Psalms 135:11-12 · Bible study
Psalms 135:11-12 Commentary: King Sihon, Og, and the Heritage of Grace
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why are Sihon and Og singled out? Study the history, the meaning of 'heritage,' and the call to praise God for his faithful victories.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God conquered the strongest kings of Canaan and gave their land as an inheritance to Israel, demonstrating his power and covenant faithfulness.
- Key words: Sihon (H5511), Og (H5747), heritage (H5159 נַחֲלָה, repeated for emphasis).
- Main debate: Whether the passage functions purely as historical memory or also as a typological foreshadowing of Christ’s victory over spiritual powers.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty in salvation history, he defeats enemies and gives grace.
- Best use: A call to praise grounded in Scripture’s own rehearsal of God’s past acts; useful for teaching on covenant, inheritance, and the reliability of God’s promises.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
12He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.
WEB World English Bible 2000
11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12and gave their land for a heritage, a heritage to Israel, his people.
KJV King James Version 1769
11Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
12And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
11Sihon king of the Amorites, And Og king of Bashan, And all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12And gave their land for a heritage, A heritage unto Israel his people.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
11Even Sihon king of the Amorite, And Og king of Bashan, And all kingdoms of Canaan.
12And He gave their land an inheritance, An inheritance to Israel His people,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
11Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12And gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance unto Israel his people.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
11Who brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever.
12With a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 135:11
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Sihon and Og are named as the first and most formidable enemies Israel conquered in the promised land. Barnes calls them ‘specimens of what was done.’ The Cambridge Bible notes they were ‘the first and some of the most formidable enemies.’ Gill adds that they are singled out because they were ‘the first that were slain, and were the most mighty and powerful.’ Keil and Delitzsch observe that the poet follows Deuteronomy, where these battles mark the opening of the conquest. The main point is clear: recalling these early victories shows God’s power to defeat strong opposition and his faithfulness to give the land as promised.
The double repetition of the word ‘heritage’ (נַחֲלָה, nachalah) is deliberate. It underscores that the land was not earned but received as a gift. Gill sees this earthly heritage as a type of the eternal inheritance given to God’s spiritual people. All the commentators, regardless of tradition, agree that this passage grounds praise in concrete history. God acted. God gave. So Israel remembers and worships.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God gave the land of Canaan to Israel as an inheritance, fulfilling his promise and demonstrating his power over strong enemies.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Why Sihon and Og are singled out | All traditions agree they were the first and most powerful enemies Israel conquered, serving as representative examples of God’s victory. | Some see them as types of spiritual enemies defeated by Christ (Gill); others emphasize the literal historical event as the primary meaning. |
| Meaning of 'heritage' | The word means a possession given by divine grant, not earned by human effort. | Catholic and Orthodox traditions may see the land as a type of the Church’s inheritance; Protestant traditions often emphasize the land as a concrete promise to Israel; some assign it an eschatological reference (heavenly inheritance). |
| Theological interpretation of the conquest | God acted justly and sovereignly in giving the land to Israel. | Some Christians view the conquest as a unique, non-repeatable act of judgment; others draw moral or allegorical lessons about spiritual warfare, carefully distinguishing the old covenant theocracy from the new covenant ethic. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The events behind these verses are recorded in Numbers 21 and Deuteronomy 2, 3. After forty years in the wilderness, Israel approached Canaan from the east. Sihon, king of the Amorites, refused them passage. Israel defeated him at Jahaz and took his territory from the Arnon to the Jabbok. Then they turned north and defeated Og, king of Bashan, at Edrei. Og was a giant, the last of the Rephaim; his bedstead measured nine cubits long (Deuteronomy 3:11). These victories gave Israel control of Transjordan, the land assigned to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
The phrase ‘and all the kingdoms of Canaan’ summarizes the subsequent conquest under Joshua, which subdued thirty-one kings (Joshua 12). By naming Sihon and Og first, the psalm highlights God’s power over the strongest opposition. The word ‘heritage’ (נַחֲלָה) means an inherited possession, often one granted by covenant rather than by labor. The repetition, ‘a heritage, a heritage’, is not an accident. In Hebrew poetry, repetition adds intensity: the inheritance is certain, gracious, and irreversible.
Literarily, these verses sit at the center of a psalm that moves from God’s control of nature (v. 7) to his rescue from Egypt (vv. 8, 9) to the conquest of Canaan (vv. 10, 12) and then to a contrast with powerless idols (vv. 15, 18). The message is that the God who commands storms and breaks Pharaoh is also the God who gives land to his people. Every piece of history points to his sovereignty.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for these verses. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the main historical narratives in Numbers and Deuteronomy corroborate the names and sequence.
Reception History
Jewish tradition has recited this psalm in the Hallel cycle at festivals, using verses 11, 12 to recall God’s faithfulness in the exodus and conquest. Early Christian writers like Origen and Jerome saw Sihon and Og as allegories of the spiritual forces that oppose God’s people, defeated by Christ. Reformation commentators such as Calvin stressed that the passage demonstrates God’s sovereign choice of Israel and his power to fulfill promises. In many hymnals, these verses appear in metrical settings that invite congregations to ‘praise him who subdued mighty kings.’ Across traditions, the double ‘heritage’ has been read as a comfort: what God gives, he gives securely.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God defeats the mighty. Sihon and Og were not minor figures. Og was a giant. Their conquest shows God’s power over every human strength.
- God gives a heritage. The land was a gift, not a wage. The double repetition of ‘heritage’ emphasizes grace.
- God’s people remember and praise. The entire psalm calls Israel to sing because of what God did. Memory fuels worship.
Five-point outline
- The specific enemy: Sihon and Og represent the first and strongest opposition Israel faced.
- The comprehensive victory: ‘All the kingdoms of Canaan’ were subdued, not just two kings but an entire land.
- The gracious gift: The land is called ‘heritage’ twice. It is an inheritance, not a purchase.
- The chosen people: The heritage was given ‘to Israel his people.’ God acts on behalf of a covenant community.
- The purpose of praise: The psalm frames these verses as grounds for blessing the Lord. Theology leads to doxology.
Illustration hooks
- The classroom timeline. A teacher highlights key battles in a war, Sihon and Og are like the first critical victories that turned the tide.
- The family farm. A child inherits land that was earned by a grandparent’s sacrifice. The inheritance is free to the child but costly to the giver.
- The opponent who seemed unbeatable. A business owner faces a dominant competitor and sees an unexpected break. God’s victory over Og shows that no enemy is too strong.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does the Old Testament spend so much time on ancient battles? What does this have to do with my life?
- How can I be sure God will keep his promises to me when the obstacles seem as large as Og?
- Is the ‘heritage’ only about real estate, or does it point to something more?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 135:11, 12 invites us to remember what God has done. The list of defeated kings and the repeated word ‘heritage’ are not dry history. They are fuel for trust. As you discuss this passage, let the concrete details, names, places, victories, remind you that God acts in real time for real people.
Discussion questions
- Read Numbers 21:21, 35. What do you learn about Sihon and Og that helps explain why they are named here?
- The psalm calls the land ‘a heritage’ twice. Why do you think the poet repeats the word? What difference does that repetition make?
- In verse 12, the heritage is given ‘to Israel his people.’ How does that phrase shape the way you understand the gift?
- Look at the structure of Psalm 135 as a whole. How do verses 11, 12 connect to the sections about Egypt (vv. 8, 9) and about idols (vv. 15, 18)?
- What does it tell us about God that he defeats ‘mighty kings’ and then gives their land as a gift? How would you summarize the character of God from these two verses?
- If you had been an Israelite singing this psalm, what emotions would these names stir up? Fear? Gratitude? Hope?
- How can remembering specific past victories, big or small, strengthen your trust in God today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 21:21 | Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, |
| Numbers 21:35 | So they struck him, with his sons and all his people, until there were no survivors; and they possessed his land. |
| Deuteronomy 2:30 | But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today. |
| Deuteronomy 3:11 | (For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron. Isn’t it in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its width, after the cubit of a man.) |
| Deuteronomy 29:7 | When you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, and we struck them. |
| Joshua 10:1 | Now when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them, |
| Joshua 10:12 | Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!” |
| Joshua 12:7 | These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel struck beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon even to Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir. Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions; |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the kings and nations listed here are only samples of what God accomplished, not a complete record. The point is that such victories displayed God’s power and gave His people solid reason to praise Him for granting them the land as an inheritance.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that the call to praise God here is not limited to the Levites but extends to the whole congregation. He finds the reasons given—God's goodness and his choice of Jacob—apply equally to all believers, not only to those who serve in the temple.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights the defeat of Sihon and Og, two formidable Amorite kings, as a clear display of Jehovah's sovereign power. This victory, along with the deliverance from Egypt, shows God establishing His people in the land of Canaan as their heritage.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to the repeated word "inheritance," emphasizing that the land of these defeated Canaanite kings was not merely conquered territory but a gift granted by God to Israel as a perpetual possession. The stress falls on God's sovereign act of giving.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill treats the slaying of Sihon and Og as a direct type of Christ's victory over the devil and all spiritual powers. He sees the land given to Israel as a picture of the eternal inheritance prepared by God's free grace for his true spiritual people.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch point out that the phrase “great peoples” refers to powerful might, not large numbers, as the parallel word stresses strength. They also note that the poet closely follows Deuteronomy’s language throughout, making the passage a deliberate echo of that book’s conquest accounts.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats this psalm as a deliberate mosaic of earlier Scripture, noting it is almost entirely assembled from passages taken from other psalms and allusions to the law and prophets. He sees it as a late composition that weaves together these borrowed pieces into a unified call to praise the Lord for his works in nature and history.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that when the psalmist declares God's greatness, he does so from personal experience and conviction, not just observation. He contrasts the goodness of God, which we praise cheerfully, with the greatness of God, which deserves our awe-filled praise—something Christians tend to neglect. The psalmist also issues a holy defiance against all pretenders: the Lord is not merely above any god, but infinitely above all gods.