Bashan is a significant region mentioned frequently in the Bible, known for its fertile land, rich pastures, and strong cities. It is located to the east of the Jordan River, extending from the Golan Heights in the north to the Yarmuk River in the south. The region is characterized by its lush landscapes and was renowned for its cattle and oak trees.

Biblical References and Historical Context

Bashan is first mentioned in the context of the conquests of the Israelites under Moses. The region was ruled by King Og, one of the last of the Rephaim, a race of giants. The Bible records the defeat of Og and the conquest of Bashan in Numbers 21:33-35: "Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. And Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. But 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.' So they struck him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left to him. And they took possession of his land."

The territory of Bashan was allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:29-31). It became known for its fortified cities, including Ashtaroth and Edrei, and its fertile plains, which were ideal for agriculture and livestock.

Geographical and Agricultural Significance

Bashan's geographical features contributed to its reputation as a land of abundance. The region's volcanic soil and ample rainfall made it one of the most fertile areas in the ancient Near East. This fertility is highlighted in Ezekiel 39:18, where the cattle of Bashan are noted for their quality: "You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan."

The oak trees of Bashan are also mentioned in Isaiah 2:13, symbolizing strength and majesty: "against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan."

Symbolism and Prophetic References

In biblical literature, Bashan often symbolizes strength and prosperity. The "bulls of Bashan" mentioned in Psalm 22:12 are metaphorically used to describe powerful adversaries: "Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me." This imagery underscores the might and intimidation associated with the region.

Prophetically, Bashan is referenced in the context of judgment and restoration. In Micah 7:14, the prophet speaks of God's care for His people, likening it to shepherding them in the fertile lands of Bashan: "Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days of old."

Cultural and Theological Insights

Bashan's historical and agricultural wealth made it a symbol of God's provision and blessing. Its conquest by the Israelites demonstrated God's power and faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to His people. The region's repeated mention in prophetic and poetic texts highlights its enduring significance in the biblical narrative.

Throughout Scripture, Bashan serves as a testament to the richness of God's creation and the strength of His deliverance. Its legacy as a land of giants, fertile pastures, and mighty oaks continues to evoke themes of divine power and providence.Bashan

in the tooth, in ivory

Bashan

(fruitful), a district on the east of Jordan. It is sometimes spoken of as the "land of Bashan," (1 Chronicles 5:11) and comp. Numb 21:33; 32:33 And sometimes as "all Bashan." (3:10,13; Joshua 12:5; 13:12,30) It was taken by the children of Israel after their conquest of the land of Sihon from Arnon to Jabbok. The limits of Bashan are very strictly defined. It extended from the "border of Gilead" on the south to Mount Hermon on the north, (3:3,10,14; Joshua 12:5; 1 Chronicles 5:23) and from the Arabah or Jordan valley on the west to Salchah (Sulkhad) and the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites on the east. (Joshua 12:3-5; 3:10) This important district was bestowed on the half-tribe of Manasseh, (Joshua 13:29-31) together with "half Gilead." This country is now full of interesting ruins, which have lately been explored and from which much light has been thrown upon Bible times. See Porter's "Giant Cities of Bashan."

Bashan

Fat, fruitful, Numbers 21:33, a rich hilly district lying east of the Jordan, and between the mountains of Hermon on the north, and those of Gilead and Ammon on the south. The country takes its name from its soft and sandy soil. It is celebrated in Scripture for its rich pasturage: "Rams, of the breed of Bashan," De 32:14; "Rams, bulls, goats, all of them fatlings of Bashan," Ezekiel 39:18. The oaks of Bashan are mentioned in connection with the cedars of Lebanon, Isaiah 2:13. Modern travelers describe the country as still abounding with verdant and fertile meadows, valleys traversed by refreshing streams, hills crowned with forests, and pastures offering an abundance to the flocks that wander through them. In the time of Joshua, Argob, one of its chief districts, contained sixty walled towns, De 4:43 Joshua 20:8 21:27. Bashan was assigned, after the conquest of Og and his people, Joshua 12:4, to the half tribe of Manasseh. David drew supplies from this region, 1 Kings 4:13. It was conquered by Hazael, but Joash recovered it, 2 Kings 10:33 13:25. From Bashan came the Greek name Batanaea, in modern Arabic El-Bottein. But this latter only included its southern part. The ancient Bashan covered the Roman provinces named Gaulonitis, trachonitis, Auranitis, Batanaea, and Ituraea.

Bashan, Hill of: (Psalm 68:15), probably another name for Hermon, which lies to the north of Bashan.

Light soil, first mentioned in Genesis 14:5, where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth," where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, Og came out against them, but was utterly routed (Numbers 21:33-35; Deuteronomy 3:1-7). This country extended from Gilead in the south to Hermon in the north, and from the Jordan on the west to Salcah on the east. Along with the half of Gilead it was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:29-31). Golan, one of its cities, became a "city of refuge" (Joshua 21:27). Argob, in Bashan, was one of Solomon's commissariat districts (1 Kings 4:13). The cities of Bashan were taken by Hazael (2 Kings 10:33), but were soon after reconquered by Jehoash (2 Kings 13:25), who overcame the Syrians in three battles, according to the word of Elisha (19). From this time Bashan almost disappears from history, although we read of the wild cattle of its rich pastures (Ezek. 39:18; Psalm 22:12), the oaks of its forests (Isaiah 2:13; Ezek. 27:6; Zechariah 11:2), and the beauty of its extensive plains (Amos 4:1; Jeremiah 50:19). Soon after the conquest, the name "Gilead" was given to the whole country beyond Jordan. After the Exile, Bashan was divided into four districts,

(1.) Gaulonitis, or Jaulan, the most western;

(2.) Auranitis, the Hauran (Ezek. 47:16);

(3.) Argob or Trachonitis, now the Lejah; and

(4.) Batanaea, now Ard-el-Bathanyeh, on the east of the Lejah, with many deserted towns almost as perfect as when they were inhabited. (see HAURAN.)

BASHAN

ba'-shan (ha-bashan, "the Bashan"; Basan): This name is probably the same in meaning as the cognate Arabic bathneh, "soft, fertile land," or bathaniyeh (batanaea), "this land sown with wheat" ("wheatland").

1. Boundaries:

It often occurs with the article, "the Bashan," to describe the kingdom of Og, the most northerly part of the land East of the Jordan. It stretched from the border of Gilead in the South to the slopes of Hermon in the North. Hermon itself is never definitely included in Bashan, although Og is said to have ruled in that mountain (Joshua 12:5; Joshua 13:11). In Deuteronomy 3:10 Salecah and Edrei seem to indicate the East and West limits respectively. This would agree with Joshua 12:5; Joshua 13:11, which seem to make Geshur and Maacath the western boundary of Bashan. If this were so, then these unconquered peoples literally "dwelt in the midst of Israel." On the other hand Deuteronomy 4:47 may mean that the Jordan formed the western boundary; while Deuteronomy 33:22 makes Bashan extend to the springs of the Jordan. If Golan lay in the district in which its name is still preserved (el Jaulan), this also brings it to the lip of the Jordan valley (Deuteronomy 4:43). "A mountain of summits," or "protuberances" (Psalm 68:15, 16: Hebrew), might describe the highlands of the Jaulan, with its many volcanic hills as seen from the West. "A mountain of God" however does not so well apply to this region. Perhaps we should, with Wetzstein (Das batanaische Giebelgebirge) take these phrases as descriptive of Jebel Chauran, now usually called Jebel ed-Druze, with its many striking summits. This range protected the province from encroachment by the sands of the wilderness from the East. On the South Bashan marched with the desert steppe, el-Chamad, and Gilead. Of the western boundary as we have seen there can be no certainty. It is equally impossible to draw any definite line in the North.

2. Characteristics:

Bashan thus included the fertile, wooded slopes of Jebel ed-Druze, the extraordinarily rich plain of el-Chauran (en-Nuqrah-see HAURAN), the rocky tract of el-Leja', the region now known as el-Jedur, resembling the Chauran in character, but less cultivated; and, perhaps, the breezy uplands of el-Jaulan, with its splendid reaches of pasture land. It was a land rich in great cities, as existing ruins sufficiently testify. It can hardly be doubted that many of these occupy sites of great antiquity. We may specially note Ashtaroth and Edrei, the cities of Og; Golan, the city of refuge, the site of which is still in doubt; and Salecah (Calkhad), the fortress on the ridge of the mountain, marking the extreme eastern limit of Israel's possessions.

The famous oaks of Bashan (Isaiah 2:13 Ezekiel 27:6) have their modern representatives on the mountain slopes. It seems strange that in Scripture there is no notice of the wheat crops for which the country is in such repute today. Along with Carmel it stood for the fruitfulness of the land (Isaiah 33:9 etc.); and their languishing was an evident mark of God's displeasure (Nahum 1:4). The "bulls of Bashan" represent blatant and brutal strength (Psalm 22:12, etc.). It is long since the lion deserted the plateau (Deuteronomy 33:22); but the leopard is still not unknown among the mountains (Songs 4:8).

3. History:

In pre-Israelite days Bashan was ruled by Og the Amorite. His defeat at Edrei marked the end of his kingdom (Numbers 21:33 Joshua 13:11), and the land was given to the half tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:30, etc.). In the Syrian wars Bashan was lost to Israel (1 Kings 22:3 2 Kings 8:28; 2 Kings 10:32 f), but it was regained by Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25). It was incorporated in the Assyrian empire by Tiglath-pileser III (2 Kings 15:29). In the 2nd century B.C. it was in the hands of the Nabateans. It formed part of the kingdom of Herod the Great, and then belonged to that of Philip and Agrippa II.

W. Ewing

1316. Bashan -- "smooth," a region East of the Jordan
... 1315, 1316. Bashan. 1317 . "smooth," a region East of the Jordan. Transliteration:
Bashan Phonetic Spelling: (baw-shawn') Short Definition: Bashan. ...
/hebrew/1316.htm - 6k

5747. Og -- king of Bashan
... Og. 5748 . king of Bashan. Transliteration: Og Phonetic Spelling: (ogue) Short
Definition: Og. ... Og. Probably from uwg; round; Og, a king of Bashan -- Og. ...
/hebrew/5747.htm - 6k

7163b. Qarnayim -- a place probably in Bashan
... 7163a, 7163b. Qarnayim. 7164 . a place probably in Bashan. Transliteration:
Qarnayim Short Definition: Karnaim. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/7163b.htm - 5k

709b. Argob -- "heap," a district of Bashan, also an Israelite
... 709a, 709b. Argob. 710 . "heap," a district of Bashan, also an Israelite.
Transliteration: Argob Short Definition: Argob. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/709b.htm - 5k

5548. Salkah -- a city on the E. border of Bashan
... 5547, 5548. Salkah. 5549 . a city on the E. border of Bashan. Transliteration:
Salkah Phonetic Spelling: (sal-kaw') Short Definition: Salecah. ...
/hebrew/5548.htm - 6k

154. Edrei -- a chief city of Bashan, also a place in Naphtali
... 153, 154. Edrei. 155 . a chief city of Bashan, also a place in Naphtali.
Transliteration: Edrei Phonetic Spelling: (ed-reh'-ee) Short Definition: Edrei. ...
/hebrew/154.htm - 6k

2334. Chavvoth Yair -- "tent villages of Jair," an area East of ...
... Bashan, Havoth-jair. From the plural of chavvah and a modification of Ya'uwr; hamlets
of Jair, a region of Palestine -- (Bashan-)Havoth-jair. see HEBREW chavvah ...
/hebrew/2334.htm - 6k

5044. Nibshan -- a place in S. Judah
... Definition: Nibshan. Word Origin from the same as Bashan Definition a place
in S. Judah NASB Word Usage Nibshan (1). Nibshan. Of uncertain ...
/hebrew/5044.htm - 6k

Psalm 68
... like Salmon's snow twas white. ^15God's hill is like to Bashan hill,. like Bashan
hill for height. ... 22God said, My people I will bring. again from Bashan hill; ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/psalm 68.htm

Of the Predicted Rejection of Idols.
... they shall be brought low; and upon every cedar of Lebanon of the high ones and
the lifted up, [624] and upon every tree of the Lebanon of Bashan, [625] and ...
/.../the harmony of the gospels/chapter xxviii of the predicted rejection.htm

Six Cities
... of Ramoth, then, among the hills and slopes on the other side of the Jordan, with
their forests of native oak, which the famous "bulls of Bashan" (herds of ...
/.../macduff/the cities of refuge or the name of jesus/ii six cities.htm

Stedfastness in the Old Paths.
... Micah, "Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitary
in the wood, in the midst of Carmel; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon xviii stedfastness in the.htm

The Six Cities.
... they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben,
and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the ...
/.../macduff/the cities of refuge or the name of jesus/ii the six cities.htm

The Nations of the South-East
... conquerors. To the north the territory of Ammon was bounded by the plateau
of Bashan and the Aramaic kingdoms of Gilead. Southward ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iii the nations of.htm

From Kadesh to the Death of Moses.
... The overcoming of this strong and ancient people brought Israel into contact with
Og, king of Bashan, who was himself a giant and whose country was far more ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter vii from kadesh to.htm

Climbing the Mountain
... Behold, then, before your eyes believer, the hill of God; it is a high hill even
as the hill of Bashan, on the top thereof is that Jerusalem which is from above ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/climbing the mountain.htm

Israel in Canaan.
... sea; while Reuben, Gad, and the rest of Manasseh, were to the east of the Jordan,
where they had begged to settle themselves in the meadows of Bashan, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson v israel in canaan.htm

Nahum's Doom of Nineveh
... He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan
languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/xi nahums doom of nineveh.htm

Bashan (54 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Bashan, Hill of: (Psalm 68:15), probably another
name for Hermon, which lies to the north of Bashan. Light ...
/b/bashan.htm - 32k

Bashan's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Bashan's (1 Occurrence). Psalms 22:12 Many bulls have
encompassed me; Bashan's strong ones have beset me round. (DBY). ...
/b/bashan's.htm - 6k

Bashan-havoth-jair (1 Occurrence)
Bashan-havoth-jair. Bashanhavothjair, Bashan-havoth-jair. Bashanhavvothjair .
Easton's Bible Dictionary ...Bashan-havoth-jair (1 Occurrence). ...
/b/bashan-havoth-jair.htm - 7k

Bashan-havvoth-jair
Bashan-havvoth-jair. Bashanhavvothjair, Bashan-havvoth-jair. Bashan's .
Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia BASHAN-HAVVOTH-JAIR. ...
/b/bashan-havvoth-jair.htm - 6k

Edrei (8 Occurrences)
... Mighty; strength. (1.) One of the chief towns of the kingdom of Bashan (Joshua
12:4, 5). Here Og was ... (see BASHAN.). (2.) A town of Naphtali (Joshua 19:37). Int. ...
/e/edrei.htm - 11k

Salcah (4 Occurrences)
... Wandering, a city of Bashan assigned to the half tribe of Manasseh (Deuteronomy
3:10; Joshua 12:5; 13:11), identified with Salkhad, about 56 miles east of ...
/s/salcah.htm - 10k

Og (22 Occurrences)
... Gigantic, the king of Bashan, who was defeated by Moses in a pitched battle at Edrei,
and was slain along with his sons (Deuteronomy 1:4), and whose kingdom ...
/o/og.htm - 17k

Ed're-i (8 Occurrences)
... Numbers 21:33 They turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan
went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. ...
/e/ed're-i.htm - 8k

Salecah (4 Occurrences)
... Vaticanus Sekchai, Acha, Sela Codex Alexandrinus Elcha, Aselcha, Selcha): This place
first appears in Deuteronomy 3:10 as marking the eastern boundary of Bashan...
/s/salecah.htm - 9k

Argob (6 Occurrences)
... Stony heap, an "island," as it has been called, of rock about 30 miles by 20, rising
20 or 30 feet above the table-land of Bashan; a region of crags and chasms ...
/a/argob.htm - 15k

Who was Og king of Bashan? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Sihon, king of the Amorites? | GotQuestions.org

Is there any evidence for the giants mentioned in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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