Deuteronomy 3:11

3:11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy¹ that his sarcophagus² was made of iron.³ Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath⁴ of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet⁵ long and six feet⁶ wide according to standard measure.)⁷

Deuteronomy 4:26

4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you⁸ today that you will surely and swiftly be removed⁹ from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be¹⁰ annihilated.

Deuteronomy 17:19

17:19 It must be with him constantly and he must read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and observe all the words of this law and these statutes and carry them out.

Deuteronomy 20:19

20:19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it,¹¹ you must not chop down its trees,¹² for you may eat fruit¹³ from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it!¹⁴

Deuteronomy 22:19

22:19 They will fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, for the man who made the accusation¹⁵ ruined the reputation¹⁶ of an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

¹tn Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).

²tn The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (’eres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) 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, “King Og’s Iron Bed: Fact or Fancy?” BR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt”; TEV, CEV “his coffin.”

³tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.

⁴sn 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.

⁵tn 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.

⁶tn Heb “four cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.

⁷tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).

⁸sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the Lord’s covenant with them (see Deut 30:19; Isa 1:2; 3:13; Jer 2:9). Since court proceedings required the testimony of witnesses, the Lord here summons heaven and earth (that is, all creation) to testify to his faithfulness, Israel’s disobedience, and the threat of judgment.

⁹tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”

¹⁰tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.

¹¹tn Heb “to fight against it to capture it.”

¹²tn Heb “you must not destroy its trees by chopping them with an iron” (i.e., an ax).

¹³tn Heb “you may eat from them.” The direct object is not expressed; the word “fruit” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴tn Heb “to go before you in siege.”

¹⁵tn Heb “for he”; the referent (the man who made the accusation) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion with the young woman’s father, the last-mentioned male.

¹⁶tn Heb “brought forth a bad name.”