Edrei

Biblical Text

Edrei appears chiefly in connection with Og, king of Bashan.

• Numbers 21:33-35: When Israel went up toward Bashan, Og came out with his people to fight at Edrei. The LORD said to Moses, "Fear him not," and Israel struck down Og and his people and took possession of the land.
• Deuteronomy 1:4; 3:1-11: Moses recounts this battle. Og is introduced as the king who dwelt at Ashtaroth and Edrei, and Edrei also serves as a city marking the boundary of Og's kingdom ("unto Salchah and Edrei," Deuteronomy 3:10).
• Joshua 12:4; 13:12, 31: Edrei is mentioned again as one of the cities over which Og ruled. After the conquest, it was allotted, together with Ashtaroth, to the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh.
• Joshua 19:37: An Edrei appears in the list of cities belonging to the tribe of Naphtali. Because it lay in Galilee west of the Jordan, it is regarded as a different place from Edrei in Bashan.

Background

Bashan is a fertile plateau east of the Jordan River and northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Edrei appears to have been one of the principal cities in the southern part of this region. Many scholars identify Edrei with the modern city of Daraa in southern Syria, but its location has not been confirmed archaeologically. The meaning of the Hebrew name is also uncertain. The location of Edrei in Naphtali is even less certain.

Significance in the Wider Bible

The battle of Edrei, together with the victory over Sihon, king of the Amorites (Numbers 21:21-32), is remembered as one of the defining events of the conquest of the land east of the Jordan, achieved before Israel crossed the river. In Deuteronomy 31:4, Moses cites this victory as a pledge of the coming conquest of Canaan, and Rahab and the Gibeonites likewise say that they had heard of it (Joshua 2:10; 9:10). Later, Nehemiah 9:22, Psalm 135:10-12, and Psalm 136:17-22 praise the victories over Sihon and Og as acts by which God gave Israel the land, although the name Edrei does not appear in these passages. The New Testament makes no direct mention of either Edrei or the battle with Og.

Interpretation and Issues

• Distinguishing the two Edreis: The Edrei of Joshua 19:37 is generally regarded as a different place from Edrei in Bashan.
• Og and the Rephaim: Deuteronomy 3:11 presents Og as a remnant of the Rephaim and records that his bedstead of iron was nine cubits long. Some interpreters take this record literally as an indication of a giant's stature, while others understand it as a kind of monument displaying the king's power.
• Extrabiblical traditions: Later Jewish tradition preserves various legends about Og. Since these stories do not appear in the texts of Numbers and Deuteronomy, they should be distinguished from the biblical account.
• The record of total destruction: The statement that Og's people were struck down "until none was left to him remaining" (Deuteronomy 3:3-6) bears on the broader discussion of how to understand the war narratives of the Old Testament. Interpretations of this issue vary according to theological position.