Argob

2 definitions found

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Argob
     stony heap, an "island," as it has been called, of rock about 30
     miles by 20, rising 20 or 30 feet above the table-land of
     Bashan; a region of crags and chasms wild and rugged in the
     extreme. On this "island" stood sixty walled cities, ruled over
     by Og. It is called Trachonitis ("the rugged region") in the New


     Testament (Luke 3:1). These cities were conquered by the
     Israelites (Deut. 3:4; 1 Kings 4:13). It is now called the
     Lejah. Here "sixty walled cities are still traceable in a space
     of 308 square miles. The architecture is ponderous and massive.
     Solid walls 4 feet thick, and stones on one another without
     cement; the roofs enormous slabs of basaltic rock, like iron;
     the doors and gates are of stone 18 inches thick, secured by
     ponderous bars. The land bears still the appearance of having
     been called the 'land of giants' under the giant Og." "I have
     more than once entered a deserted city in the evening, taken
     possession of a comfortable house, and spent the night in peace.
     Many of the houses in the ancient cities of Bashan are perfect,
     as if only finished yesterday. The walls are sound, the roofs
     unbroken, and even the window-shutters in their places. These
     ancient cities of Bashan probably contain the very oldest
     specimens of domestic architecture in the world" (Porter's Giant
     Cities). (See {BASHAN}.)
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Argob, a turf, or fat land