The Meaning of Deuteronomy 3:16 Explained

Deuteronomy 3:16

KJV: And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

YLT: 'And to the Reubenite and to the Gadite I have given from Gilead even unto the brook Arnon, the middle of the valley and the border, even unto Jabbok the brook, the border of the sons of Ammon,

Darby: And to the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even to the river Arnon, the middle of the ravine and its border, as far as the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon;

ASV: And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and the border thereof , even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And unto the Reubenites  and unto the Gadites  I gave  from Gilead  even unto the river  Arnon  half  the valley,  and the border  even unto the river  Jabbok,  [which is] the border  of the children  of Ammon; 

What does Deuteronomy 3:16 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 3:16 mean?

And to the Reubenite and the Gadite I gave from Gilead and as far as the River Arnon the middle of the river and as the border and as far as Jabbok the River the border of the sons of Ammon
וְלָרֻאוּבֵנִ֨י‪‬ וְלַגָּדִ֜י נָתַ֤תִּי מִן־ הַגִּלְעָד֙ וְעַד־ נַ֣חַל אַרְנֹ֔ן תּ֥וֹךְ הַנַּ֖חַל וּגְבֻ֑ל וְעַד֙ יַבֹּ֣ק הַנַּ֔חַל גְּב֖וּל בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן

וְלָרֻאוּבֵנִ֨י‪‬  And  to  the  Reubenite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: רְאוּבֵנִי  
Sense: a descendant of Reuben the son of Jacob.
וְלַגָּדִ֜י  and  the  Gadite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גָּדִי  
Sense: one of the tribe descended from Gad.
נָתַ֤תִּי  I  gave 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
הַגִּלְעָד֙  Gilead 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: 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’.
וְעַד־  and  as  far  as 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
נַ֣חַל  the  River 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
אַרְנֹ֔ן  Arnon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַרְנׄון  
Sense: a river and surrounding valley in south Palestine, forms the border between Moab and the Amorites.
תּ֥וֹךְ  the  middle 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
הַנַּ֖חַל  of  the  river 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
וּגְבֻ֑ל  and  as  the  border 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.
וְעַד֙  and  as  far  as 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
יַבֹּ֣ק  Jabbok 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַבֹּק  
Sense: Additional Information: Jabbok = “emptying”.
הַנַּ֔חַל  the  River 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
גְּב֖וּל  the  border 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.
בְּנֵ֥י  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עַמּֽוֹן  of  Ammon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַמֹּון  
Sense: a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi.