We're not just talking spiritually big, but physically… colossal.
Let's talk about Og, King of Bashan.
Og. The name alone conjures images of a giant striding across the ancient landscape. And giant he was! We catch glimpses of him in the Torah (Numbers 21:33-35, Deuteronomy 3:1-13), a king defeated by Moses and the Israelites. But the bare-bones biblical account leaves so much to the imagination, doesn't it? That's where the legends come in, filling in the gaps and painting a truly spectacular picture. And oh, what a picture it is!
According to the legends – specifically, as retold by Ginzberg in Legends of the Jews – Og’s demise was… well, let's just say it was epic. It wasn’t just a battle; it was a showdown for the ages.
So, picture this: Og, this behemoth of a man, sees the Israelite camp spread out before him. We're told it's a staggering three parasangs in circumference. Now, a parasang is an ancient unit of distance, roughly equivalent to about 3.5 miles. So, we're talking about a camp sprawling over ten miles! Og, in his arrogance, thinks, "Easy. I'll just tear up a mountain and crush them all!"
And that's exactly what he does. He uproots a mountain – remember, a mountain of three parasangs! – hoists it onto his head, and starts marching towards the Israelite camp, ready to obliterate them. Can you even imagine the sight?
But here's where the story takes a wonderfully whimsical turn. What did God do? He sends ants! Yes, tiny, seemingly insignificant ants. These aren’t just any ants, mind you. These are divinely appointed ants with a very important mission. They begin to bore holes through the mountain, so it slips from Og's head and lands squarely on his neck.
Now, Og tries to shake the mountain off, but his teeth, in a bizarre twist, grow outwards, becoming massive tusks that trap the mountain in place. So, there he stands, this colossal giant, utterly defeated by… a mountain stuck on his neck. Talk about irony!
Then Moses enters the scene. The Bible describes Moses as the most humble of men (Numbers 12:3). But in this moment, he is a warrior. He grabs an axe – a twelve-cubit axe, mind you (that's about 18 feet long!). He leaps ten cubits into the air, and strikes Og on the ankle, felling the giant.
It’s a fantastic image, isn’t it? The small and humble defeating the mighty. But what does it all mean?
Perhaps it's a reminder that true strength isn’t about brute force or physical size. Maybe it's about the power of divine intervention, the way God can use the smallest of things to topple the greatest of obstacles. Or perhaps it's about the dangers of arrogance, the way hubris can lead to a truly spectacular downfall.
Whatever the message, the story of Og's demise is a testament to the power of Jewish legend, its ability to breathe life into the biblical narrative and offer us enduring lessons about strength, humility, and the ever-present hand of the divine.