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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 22
The two tribes and a half are dismissed with a blessing—They build
an altar of testimony by Jordan to show they are the Lord's people—It
is not an altar for sacrifices or burnt offerings.
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1 THEN Joshua called the
aReubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh,
2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses
the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all
that I commanded you:
3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days
unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD
your God.
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4 And now the LORD your God hath given
arest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore
now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the
bland of your possession, which Moses the servant of the
LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
5 But take adiligent heed to do the
bcommandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the
LORD charged you, to clove the LORD your God, and to
dwalk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to
cleave unto him, and to eserve him with all your
fheart and with all your soul.
6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away:
and they went unto their tents.
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7 ¶ Now to the one half of the tribe
of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the
other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side
Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents,
then he blessed them,
8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with
much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and
with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment:
divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.
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9 ¶ And the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from
the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan,
to go unto the country of aGilead, to the land of their
possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by
the hand of
Moses.
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10 ¶ And when they came unto the borders
of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and
the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by
Jordan, a great altar to see toa.
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10a a great altar to see to
Now this was not an altar of worship, which the rest of Israel would think
it to be. But it was a monument and/or memorial of rembrance and dedication
between Israel and Israel, that they were brothers and of one family.
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11 ¶ And the children of Israel heard say,
Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the
borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
12 And when the children of Israel heard of
it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered
themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.
13 And the children of Israel sent unto the
children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of
Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the
priest,
14 And with him ten princes, of each chief
house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was
an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
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15 ¶ And they came unto the children of
Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto
the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
16 Thus saith the whole
acongregation of the LORD, What trespass is this
that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from
following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might
brebel this day against the LORD?
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17 Is the ainiquity of Peor
too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although
there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,
18 But that ye must turn away this day from
following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye
arebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be
wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your
possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the
possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's tabernacle dwelleth, and take
possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us,
in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.
20 Did not aAchan the son of Zerah
commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the
congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
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21 ¶ Then the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the
heads of the thousands of Israel,
22 The LORD aGod of gods, the LORD
God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in
rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
23 That we have built us an altar to turn from
following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering,
or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require
it;
24 And if we have not rather done it for
fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak
unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of
Israel?
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25 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border
between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no
part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from
fearing the LORD.
26 Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to
build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
27 But that it may be a witness
between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the
service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our
sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to
our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
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28 Therefore said we, that it shall be, when
they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that
we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD,
which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it
is a witness between us and you.
29 God forbid that we should rebel against the
LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for
burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of
the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.
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30 ¶ And when Phinehas the priest, and
the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which
were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest
said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the
children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is
aamong us, because ye have not committed this trespass
against the LORD: now ye
have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.
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32 ¶ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the
priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the
children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the
children of Israel, and brought them word again.
33 And the thing pleased the children of Israel;
and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against
them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad
dwelt.
34 And the children of Reuben and the children
of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between
us that the LORD is aGod.
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