Og, King of Bashan: A Few Fascinating Things You (Perhaps) Didn't Know

"A survivor brought the news to Avram the Hebrew" (Bereishit 14:13) - the Talmud (Tractate Niddah 61) explains that the survivor mentioned in this verse is Og, who survived the flood in the time of Noach.

How did Og manage to survive the flood? According to Targum Yonatan (Bereishit 14:13), Og clung to the outside of Noach's ark for the duration of the flood. According to Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer (Chapter 23), Og stood on one of the ark's ladders during the flood and swore to Noach and his sons that he would be their eternal servant. The Yalkut Shimoni (Noah 56) notes: "What did Noach do? He made a hole in the ark and passed food to him [Og] every day."

In "Ahavat Yehonatan" (on Bereishit), it is written: "It can be said that Og is included in the words 'and those with him in the ark,' because he was on the ark or alongside it and also received his food from there."

Og in Avraham's Time

In Avraham's time, Og came to report that Lot had been taken captive. The midrash (Devarim Rabbah, end of Chapter 1) explains that Og was not motivated by the purest of intentions and was rather motivated by Sarah's beauty. Nevertheless, he received a reward as stated in Bereishit Rabbah (42:8): "Hashem said to him, 'The reward for your steps that you are taking, you will be granted long life.'" Bereishit Rabbah also notes:  "Og said, 'This Avraham... now I will tell him his nephew has been captured, and he will go to war and be killed, and I will take his wife Sarah.' Hashem said to him, 'Because you planned to kill that righteous man, by your life, you will see thousands upon thousands and tens of thousands of his descendants.'"

Bamidbar Rabbah (19:32) explains: "There was no one in the world stronger than him, and he remained from the mighty ones whom Amraphel and his allies killed." The Midrash Aggadah (Devarim 3:11) notes that "Og was lesser and more inferior than all the Rephaim who lived in his time."

The Midrash Shocher Tov qualifies that Og's real name was "Palit" (survivor), and the etymology of the name "Og" derives from the fact that he found Avraham busy making "ugot" (cakes) for Pesach when he arrived at his tent (Midrash Shocher Tov 136:12).

The Zohar explains that the verse "And all the men of his household were circumcised with him" refers to Og. "This is Og, who was circumcised with him and received the holy sign."

Og was rewarded for his good deeds in this world, as opposed to the World to Come. In fact, Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer qualifies: "Hashem gave him his reward in this world so that he would have no reward in the World to Come and established him as king – he is Og, King of Bashan."

Devarim Rabbah notes: "When Avraham circumcised his son Yitzchak, he made a feast and invited all the kings of Canaan, and Og was also there at the time. They said to Og: 'Isn't this what you used to say? Avraham is a barren mule and cannot father children.' When he saw Yitzchak, he said: 'What is this? This is nothing, I can kill him with my finger.' Hashem said to him: 'Is that what you said?! You will yet see thousands and tens of thousands coming from his descendants, and by their hands you will fall.'"

Og in Moshe's Time

The Midrash Shir Hashirim (4:3) explains: "Sichon and Og were arrogant and mighty, and there was only a day's journey between them, yet neither came to help the other."

The Midrash Shocher Tov (136:11) writes: "Sichon and Og were more difficult (for Israel) than Pharaoh and his armies, and they deserved to have a song sung about their downfall, but David came and sang about them: 'To Sichon king of the Amorites... and Og king of Bashan... for His mercy endures forever.'"

Before the war with Og, Moshe was worried. According to the Midrash, Moshe said: "I am 120 years old, and he is more than 500; if he did not have some merit, he would not have lived all these years." (Bamidbar Rabbah 19:32) The Zohar makes a similiar statement: "When Og saw the Jewish people approaching him, he said, 'Surely my merit (of circumcision, as mentioned earlier) will precede their merit,' and he placed his trust in this. At that time, Moses was concerned - how could he uproot what Avraham had planted?! Hashem said to him: 'Do not fear him,' meaning, 'Do not fear his sign, for he has damaged his sign, and one who damages his sign deserves to be uprooted from the world.'" (Zohar 3:184)

"When Moshe and the Jewish people reached the border of Edrei, Og's city, Moshe said: 'Let's camp here and enter in the morning.' When morning came, the sun's light was still not visible. Moshe raised his eyes and saw Og sitting on the wall with his feet reaching the ground. Moshe said: 'I don't know what I'm seeing. Did they build another wall during the night?!' Hashem said to him: 'Moshe, what you see is Og.' Og uprooted a mountain and threw it at the Jews, and Moshe took a pebble, mentioned Hashem's Ineffable Name upon it, and held it up." (Devarim Rabbah 1:24)

Tractate Berachot (page 54) discusses the great miracle that Hashem performed for the Jews in the war against Og: "The stone that Og, King of Bashan, sought to throw at Israel - this we have in our tradition. Og said: 'How large is the camp of Israel? 3 measures. I will go and uproot a mountain of 3 measures and throw it on them and kill them.' He went and uprooted such a mountain and carried it on his head. Hashem brought worms upon it, which bored holes through it, and it fell around his neck. He tried to remove it – his teeth grew out from here and there and he could not remove it. How tall was Moshe? 10 cubits. He took a staff of 10 cubits, jumped 10 cubits and struck him [Og] in the ankles."