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⦁ Numbers 21:31-35 (ESV – King Og Defeated)
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.
⦁ Numbers 21:31-35 NKJV
31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 Then Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
(King Og Defeated (Deut. 3:1–22))
33 And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.
⦁ Numbers 21:31-35 BHS
31 וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּאֶ֖רֶץ הָאֱמֹרִֽי׃
32 וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ לְרַגֵּ֣ל אֶת־יַעְזֵ֔ר וַֽיִּלְכְּד֖וּ בְּנֹתֶ֑יהָ וַיֹּ֖ירֶשׁ* אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֥י אֲשֶׁר־שָֽׁם׃
33 וַיִּפְנוּ֙ וַֽיַּעֲל֔וּ דֶּ֖רֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֑ן וַיֵּצֵ֣א עוֹג֩ מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֨ן לִקְרָאתָ֜ם ה֧וּא וְכָל־עַמֹּ֛ו לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה אֶדְרֶֽעִי׃
34 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֤ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ אַל־תִּירָ֣א אֹתֹ֔ו כִּ֣י בְיָדְךָ֞ נָתַ֧תִּי אֹתֹ֛ו וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמֹּ֖ו וְאֶת־אַרְצֹ֑ו וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ לֹּ֔ו כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֗יתָ לְסִיחֹן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּחֶשְׁבֹּֽון׃
35 וַיַּכּ֨וּ אֹתֹ֤ו וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמֹּ֔ו עַד־בִּלְתִּ֥י הִשְׁאִֽיר־לֹ֖ו שָׂרִ֑יד וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ אֶת־אַרְצֹֽו׃
⦁ Numbers 21:31-35 More literal per BDB
31 And dwells Israel in land of the Amorites. 32 And sends out Moses to explore את Jazer, and they capture her daughters/villages and he inherits/takes possession of את the Amorites who there. 33 And they turn and they go up way of the Bashan. And goes out Og king of the Bashan to meet them, he and כל of his people, to battle Edrei. 34 And says YHWH toward Moses, “Not you(s.) fear את him, for in your hand I have given את him, and כל את of his people, and את his land. And you(s.) did to him like which you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelling in Heshbon.” 35 And they strike את him and את his sons and כל את of his people, until not he had left over to him survivor. And they take possession of את his land.
Some cognate permutation investigations:
The passage Numbers 21:31-35 was a breakthrough for this writer in once again seeing the many connections in Scripture. The current passage led to the revisit of “All Those Nations” shown in the last blog. I hope that you, as reader, can begin to see how the names that occur in Scripture relay meaning, which adds to the depth of understanding of each passage. I remind you that YHWH sometimes renames people, and sometimes place names are changed, but the understanding of “names” comes from:
⦁ Genesis 2:18-23 ESV
18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
Our loving Parent, YHWH, gives mankind the agency to “name” (i.e. nouns: persons; places; things). In Hebrew, the roots for words are action verbs, thus the noun is reflecting the nature or character of what our senses witness. As we witness this action, its character or nature is then reflected in how we name it. We have previously discussed how a spectrum of meaning may be reflected in a collection of words called phonetic cognates. Such continuums help us understand a birds-eye view of meaning, reflecting the “ball-field” upon which we are playing. One large part of the “revealing” nature of the passage is to use the cognate permutations methodology on some of the names in the passage, as seen above. We get to witness that the encounter with King Og fits within the spectrum of “encouraging/discouraging.” And if one thinks out how Og might appear in Scripture, the first encounter with him would likely be a sign of discouragement to the Israelites. But having overcome this challenge, the reference to the memory for the Hebrew people of their defeat of Og may become an encouragement.
Think of such a picture in your life. Have you been discouraged when you first face a challenge? But if you overcome a challenge when you face it, are you then encouraged when you face that challenge (or even a slightly more difficult challenge) the next time. This is how the “secret level” [sod סוד] of Scripture teaches us. The inspired Word of YHWH speaks to us in our own lives. This is how experiences (emotional and physical) in life that are difficult can help to make us both wiser and stronger. We are tested incrementally, and it is our response to the test that teaches.
⦁ 1 Corinthians 10:11-13 ESV
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
But the great misunderstanding in life is part of the message. Do we “steel ourselves” to endure the challenge, or do we submit to the will of YHWH? Much of the teaching coming from Paul relates țo the idea of “when I am weak, then I am strong.” e.g.:
⦁ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 my own modification of the ESV
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of anointing may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of anointing, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
⦁ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NA28
9 καὶ εἴρηκέν μοι· ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου, ἡ γὰρ δύναμις ⸆ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ⸀τελεῖται. Ἥδιστα οὖν μᾶλλον καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις oμου, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 10 διὸ εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις, ἐν ὕβρεσιν, ⸀ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν διωγμοῖς ⸁καὶ στενοχωρίαις, ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ· ὅταν γὰρ ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι.
This writer can only make sense of my own translation to you if you have followed along with the Hebrew syntax all of these many months. The Numbers passage above reveals the syntax, and this writer can also give you another witness (though such occurrences are very common).
From Numbers 21:34, the more literal translation based upon the BDB, “…the Amorites, who dwelling in Heshbon.” This is a contrast to many other examples in Scripture, thus the “revealing.” Here you see the Hebrew word אשר (who or which) before the participle יושב(dwelling).
However, very often the examples do NOT include the אשר (who or which) before the participle. For example:
⦁ Genesis 19:25 ESV
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
⦁ Genesis 19:25 more literal per BDB
25 And he overthrows את the cities the these, and כל את of the round district, and כל את of dwellings of the cities, and growth of the ground.
⦁ Genesis 19:25
25 וַֽיַּהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶעָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הַכִּכָּ֑ר וְאֵת֙ כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הֶעָרִ֔ים וְצֶ֖מַח הָאֲדָמָֽה׃
- Another “witness:”
⦁ Psalms 119:99 ESV
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
⦁ Psalms 119:99 more literal per BDB
99 From כל of my teaching I considered,
for your(s.) testimonies meditation to me.
⦁ Psalms 119:99 BHS
99 מִכָּל־מְלַמְּדַ֥י הִשְׂכַּ֑לְתִּי כִּ֥י עֵ֝דְוֹתֶ֗יךָ שִׂ֣יחָה לִֽֿי׃
Modern translations tend to indicate, for the participle, the idea of “the one who” or “the ones who,” or may change to a noun form, such as inhabitant or teacher
If we carry the idea forward, using this very common Hebrew syntax, to 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, you may be able to see why I change to the word “anointing” where ESV has “Christ” ↔︎ messiah ↔︎ anointed or having been anointed.
It is the challenging experiences that “anoint” us… they give us the experience which is the parent of wisdom. But we must submit to the experience in order to gain the wisdom. It is that very submitting that is the teacher.
It is the very difference between this “steeling ourselves” and the “submitting” to the will of YHWH, that is our rebirth, our beginning to “see” with new eyes. It is only when we do not rely upon our own strength, but when we rely upon the strength of our Creator, that we become the new person that we were intended to be. And of course, the reader certainly recognizes the prime example of which the writer speaks:
⦁ Luke 22:39-46 ESV
39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
One more point to be made relating to that phrase “who dwelling” in Numbers 21:34. See the last highlighted grouping of cognate permutations, in gray, the group בשש and סוס, indicating (modulate/aggravate) OR (deescalate/escalate). Please see that phrase as particularly important in this Numbers passage. As we look at mankind within context, we must see the same picture in the light of Earth post-flood.
Readers must interpret for themselves. The writer’s interpretation is really two things. The first is that YHWH recognized that his response to his disappointment in mankind by bringing the flood to destroy living things was excessive (recognizing his own frustration), something which he would have to modulate. The solution was to bring the cycles of mankind’s context. We have already stressed the importance of context on many levels. Sowing and reaping were to be key components of that modulation. And recognition of the reaping being dependent more on the grace of YHWH than on the strength and skills of mankind. But recall also the parable of the Sower and its interpretation. Thus, we must prepare the soil of our hearts to receive what is sown. There is some degree of shame or self-disappointment that is required in seeing one’s own limitations. This “self-disappointment” might be better explained as humility as opposed to arrogance/hubris. We like to think we are in control. We must recognize that we are not demi-gods, and we must modulate our perspective and our actions accordingly. Again, are we willing to submit to another versus depend upon our own strength?
The very topic of the strength of our own will vs. the submitting to the will of another is a topic that we will need to explore more fully. But please keep in mind that it is all about the actual choosing that is the teacher of wisdom/understanding. And this writer asks that you keep in mind the imagery of oil lubricating a process being reflected in “anointing.” Recall that anointing is pouring of oil upon something or someone. We can explore more fully another time. The oil may represent the training process we go through. Having lived out the process smooths out the subsequent steps. Or as Yeshua/Jesus spoke in Matthew, referring to Isaiah, the experience makes the yoke easy, the burden light.
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com, November 2026. Please cite if you use this material.