The Meaning of Deuteronomy 3:11 Explained

Deuteronomy 3:11

KJV: For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

YLT: for only Og king of Bashan had been left of the remnant of the Rephaim; lo, his bedstead is a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the sons of Ammon? nine cubits its length, and four cubits its breadth, by the cubit of a man.

Darby: For only Og the king of Bashan remained of the residue of giants: behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? its length was nine cubits, and its breadth four cubits, after the cubit of a man.

ASV: (For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.)

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For only Og  king  of Bashan  remained  of the remnant  of giants;  behold, his bedstead  [was] a bedstead  of iron;  [is] it not  in Rabbath  of the children  of Ammon?  nine  cubits  [was] the length  thereof, and four  cubits  the breadth  of it, after the cubit  of a man. 

What does Deuteronomy 3:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 3:1-22 - The Inheritance Of Reuben, Gad And Manasseh
Sihon's defeat, described in the previous chapter, compelled his ally Og to take the field and oppose the further advance of Israel. "He came out" against them. Perhaps also Joshua 24:12 affords a clue. Swarms of hornets harassed him and his people, and drove them out of their stone houses and fortifications; they preferred meeting the chosen race in the open to the scourge of these formidable creatures. When God says, "Fear not," He fights on our side.
Recent discoveries confirm these references to the many stone cities of Bashan, mentioned in Deuteronomy 3:4. The country is covered with ruins. Porter says that 500 ruined places attest the might of the Amorites. The royal bedstead is thought to mean coffin or bier. Its length of 13 1/2 feet would infer a stature of 11 or 12 feet.
These victories opened fertile and beautiful pasture-lands, including Hermon and Gilead. "The Lord delivered"¦ and we took." [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 3

1  The conquest of Og, king of Bashan
11  This size of his bed
12  The distribution of his lands to the two tribes and half
23  Moses prays to enter into the land
26  He is permitted to see it

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 3:11 mean?

For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim indeed his bedstead [was] an bedstead iron [Is] not it in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon Nine cubits [is] its length and four cubits its width according to the cubit standard
כִּ֣י רַק־ ע֞וֹג מֶ֣לֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֗ן נִשְׁאַר֮ מִיֶּ֣תֶר הָרְפָאִים֒ הִנֵּ֤ה עַרְשׂוֹ֙ עֶ֣רֶשׂ בַּרְזֶ֔ל הֲלֹ֣ה הִ֔וא בְּרַבַּ֖ת בְּנֵ֣י ؟ עַמּ֑וֹן תֵּ֧שַׁע אַמּ֣וֹת אָרְכָּ֗הּ וְאַרְבַּ֥ע אַמּ֛וֹת רָחְבָּ֖הּ בְּאַמַּת־ אִֽישׁ

רַק־  only 
Parse: Adverb
Root: רַק  
Sense: only, altogether, surely.
ע֞וֹג  Og 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹוג  
Sense: the Amorite king of Bashan and one of the last representatives of the giant race of Rephaim.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הַבָּשָׁ֗ן  of  Bashan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּשָׁן 
Sense: a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
נִשְׁאַר֮  remained 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
מִיֶּ֣תֶר  of  the  remnant 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יֶתֶר 
Sense: .
הָרְפָאִים֒  of  the  Rephaim 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: רְפָאִים 
Sense: giants, Rephaim.
הִנֵּ֤ה  indeed 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
עַרְשׂוֹ֙  his  bedstead  [was] 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֶרֶשׂ  
Sense: couch, divan, bed.
עֶ֣רֶשׂ  an  bedstead 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֶרֶשׂ  
Sense: couch, divan, bed.
בַּרְזֶ֔ל  iron 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּרְזֶל  
Sense: iron.
הֲלֹ֣ה  [Is]  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
בְּרַבַּ֖ת  in  Rabbah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רַבָּה  
Sense: the capital city of the Ammonites located east of the Jordan.
בְּנֵ֣י  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
؟ עַמּ֑וֹן  of  Ammon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַמֹּון  
Sense: a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi.
תֵּ֧שַׁע  Nine 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: תֵּשַׁע  
Sense: nine, nonad.
אַמּ֣וֹת  cubits  [is] 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
אָרְכָּ֗הּ  its  length 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֹרֶךְ  
Sense: length.
וְאַרְבַּ֥ע  and  four 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, feminine singular construct
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
אַמּ֛וֹת  cubits 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
רָחְבָּ֖הּ  its  width 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: רֹחַב  
Sense: breadth, width, expanse.
בְּאַמַּת־  according  to  the  cubit 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
אִֽישׁ  standard 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.