Bashan

This map of Bashan spreads out the broad volcanic table-land east of the Sea of Galilee, its dark basalt soil shaded in deep tones to capture the region the Bible hails as “a land of giant­sized cedars and fat cattle” (Psalm 22:12; Amos 4:1). Contour lines trace the sixty fortified towns of Argob-“with high walls, gates, and bars”-that Moses recorded when Israel struck down “Og king of Bashan” at Edrei and allotted the territory to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3:4-5, 12:14; Numbers 21:33-35). Key sites are pinpointed: Ashtaroth, Og’s former capital; Salcah guarding the eastern frontier; and Golan, later a city of refuge. Blue ribbons mark the Yarmuk and Jordan rivers hemming the plateau, while the King’s Highway is traced in ochre as it climbs north toward Damascus, explaining why prophets likened Bashan’s oaks to proud elites toppled by judgment (Zechariah 11:1-2). By juxtaposing fertile plains against the looming cone of Mount Hermon and the ravines that plunge toward the Hauran, the cartography helps modern readers picture the strategic high ground Israel secured east of the Jordan-proof that the covenant people could already taste promise before crossing into Canaan proper.