Edrei
“Mighty, strong”
Summary
A chief city of Bashan where Israel defeated Og the giant king, known for its remarkable underground city carved into the rock and later allotted to the tribe of Manasseh.
☩Victory over Og
Edrei was one of the two metropolitan cities of the kingdom of Bashan, the other being Ashtaroth. It was here that Og, the gigantic king of Bashan—last of the Rephaim—was defeated by the Israelites, resulting in the loss of his entire kingdom. This victory, along with the earlier defeat of Sihon king of the Amorites, gave Israel control of all the territory east of the Jordan and became a celebrated example of God's power to deliver. The city afterward belonged to the half-tribe of Manasseh that settled east of the Jordan.
☩Site and Remains
The ruins identified with ancient Edrei, modern Der'ah, stand on a rocky promontory projecting from the southwest corner of the Lejah (ancient Argob or Trachonitis). The site presents a strange, wild appearance—dark, shattered masses of stone rising from a wilderness of black rocks. The ruins extend nearly three miles in circumference, with massive stone-built houses featuring stone roofs and doors. Most remarkably, an extraordinary subterranean city lies beneath the surface, with streets and houses carved into the rock—certainly very ancient and doubtless used as a refuge in times of danger. The site lacks water, chosen apparently for its impregnable security rather than habitability.
Related Verses8 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Edrei," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Edrei," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Edrei," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Edrei," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).