Deuteronomy 3:6 kjv
And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.
Deuteronomy 3:6 nkjv
And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.
Deuteronomy 3:6 niv
We completely destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every city?men, women and children.
Deuteronomy 3:6 esv
And we devoted them to destruction, as we did to Sihon the king of Heshbon, devoting to destruction every city, men, women, and children.
Deuteronomy 3:6 nlt
We completely destroyed the kingdom of Bashan, just as we had destroyed King Sihon of Heshbon. We destroyed all the people in every town we conquered ? men, women, and children alike.
Deuteronomy 3 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 15:16 | "And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." | Foreshadows divine judgment on wicked inhabitants. |
| Lev 18:24-25 | "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you... | Land vomiting out inhabitants due to their sin. |
| Lev 27:28-29 | "But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has...shall be sold or redeemed..." | Defines the unbreakable nature of cherem. |
| Num 21:2-3 | "If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities...utterly destroyed." | Early instance of the cherem vow against Canaanites. |
| Deut 2:34 | "And at that time we captured all his cities and devoted every city to destruction, men, women, and children..." | Direct parallel of Sihon's destruction to Og's. |
| Deut 7:1-2 | "When the Lord your God brings you into the land...you shall devote them to complete destruction. | Command to apply cherem to Canaanite nations. |
| Deut 9:5 | "Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in...but because of the wickedness of these nations..." | Highlights divine judgment as the reason for destruction. |
| Deut 13:15-17 | "...you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it... | Application of cherem to an idolatrous Israelite city. |
| Deut 20:16-18 | "But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes." | General instruction for holy war against land's inhabitants. |
| Josh 6:17-21 | "And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction..." | Execution of cherem at Jericho. |
| Josh 7:1 | "But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan...took some of the devoted things." | Disobedience regarding cherem brought severe consequences. |
| Josh 8:26-28 | "Joshua did not draw back his hand...until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction." | Execution of cherem at Ai. |
| Josh 10:40 | "So Joshua struck the whole land...and he devoted to destruction all who breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded." | Summarizes comprehensive application of cherem. |
| 1 Sam 15:2-3 | "Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have..." | God's command for cherem against Amalek. |
| 1 Sam 15:9 | "But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen...and would not utterly destroy them." | Saul's disobedience to the cherem command. |
| Ps 78:55 | "He drove out nations before them...and apportioned them an inheritance by measurement." | God driving out nations for Israel's inheritance. |
| Isa 13:15-16 | "...every one who is found will be thrust through, and every one who is captured will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed in pieces..." | Prophetic language for comprehensive divine judgment. |
| Jer 48:10 | "Cursed be he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed be he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed!" | Implies the severity of God's judgment and carrying it out fully. |
| Rom 1:18-32 | "...God gave them up to their vile passions..." | Shows God's judgment and turning over people to their sin. |
| Eph 5:6 | "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." | Reminds of God's wrath against sin and disobedience. |
| Rev 19:15 | "...from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron." | Future comprehensive judgment in eschatological terms. |
| Rev 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral...their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur." | Final eternal judgment for those devoted to evil. |
Deuteronomy 3 verses
Deuteronomy 3 6 Meaning
Deuteronomy 3:6 records Israel's action, led by Moses, in their conquest of the territory of Og, king of Bashan. It states that they utterly destroyed every city in Bashan, including its men, women, and children, replicating the complete destruction they had previously executed upon Sihon king of Heshbon. This action reflects the divine command of cherem, a devotion to the Lord often implying total destruction, particularly against nations whose idolatry and wickedness were profound.
Deuteronomy 3 6 Context
Deuteronomy 3:6 is part of Moses' recounting of Israel's journey and conquests before entering the Promised Land. Chapters 1-3 review key historical events, including the victories over Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. These accounts serve to encourage the new generation of Israelites, remind them of God's faithfulness and power, and instruct them on the requirements for inhabiting the land. Specifically, this verse details the nature of the destruction against Og and his cities, echoing the earlier command and execution against Sihon. It sets a precedent for the total devotion (cherem) required in God's holy war against the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan, emphasizing that none were spared due to the severe corruption of those peoples and the need for Israel to remain distinct and undefiled.
Deuteronomy 3 6 Word analysis
- And we utterly destroyed them:
- utterly destroyed (חרם, ḥāram): This is the root of the Hebrew term cherem, meaning "devoted" or "banned." In this context, it signifies a radical consecration to God by irreversible destruction, specifically targeting a group or thing to prevent its contaminating influence. It is not mere military conquest or looting but a divinely commanded act of purification and judgment against deep-seated idolatry and immorality that permeated Canaanite culture, aiming to eliminate every source of defilement.
- Significance: This was an act of worship, demonstrating obedience to God and His holiness, and acknowledging His sovereignty over all life. It underlined the severity of sin and its consequences, particularly the abominations of the pagan nations which included child sacrifice and gross immorality.
- as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon:
- Parallel Action: This phrase establishes a direct comparison and continuity. The action against Og was not an isolated incident but a consistent application of the divine directive previously carried out against Sihon (Deut 2:34).
- Reinforcement: It reinforces the idea that these victories were God's work, executed through Israel, following His specific instructions for these targeted groups.
- utterly destroying every city, men, women, and children:
- every city: Denotes the comprehensive scope of the destruction; no city was to be exempt from the cherem. This indicates a total purge from the territory.
- men, women, and children: This difficult phrase highlights the complete and radical nature of the cherem. While morally challenging from a modern perspective, biblically it is understood as a judgment against societies whose corporate wickedness, including systemic child sacrifice and depravity, had reached a point of no return (Gen 15:16). The purpose was to prevent spiritual contamination of Israel, severing all future influence and perpetuation of such abominable practices. It emphasized the holistic nature of the judgment and the purity required for Israel's habitation of the land.
Deuteronomy 3 6 Bonus section
The concept of cherem is often one of the most ethically challenging aspects of the Old Testament. However, biblical theology interprets it not as a universal war ethic for all time, but as a specific, time-bound divine judgment and surgical procedure for Israel at a unique point in salvation history. It highlights:
- Divine Impatience: The long-suffering of God has a limit (Gen 15:16); the wickedness of these nations had reached its "full measure."
- Protection of Israel's Purity: The radical measure was deemed necessary to prevent spiritual syncretism and apostasy, which the Bible clearly shows would be Israel's constant struggle (Deut 7:2-6). If any remnant had remained, the spiritual contagion was guaranteed.
- Symbolic Warfare: While literally physical, it serves as a powerful symbol of the spiritual warfare Christians engage in today—a radical separation from the "devoted things" of the world's sin and an unyielding commitment to Christ's purity, metaphorically putting to death (crucifying) the old sinful self (Rom 6:6; Col 3:5).
- God's Sovereignty and Justice: Ultimately, it underscores God's righteous authority over life and death and His unyielding opposition to sin, which finds its final and ultimate expression in eschatological judgment.
Deuteronomy 3 6 Commentary
Deuteronomy 3:6 provides a stark example of cherem, the divine command for total destruction as an act of consecration and judgment. It details Israel's rigorous obedience to God's will in eliminating the corrupting presence of the Bashanites, mirroring their previous conquest of Sihon. This was not simple military brutality but a covenantal act unique to a specific period of redemptive history, aimed at protecting Israel's spiritual integrity from pervasive Canaanite idolatry and moral abominations. The utter destruction of men, women, and children, though difficult for contemporary minds to grasp, represented the comprehensive excision of deeply rooted wickedness from the Promised Land, safeguarding the covenant nation from assimilation and ensuring their unique calling to be a holy people set apart for God. This passage ultimately underscores God's absolute sovereignty, His justice against profound sin, and His fervent desire for the purity of His chosen people.