1 THEN Joshua called the Reubenites, 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.
4 And now the Lord your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side Jordan.
5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
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.
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 Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
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 to.
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.
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 congregation 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 rebel this day against the Lord?
17 Is the iniquity 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 rebel 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 Achan 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.
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 God 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?
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.
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.
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 among 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.
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 God.

1Then Ioshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh,

2And said vnto them, Yee haue kept all that Moses the seruant of the Lord commanded you, and haue obeyed my voyce in all that I commanded you.

3Yee haue not left your brethren these many dayes vnto this day, but haue kept the charge of the commandement of the Lord your God.

4And now the Lord your God hath giuen rest vnto your brethren, as hee promised them: therefore now returne yee, and get yee vnto your tents, and vnto the land of your possession, which Moses the seruant of the Lord gaue you on the other side Iordane.

5But take diligent heed, to doe the Commandement and the Law, which Moses the seruant of the Lord charged you, to loue the Lord your God, and to walke in all his wayes, and to keepe his Commaundements, and to cleaue vnto him, and to serue him with all your heart, and with all your soule.

6So Ioshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went vnto their tents.

7 Now to the one halfe of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had giuen possession in Bashan: but vnto the other halfe therof gaue Ioshua among their brethren on this side Iordane Westward. And when Ioshua sent them away also vnto their tents, then hee blessed them,

8And he spake vnto them, saying; Returne with much riches vnto your tents, and with very much cattell, with siluer and with gold, and with brasse, and with iron, and with very much raiment: Diuide the spoile of your enemies with your brethren.

9 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to goe vnto the countrey of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

10 And when they came vnto the borders of Iordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Iordan, a great altar to see to.

11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh, haue built an altar ouer against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Iordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

12And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole Congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselues together at Shiloh, to goe vp to warre against them.

13And the children of Israel sent vnto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the halfe tribe of Manasseh into the lande of Gilead, Phinehas son of Eleazar the Priest,

14And with him ten princes, of ech chiefe 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.

15 And they came vnto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the halfe tribe of Manasseh vnto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,

16Thus saith the whole Congregation of the Lord, What trespasse is this that ye haue committed against the God of Israel, to turne away this day from following the Lord, in that ye haue builded you an altar, that yee might rebell this day against the Lord ?

17Is the iniquitie of Peor too litle for vs, from which we are not cleansed vntil this day, (although there was a plague in the Congregation of the Lord )

18But that ye must turne away this day from following the Lord ? And it will be, seeing yee rebell to day against the Lord, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole Congregation of Israel.

19Notwithstanding, if the lande of your possession be vncleane, then passe yee ouer vnto the land of the possession of the Lord, wherein the Lords Tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among vs: but rebell not against the Lord, nor rebell against vs, in building you an altar, beside the Altar of the Lord our God.

20Did not Achan the sonne of Zerah commit a trespasse in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the Congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquitie.

21 Then the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh, answered and saide vnto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

22The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, hee knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it bee in rebellion, or if in transgression against the Lord, (saue vs not this day,)

23That wee haue built vs an altar to turne from following the Lord, or if to offer thereon burnt offering, or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the Lord himselfe require it;

24And if we haue not rather done it for feare of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speake vnto our children, saying, What haue you to doe with the Lord God of Israel?

25For the Lord hath made Iordan a border betweene vs and you, yee children of Reuben, and children of Gad, yee haue no part in the Lord: so shal your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord:

26Therefore we said, Let vs now prepare to build vs an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

27But that it may bee a witnesse betweene vs and you, and our generations after vs, that we might do the seruice of the Lord before him with our burnt offrings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings, that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye haue no part in the Lord.

28Therefore said we, that it shalbe, when they should so say to vs, or to our generations in time to come, that wee may say againe, Beholde the paterne of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offrings, nor for sacrifices, but it is a witnes betweene vs and you.

29God forbid that we should rebell against the Lord, and turne this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meate offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the Altar of the Lord our God that is before his Tabernacle.

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.

31And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the Priest said vnto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceiue that the Lord is among vs, because ye haue not committed this trespasse against the Lord: now ye haue deliuered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.

32 And Phinehas the sonne 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, vnto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, & brought them word againe.

33And the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to goe vp against them in battel, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

34And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall bee a witnesse betweene vs, that the Lord is God.

II == Num 32:20 Deut 3:18 ; Josh 1:16-17

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV == Num 32:33 ; Deut 29:8 ; Josh 13:8

 

 

 

V == Deut 6:6 , 17 ; 10:12 ; 11:22

 

 

 

VI == Gen 47:7 ; Ex 39:43 ; Josh 14:13 ; 2nd Sam 6:18 ; Luke 24:50

VII == Josh 17:5

 

 

 

 

VIII == Num 31:27 ; 32:1 , 26 , 29 ; 1st Sam 30:24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XI == Deut 13:12 ; Judg 20:12

 

 

 

 

XII == Judg 20:1

 

 

XIII == Ex 6:25 ; Num 25:7 ; Deut 13:14 ; Judg 20:12

 

 

XIV == Num 1:4

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == Lev 17:8-9 ; Deut 12:13-14

 

 

 

XVII == Num 25:3-4 ; Deut 4:3

 

 

XVIII == Num 16:22

 

 

XIX == Josh 18:1

 

 

 

 

 

XX == Josh 7:1 , 5

 

 

 

 

 

XXII == Deut 10:17 ; 1st Kings 8:39 ; Job 10:7 ; 23:10 ; Ps 44:21 ; 139:1-2 ; Jer 12:3 ; 2nd Cor 11:11 , 31

XXIII == Deut 18:19 ; 1st Sam 20:16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXVII == Gen 31:48 ; Deut 12:5-6 , 11-12 , 17-18 , 26-27 ; Josh 22:34 ; 24:37

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIX == Deut 12:13-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXI == Lev 26:11-12 ; 2nd Chr 15:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXIII == 1st chr 29:20 ; Luke 2:28

1 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

2 and said to them: "You have done all that Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you, and have obeyed every command I gave you.

3 For many years now you have not once abandoned your kinsmen, but have faithfully carried out the commands of the LORD, your God.

4 Since, therefore, the LORD, your God, has settled your kinsmen as he promised them, you may now return to your tents beyond the Jordan; to your own land, which Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you.

5 But be very careful to observe the precept and law which Moses, the servant of the LORD, enjoined upon you: love the LORD, your God; follow him faithfully; keep his commandments; remain loyal to him; and serve him with your whole heart and soul."

6 Joshua then blessed them and sent them away to their own tents.

7 (For, to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had given a portion along with their kinsmen west of the Jordan.) What Joshua said to them when he sent them off to their tents with his blessing was,

8 "Now that you are returning to your own tents with great wealth, with very numerous livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and with a very large supply of clothing, divide these spoils of your enemies with your kinsmen there."

9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and returned to the land of Gilead, their own property, which they had received according to the LORD'S command through Moses.

10 When the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, they built there at the Jordan a conspicuously large altar.

11 The other Israelites heard the report that the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar in the region of the Jordan facing the land of Canaan, across from them,

12 and therefore they assembled their whole community at Shiloh to declare war on them.

13 First, however, they sent to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead an embassy consisting of Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest,

14 and ten princes, one from every tribe of Israel, each one being both prince and military leader of his ancestral house.

15 When these came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, they said to them:

16 "The whole community of the LORD sends this message: What act of treachery is this you have committed against the God of Israel? You have seceded from the LORD this day, and rebelled against him by building an altar of your own!

17 For the sin of Peor, a plague came upon the community of the LORD.

18 We are still not free of that; must you now add to it? You are rebelling against the LORD today and by tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel!

19 If you consider the land you now possess unclean, cross over to the land the LORD possesses, where the Dwelling of the LORD stands, and share that with us. But do not rebel against the LORD, nor involve us in rebellion, by building an altar of your own in addition to the altar of the LORD, our God.

20 When Achan, son of Zerah, violated the ban, did not wrath fall upon the entire community of Israel? Though he was but a single man, he did not perish alone for his guilt!"

21 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the military leaders of the Israelites: "The LORD is the God of gods.

22 The LORD, the God of gods, knows and Israel shall know. If now we have acted out of rebellion or treachery against the LORD, our God,

23 and if we have built an altar of our own to secede from the LORD, or to offer holocausts, grain offerings or peace offerings upon it, the LORD himself will exact the penalty.

24 We did it rather out of our anxious concern lest in the future your children should say to our children: 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?

25 For the LORD has placed the Jordan as a boundary between you and us. You descendants of Reuben and Gad have no share in the LORD.' Thus your children would prevent ours from revering the LORD.

26 So we decided to guard our interests by building this altar of our own: not for holocausts or for sacrifices,

27 but as evidence for you on behalf of ourselves and our descendants, that we have the right to worship the LORD in his presence with our holocausts, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Now in the future your children cannot say to our children, 'You have no share in the LORD.'

28 Our thought was, that if in the future they should speak thus to us or to our descendants, we could answer: 'Look at the model of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for holocausts or for sacrifices, but to witness between you and us.'

29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD or to secede now from the LORD by building an altar for holocaust, grain offering, or sacrifice in addition to the altar of the LORD, our God, which stands before his Dwelling."

30 When Phinehas the priest and the princes of the community, the military leaders of the Israelites, heard what the Reubenites, the Gadites and the Manassehites had to say, they were satisfied.

31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the Manassehites, "Now we know that the LORD is with us. Since you have not committed this act of treachery against the LORD, you have kept the Israelites free from punishment by the LORD."

32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and reported the matter to them.

33 The report satisfied the Israelites, who blessed God and decided against declaring war on the Reubenites and Gadites or ravaging the land they occupied.

34 The Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar its name as a witness among them that the LORD is God.

Chapters 22-24 bring a conclusion of these events to the death of Joshua. This chapter has to do with the sending home of the soldiers from east of the Jordan.

v 1-9. For seven years the soldiers from the east of Jordan have been away from their families. Joshua assembles them and compliments them on a job faithfully done. The organized fighting is over and the land is at rest, so he is sending them home with great wealth which they are to divide among those who “remained by the stuff, 1 Sam. 30:24). His parting command is to Do, Love, Walk, Keep, Cleave and Serve, v 5. Then he sent them away with a blessing.

v 10. Having experienced a close relationship with the western tribes, perhaps a feeling of isolation may have come over them as they approached the pronounced boundary between them, and on impulse, without consulting God, they built a great altar on the west side as a reminder that they were still a part of Israel and their God.

v 11-20. This was misconstrued by the western tribes as a replacement altar to the altar of sacrifice, and they gathered at Shiloh to make war against them. Wisdom prevailed over rashness, and they sent a delegation under Phinehas the priest to confront them first. The delegation rebuked them for rebelling against the Lord, reminding them of the plague at Peor when Israel rebelled against the Lord, and warning them that God would be angry with all Israel. They also reminded them of the sin of Achan, and in a show of brotherly consideration, offered to share their own possessions and let the eastern tribes come over and dwell with them.

v 21-29. The eastern tribes explained that they had not built the altar for sacrifice, but an altar of witness between them, that future generations on the west side would not exclude them from the worship of the Lord. They vowed that it was only an altar of witness, not an altar of sacrifice.

v 30-34. Phinehas and the other leaders had gone clear into the land of Gilead to confront their brethren. Now they were pleased to understand that the eastern tribes were not in rebellion against the Lord, so they returned and explained it to the people on the western side. They too were pleased and dropped their plans to wipe out the supposedly erring ones on the east side. It can be assumed that the eastern half tribe of Manasseh joined with Reuben and Gad in calling the altar “witness”, as it witnessed their belief that the Lord is God.
While God does not rebuke them for building that altar, He did not command it or express approval. Man’s plan for unifying Israel was something to see. God’s plan was for them to meet at His appointed feasts three times a year with their sacrifices. It is well when we do things that are good, but it is better if we consult the Lord and do it His way.
There are lessons to stand for the truth, but don’t judge without the facts. Also approach confrontation with gentleness, knowing that a soft answer turneth away wrath.