Pronouns: you/we/us.
Moses speaks to the assembly of Israel as if they were the previous generation.
“Then all of you approached me, and you said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them explore the land for us, and let them bring back a report to us concerning the way that we should take and concerning the cities that we shall come to.”
Deuteronomy 1:22 LEB
It was, in fact, the fathers of this generation who said this. The people listening to Moses in this moment were still in diapers when the 12 spies went to check out the land.
But Moses speaks to them as if they are one unit with their predecessors. There is a solidarity of identity in this.
For example, a Christian could say, “We have been persecuted from Ancient Rome to today,” even if the speaker has not personally experienced persecution. It is identification with the whole community.
So – just a heads up that Moses uses these communal pronouns. Don’t let it confuse you. The people who grumbled in the wilderness are all dead. It’s their children Moses is addressing. But they are you, we, and us.
GIANTS
Lots more mentions of the giant clans in these chapters. Notice that it is the giant clans only that are wiped out – man, woman, and child. This is not anything other tribes before them haven’t done (or attempted).
It’s wild to me that Moses first sends King Sihon a letter of peace. Israel wasn’t trying to pick a fight. The Amorites attacked first. It was the last thing they ever did.
Nobody liked the giant clans. At the risk of belaboring the point, allow me to explain again. According to 1st Enoch and the rabbinical writings of the 2nd Temple Period, the disembodied spirits of these dead giants are what we call “demons.”
The giants that Israel faced were literally demons in bodies.
Demons are not nice. Imagine how not nice they would be if they had a huge body with which to wreak havoc.
And… random note… I never get tired of realizing there are cave men in the Bible. That is SO crazy. The fact that they are consistently grouped with the list of giant clans tells me that they were probably nephilim too.
In case you’re new to the party…
Israel was not allowed to meddle with the Edomites, the Moabites, or the Ammonites. Those tribes were all relatives of Abraham.
- Edom – descendants of Hairy Red Esau the brother of Jacob; sons of Isaac, grandsons of Abraham
- Moab & Ammon – sons of Lot by his daughters through incest. Lot was the nephew of Abraham.
Israel’s mission is to clear out the various tribes of Canaan. Leave the relatives alone.
“And so we took at that time the land from the control of the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, from the wadi of Arnon up to Mount Hermon. (The Sidonians called Hermon ‘Sirion,’ and the Amorites called it ‘Senir.’) All of the towns of the plateau and the whole of Gilead and all of Bashan up to Salecah and Edrei, the towns of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. (For only Og, king of Bashan, was left from the remnant of the Rephaim…”
Deuteronomy 3:8-11 LEB
Bashan (Bah-SHON) is the region around and south of Mount Hermon. Hermon was the location where the fallen angels landed when they “left their habitation” (Jude 1:6), according to 1 Enoch chapter 6:
“1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children.’ And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not 4 indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’ And they all answered him and said: ‘Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations 5 not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’ Then sware they all together and bound themselves 6 by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn 7 and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.”
By the way – the name Jared (Yared) means “a descent.” Ya know how Bible people would name their kids for significant events? Well… if you name your kid “descent” or “descend” maybe that meant something.
Hermon is related to the word kherem – dedicated thing. They both share the same root word: kharam (to ban, seclude, devote to religious use – particularly to destruction.) The rebel Sons of God devoted themselves by sworn oath to their decision. And so the mountain was given a name that was a play on the word meaning to devote or seclude. Geologically, Mount Hermon is like The Lonely Mountain in Tolkien’s Hobbit. It stands alone. Secluded. 🏔️
The area around Mount Hermon is covered with dolmans – ancient gateways to the spirit realm that mark a grave.
Then… there’s this thing…
This ancient structure is in the Golan Heights (Bashan). Those walls of stone are 8ft high. The outermost ring is 520 feet across. The rock pile in the center is a giant dolman 15ft high. You can read more details here on Wikipedia. Whatever was going on here – it was linked to the spirits of the dead.
As if this wasn’t strange enough, look what was found when they zoomed WAY out from the circle…
If you possibly can, watch the first 13ish minutes of this video. It’s a bit like drinking from a fire hose, but the footage and the explanations are incredible.
Interesting isn’t it that one of the most unpeaceful places on earth is the Golan Heights. It is contested real estate to this day. It’s the borderland between Israel and Syria.
This was a very evil place. It’s likely ground zero for the goings-on of Genesis 6 and continued to be significant for rituals and attempts to contact the dead Nephilim ancestors (otherwise known as demons).
Ever wondered why many very different cultures have traditions of worshiping or celebrating the dead ancestors? (Think Dia de le muerte – Day of the Dead in Mexico). Or building shrines and praying to the dead ancestors? Well, if your ancestors were demigods, that makes sense.
Are you seeing it now?
This business of Genesis 6 “and also after that” with the attempt of the fallen realm to highjack mankind and thwart God’s plan affects us TO THIS DAY.
Before God’s people settled in the Promised Land they first had to eliminate the ones who were so given over to evil that they were reprobate; beyond the reach of repentance. And Hoshea/Yehoshua led them into battle.
It was all a prophetic act.
Before God’s people settle in our Promised Land (which – I believe is geographically where modern Israel is), Hoshea/Yehoshua (Jesus) will arrive leading His heavenly army to eliminate the ones who have so given themselves over to evil that they have passed the point no return.
The book of Joshua is Revelation 19.
But it started with defeating Sihon & Og – king of Bashan: the land of the serpent, ground zero of the greatest rebellion in the universe.
To The Reader 