Topical Encyclopedia
Etymology and Meaning:The name "Argob" is believed to derive from a Semitic root meaning "heap of clods" or "stony." This etymology reflects the region's rugged and rocky terrain.
Biblical References:Argob is mentioned in the Old Testament, primarily in the context of the territories east of the Jordan River. It is notably referenced in the Book of Deuteronomy and the Book of 1 Kings.
1.
Deuteronomy 3:4, 13-14 : Argob is described as part of the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan. The passage details the conquest of this region by the Israelites under Moses' leadership. "We captured all his cities at that time; there was not a city that we did not take from them: sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan... Jair the son of Manasseh took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites. It was named after him, Bashan-havoth-jair, until this day."
2.
1 Kings 4:13 : Argob is mentioned in the context of Solomon's administrative districts. "Ben-Geber—in Ramoth-gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars)."
Geographical Location:Argob is located in the region of Bashan, which is east of the Jordan River. This area is part of modern-day Golan Heights. The region is characterized by its volcanic rock formations and fertile land, making it suitable for agriculture and settlement.
Historical and Cultural Context:Argob was part of the territory ruled by Og, one of the last of the Rephaim, a group of ancient giants mentioned in the Bible. The conquest of Argob and the surrounding regions by the Israelites marked a significant expansion of their territory during the time of Moses. The region's cities, noted for their fortifications, highlight the advanced state of urban development in Argob during this period.
Significance in Israelite History:The capture of Argob and its cities was a testament to God's promise to the Israelites regarding the land of Canaan. The region's integration into Israelite territory under the leadership of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, underscores the fulfillment of divine promises and the establishment of Israelite presence east of the Jordan.
Theological Implications:Argob's mention in the Bible serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness in delivering the land to the Israelites. It also illustrates the importance of obedience and trust in God's plan, as the Israelites were able to conquer fortified cities through divine assistance. The narrative of Argob reinforces the theme of God's sovereignty over nations and His ability to fulfill His promises to His people.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Argoba turf, or fat land
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Argob(stony), a tract of country on the east of the Jordan, in Bashan, the kingdom of Og, containing 60 great and fortified cities. In later times it was called Trachonitis, and it is now apparently identified with the Leiah, a very remarkable district south of Damascus and east of the Sea of Galilee. (3:4,13,14)
ATS Bible Dictionary
ArgobA city in Bashan and Manasseh east of the Jordan; also the region around it. This was very fertile, and contained at one time sixty walled towns, which were taken by Jair the son of Manasseh, and called after him, De 1:4,13,141 Kings 4:13.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
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 wild and rugged in the extreme. On this "island" stood sixty walled cities, ruled over by Og. It is called Trachonitis ("the rugged region") in the New Testament (
Luke 3:1). These cities were conquered by the Israelites (
Deuteronomy 3:4;
1 Kings 4:13). It is now called the Lejah. Here "sixty walled cities are still traceable in a space of 308 square miles. The architecture is ponderous and massive. Solid walls 4 feet thick, and stones on one another without cement; the roofs enormous slabs of basaltic rock, like iron; the doors and gates are of stone 18 inches thick, secured by ponderous bars. The land bears still the appearance of having been called the `land of giants' under the giant Og." "I have more than once entered a deserted city in the evening, taken possession of a comfortable house, and spent the night in peace. Many of the houses in the ancient cities of Bashan are perfect, as if only finished yesterday. The walls are sound, the roofs unbroken, and even the window-shutters in their places. These ancient cities of Bashan probably contain the very oldest specimens of domestic architecture in the world" (Porter's Giant Cities). (see
BASHAN.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ARGOB (1)ar'-gob ('argobh, "story"): A locality or a person mentioned in the obscure passage2 Kings 15:25. The context deals with Pekah's conspiracy against Pekahiah; but it is not clear, owing to the state of the text, whether Argob and his associate Arieh (if these are the names of men) were officers of Pekahiah who were slain with him, or fellow-conspirators with Pekah. The vulg takes them as names of places; they may then be considered glosses that have crept into the text. Rashi holds that Argob was the royal palace. Argob is more likely the name of a place than a person. SeeARIEH.
H. J. Wolf
ARGOB (2)
ar'-gob (ha-'argobh; ha-argobh or Argob): A region East of the Jordan which inDeuteronomy 3:4, 5 is equivalent to the kingdom of Og in Bashan, and in 3:13 is referred to as "all the region of Argob, even all Bashan."Deuteronomy 3:14 is evidently corrupt. Havvoth-jair lay not in Bashan but in Gilead (Judges 10:4Numbers 32:401 Kings 4:13). It contained threescore cities. "All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars; besides the unwalled towns a great many."Deuteronomy 3:14 seems to say that it marched with Geshur and Maacah; but we cannot lay stress on this. We may take it that Argob lay in the land of Bashan; beyond this, on available data, we cannot certainly go.
The word chebhel, translated "region," means primarily a line or cord, then "a measuring line," then "the portion measured," e.g. "the part of the children of Judah" (Joshua 19:9), the "lot" or "portion" of an inheritance (Deuteronomy 32:9Joshua 17:14, etc.). Chebhel precedes Argob in each of the four cases where it is named. This has led many to think that a district with very clearly marked borders is intended. No region so well meets this condition as el-Leja', a volcanic tract lying about 20 miles South of Damascus, and 30 miles East of the Sea of Galilee. It is roughly triangular in form, with the apex to the North, and is about 25 miles long, with a base of some 20 miles. The lava which has hardened into this confused wilderness of black rock, rent and torn by countless fissures, flowed from the craters whose dark forms are seen on the East.
It rises to an average height of about 20 ft. above the plain, on which it lies like an island on a sea of emerald, the edges being sharply defined. At all points it is difficult of entrance, and might be defended by a few resolute men against an army. To this fact doubtless it owes its name el-Leja', "the refuge." There are many traces of considerable cities in the interior. The present writer collected there the names of no fewer than seventy-one ruined sites. See further TRACHONITIS. This identification is supported by taking 'argobh as the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek trachon, "stony." This is possible only if, as Gesenius assumes, the root raghabh is cognate with ragham, an extremely precarious assumption. "Clod" is the translation of the word reghebh inJob 21:33;Job 38:38; probably therefore 'argobh should be tendered "a region of clods," i.e. "arable land." This practically rules out el-Leja'.
We have seen above that the term chebhel need have no reference to the clearly marked rocky boundaries. As regards the great cities, all Bashan is studded with the ruins of such. The splendid remains that everywhere meet the traveler's eye were thought by Porter (Giant Cities of Bashan) and others, to be the wreck of the great cities that struck the invading Israelites with wonder. It is now clear that the ruins above ground are not older than the beginning of our era. The Greek and Roman architecture is easily recognized. Probably, however, excavation will prove that in very many cases the sites have been occupied from very ancient times. Cave dwellings, chambers cut in the rock and covered with stone vaults, and what may be described as subterranean cities, have been found in different parts, the antiquity of which it is impossible to estimate. There is nothing which enables us to identify the region of Argob. The whole country of Bashan., with the exception of el-Leja', is "arable land." The soil is very fertile, composed of lava detritus. In almost every district might have been found the threescore cities. Guthe suggests the western part of el-Chauran, stretching from Edrei (Der`ah) to Nawa. Buhl would locate it in the district of ec-Cuweit, to the Southeast of the low range of ez-Zumleh. This however seems too far to the South. The Southwest slopes of Jebel ed-Druze seem to meet the conditions as well as any. They form quite a wellmarked district; they are very fertile, and the strong cities in the region must have been numerous.
W. Ewing
Strong's Hebrew
709.Argob --Argob... 708, 709.
Argob. 709a .
Argob. Transliteration:
Argob Phonetic Spelling:
(ar-gobe') Short Definition:
Argob.
Argob From the same
...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.... NASB Word UsageArgob (5)....
709a. argab --Argob
... 709, 709a. argab. 709b .Argob. Transliteration: argab Short Definition:Argob.
Word Origin an incorrect reading found in some sources. 709, 709a....
Library
John the Baptist's Person and Preaching.
... It is called theArgob in the Old Testament, "an ocean of basaltic rock and boulders,
tossed about in the wildest confusion, and intermingled with fissures and...
The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6. <....
Thesaurus
Argob (6 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
ARGOB (1).
... Rashi holds that
Argob was the royal
palace.
Argob is more likely the name of a place than a person. See ARIEH.
...Og (22 Occurrences)
... On the conquest, compare Stanley, Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church,
I, 185-87. SeeARGOB; BASHAN. James Orr. Multi-Version Concordance...
Trachonitis (1 Occurrence)
... A rugged region, corresponds to the HebrewsArgob (qv), the Greek name of a region
on the east of Jordan (Luke 3:1); one of the five Roman provinces into which...
Havvoth-jair (5 Occurrences)
... In Deuteronomy 3:13, it is identified with Bashan andArgob; but in 1 Kings 4:13,
"the towns of Jair" are said to be in Gilead; while to him also "pertained...
Bashan-havoth-jair (1 Occurrence)
... The Bashan of the villages of Jair, the general name given toArgob by Jair, the
son of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3:14), containing sixty cities with walls and...
Ramothgilead (19 Occurrences)
... Here Ben-geber was placed in charge of one of Solomon's administrative districts
(1 Kings 4:13), which included Havvoth-jair and "the region ofArgob, which is...
Ramoth-gilead (20 Occurrences)
... Here Ben-geber was placed in charge of one of Solomon's administrative districts
(1 Kings 4:13), which included Havvoth-jair and "the region ofArgob, which is...
Bashan (54 Occurrences)
...Argob, in Bashan, was one of Solomon's commissariat districts (1 Kings
4:13).... 47:16); (3.)Argob or Trachonitis, now the Lejah; and....
Jair (14 Occurrences)
... 2:22). He distinguished himself in an expedition against Bashan, and settled
in the part ofArgob on the borders of Gilead. The...
Pekahiah (4 Occurrences)
... penetrated into the palace (the Revised Version (British and American) "castle")
of the king's house, and put Pekahiah to death, his bodyguards,Argob and Arieh...
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