, and in chapter twelve and verse five of Joshua we discover how Og  “reigned in mount Hermon” where we read, 

And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

The verse reads, “And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and reigned” which means “and ruled and had dominion” “in mount Hermon” or “in the rising above the plain known as Hermon whose name means ‘a sanctuary’ and was a mountain on the northeastern border of Palestine and Lebanon and overlooking the border city of Dan”, “and in Salcah” which means “and within Salcah whose name means ‘migration’ and was a town or district at the extreme eastern limit of Bashan and allocated to the tribe of Gad; modern ‘Sulkhad’ which is fifty-six miles (90 km) east of the Jordan the southern extremity of the Huron mountain range”, “and in all Bashan” or “and in each, every and the whole part of Bashan whose name means ‘fruitful’ and is a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was Gien to the half-tribe of Manasseh”, “unto the border” which means “to the limit or territory” “of the Geshurites” or “belonging to the Geshurites whose name means ‘proud beholders’ and were the inhabitants of Gesher” “and the Maachathites” which means “and the Maachathites whose name means ‘pressure or literally she has pressed’ who were a people dwelling in Transjordan who were probably descendants of Maachah”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Israel” also possessed the land where “Og” the ruler was in “mount Hermon”, “Salcah", every part of “Bashan”. 

 

The verse continues, “… and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and half Gilead” which means “and one-half of Gilead whose name means ‘rocky region” and was a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’ and was divided into north and south Gilead”, “the border of Sihon” or “the edge or territory belonging to Sihon whose name means ‘warrior’ and was the king of the Amorites at the time of the conquest and defeated by Moses in Transjordan”, “king of Heshbon” which means “royal ruler and leader belonging to Heshbon whose name means ‘stronghold’ and was the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, located on the wester border of the high plain and on the border line between the tribes of Reuben and Gad”. Joshua or the writer shared how one-half of the city of “Gilead” which was on the edge of the location of “Sihon” who was the royal ruler and leader in “Heshbon” was also captured by “Israel”. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Joshua or the writer how the area of “Mount Hermon, Salcah and Bashan” as well as the edge of the “Gesherites, the Maachathites, the half of Gilead and the edge of “Sihon” who was the royal ruler of “Heshbon” were also overtaken by “Israel”. One by one Jehovah God gave these areas to the people of “Israel”, and He fulfilled His promise to give them the promise land. God will also fulfill His word to us to provide His salvation from sins and everlasting life when we yield to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the grave after three days. God loves Israel, and He loves us. He will attend to all the foes, territories and areas of our lives in keeping with His Divine purpose and will. 

Next time we discover how, “them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".