Another matter, “see, I have begun” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: When Israel departed from Egypt, and the Holy One blessed be He performed all those miracles on their behalf, dread of them fell upon all the nations of the world, as it is stated: “May dread and fear fall over them” (Exodus 15:16). When they came to wage war with Siḥon and Og, the Emorites were asking one another: ‘As you live, this nation that seeks to wage war with us, are they mighty or not?
How many nations are they?’ They said: ‘They are members of three nations.’54Priests, Levites, and Israelites. Siḥon and Og said: ‘This entire nation of people are members of three nations?’ They said: ‘Let us arm ourselves and go out against them and we will kill them.’
From where is this derived? “Siḥon went out to war toward us” (Deuteronomy 2:32). Moses and Israel came to the environs of Edre’i. Moses said to them: ‘Let us camp here and we will enter [the city] in the morning.’ They came to enter Edre’i, and the eye could not yet see.55It was still dark.
Moses lifted his eyes and saw Og sitting on the wall and his feet reached the ground. Moses said: ‘I do not know what I am seeing. Did they build another wall at night?’56He thought Og was part of the wall. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, what you see is Og.’
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The length of his legs was eighteen cubits. At that moment, Moses was afraid. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Fear not, as I will topple him before you.’ From where is this derived?
“The Lord said to Moses: Do not fear him” (Numbers 21:34). Og would uproot a mountain and cast it on Israel, and Moses would take a pebble, intone the ineffable Name, and it [the pebble] would intercept it [the mountain]. Israel said: ‘Cursed are the hands that cast in that way.’ The Emorites said: ‘Blessed are the hands that intercept in that way.’