Joshua 22

Then Joshua called together the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

1Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

NoteReuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh had asked Moses for land east of the Jordan River, outside Canaan proper, because it was good grazing country. Moses agreed on one condition: their fighting men had to cross the river and fight alongside the other tribes until the conquest of Canaan was finished. That is the debt Joshua is now releasing them from.

2He said to them, "You have done everything Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in everything I commanded you.

2And 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:

3You have not deserted your fellow Israelites through all this long time, right up to today. Instead, you have carefully done the duty the LORD your God gave you.

3Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

4Now the LORD your God has given the rest of the Israelites peace and safety, just as he promised them. So go back home to the land Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you on the east side of the Jordan River.

4And 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.

Note"Rest" here is not sleep or leisure but a settled, secure life, the fighting is over, and each tribe is living on its own land without an enemy driving it out.

5But be very careful to obey the command and the law Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you: love the LORD your God, live the way he says, keep his commands, hold tightly to him, and serve him with your whole heart and your whole self."

5But 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.

6So Joshua blessed them and sent them off, and they went home.

6So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.

7Moses had given one half of the tribe of Manasseh land in Bashan, east of the river, and Joshua gave the other half land west of the Jordan, among the rest of the Israelites. When Joshua sent this group home too, he blessed them

7Now 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,

NoteBashan was the fertile high plateau east of the Sea of Galilee, known for its cattle and oaks. The tribe of Manasseh was unusual in being split: half settled east of the Jordan, half west of it.

8and said, "Go home with all this wealth: huge herds of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and plenty of clothing. Share what you took from your enemies with your relatives back home."

8And 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.

NoteDividing plunder with those who stayed behind was a fixed custom in Israel's wars: the men who guarded the camp, the families, and the herds received an equal share with the men who fought. Joshua is telling the returning soldiers to apply that rule to the families waiting at home.

9So the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelites at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, and headed for Gilead, the land that was now theirs. They had received it as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

9And 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.

NoteShiloh, in the hill country west of the Jordan, was where the tent of worship was set up after the conquest; it functioned as Israel's central sanctuary for generations. Gilead was the hill country east of the Jordan, the territory these tribes were returning to.

10When they reached the area by the Jordan River, still inside the land of Canaan, the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the river, a great altar to look upon.

10And 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.

NoteAn altar was a raised platform, usually of stone or earth, on which animals and grain were burned as offerings. Altars were also sometimes built purely as markers or monuments, which is what these tribes will claim theirs is. "A great altar to look upon" means it was large and conspicuous, built to be seen from a distance.

11Then the rest of the Israelites heard a report: "Look, the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the edge of the land of Canaan, in the area by the Jordan, on the Israelite side of the river."

11And 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.

NoteThe Hebrew here is unclear about which bank of the river the altar stood on. The phrase rendered "on the Israelite side" can mean the western, Canaan side; it can also be read as "opposite" or "at the crossing place." The ambiguity is in the original text, not in the translation.

12When the Israelites heard this, the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

12And 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.

Note"The whole community" (older translations: "the congregation") is the assembled body of Israel acting as a legal and military whole, the nation gathered to make a binding decision, not merely a crowd.

13The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

13And 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,

NotePhinehas was the grandson of Aaron and next in line for the high priesthood. He is chosen for this errand because he had personally intervened during the Peor incident mentioned in verse 17, which makes him the obvious envoy in a case of suspected unfaithfulness.

14They sent ten leaders with him, one from the main family group of each tribe of Israel. Each man was the head of a family among the clans of Israel.

14And 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.

NoteIsrael was organized in descending units: tribe, then clan (literally "thousand," a military and family grouping rather than an exact count of 1,000 men), then "father's house" or extended family. Sending one head of a father's house from each of the ten western tribes made the delegation officially representative of the whole nation.

15They came to the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, and said to them,

15And 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"This is what the whole community of the LORD says: What is this unfaithful thing you have done against the God of Israel? You have turned away from following the LORD today by building yourselves an altar, rebelling against the LORD this very day.

16Thus 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?

NoteThe word behind "unfaithful thing" (older translations: "trespass") means a serious breach of trust, treachery against someone who relied on you, or misuse of what is sacred. The specific accusation depends on a rule the reader needs to know: Israel was to offer sacrifices at one authorized sanctuary only, wherever the tent of worship stood. A second altar therefore looked like the start of a rival religion.

17Wasn't the sin we committed at Peor bad enough? We are still not clean from it, even now, and it brought a deadly sickness on the community of the LORD.

17Is 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,

NoteAt Peor, on the journey to Canaan, Israelites joined in the worship and sexual rites of a local god, and a deadly epidemic followed. The delegation's point is that the whole nation suffered for the act of some of its members.

18And now you are turning away from following the LORD! If you rebel against the LORD today, then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.

18But 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.

19If the land you own is unfit for worship, then cross over to the land the LORD owns, where the LORD's tent of worship stands, and take a share of land among us. But do not rebel against the LORD, or against us, by building yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

19Notwithstanding, 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.

Note"Unclean" here is a ritual term, not a comment on soil or hygiene: land outside the area where the LORD's tent stood could be regarded as unfit for worship. The delegation is offering a drastic remedy (abandon your territory, move west, and share ours), rather than let a second altar exist. The "tent of worship" (older translations: "tabernacle") was the portable sanctuary Israel carried through the wilderness, now pitched at Shiloh.

20Remember Achan son of Zerah. He was unfaithful about the things set apart for destruction, and anger fell on the whole community of Israel. He was not the only one who died because of his sin."

20Did 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.

NoteAt the capture of Jericho, everything in the city had been placed under a ban, "devoted" to God, meaning it had to be destroyed or given to the sanctuary rather than taken as loot. Achan secretly kept some of it, and Israel's army was defeated until the theft was found out. Achan and his household died. The delegation cites the case as proof that one family's offense can bring disaster on everyone.

21Then the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:

21Then 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 is the God of gods! The LORD is the God of gods! He knows the truth, and let Israel know it too. If we did this in rebellion or in unfaithfulness to the LORD, then do not spare us today.

22The 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,)

NoteThis is a doubled oath formula using a stack of divine names (literally something like "God, God, the LORD") repeated twice for maximum solemnity. Translations differ on whether to render it as a title ("the God of gods") or as a declaration ("The Mighty One, God, is the LORD!"). The speakers are swearing in the strongest terms available, and then calling down destruction on themselves if they are lying.

23If we built ourselves an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or to offer peace offerings on it, then let the LORD himself call us to account.

23That 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;

NoteThree standard kinds of offering are named. A burnt offering was an animal burned whole. A grain offering (older translations: "meat offering", in 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind, not flesh) was flour, oil, and incense. A peace or fellowship offering was an animal partly burned and partly eaten by the worshipers as a shared meal. Listing all three amounts to saying: we built nothing that any sacrifice was ever meant to happen on.

24No, we did it because we were afraid of something. We thought that someday your children might say to our children, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?

24And 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?

25The LORD made the Jordan River a border between us and you, you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in the LORD.' That way your children could make our children stop honoring the LORD.

25For 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.

Note"You have no share in the LORD" is the language of inheritance law. Each tribe held a "share" or "portion" of the land; the eastern tribes fear that being outside Canaan will one day be used to argue they hold no portion in Israel's God either, and so have no claim to worship at the sanctuary.

26So we said, 'Let us get ready and build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings and not for sacrifices,

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

27but as a witness between us and you and the generations after us, showing that we do worship the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices, and our peace offerings.' Then your children can never say to our children, 'You have no share in the LORD.'

27But 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.

NoteIn Israelite legal practice a heap of stones, a pillar, or a well could serve as a formal "witness", a permanent physical object that testified to an agreement long after the people who made it had died. That is the role the eastern tribes claim for this altar: a monument, not a place of sacrifice.

28We said that if they ever do say that to us or to our descendants in the future, we will answer, 'Look at this copy of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made. It was not for burnt offerings or sacrifices. It is a witness between us and you.'

28Therefore 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.

29It would be unthinkable for us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from following him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands in front of his tent of worship."

29God 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.

Note"It would be unthinkable" (older translations: "God forbid") translates an idiom meaning roughly "far be it from us", a strong formula of denial and self-distancing from a suggested act.

30When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community, the heads of the clans of Israel who were with him, heard what the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, they were satisfied.

30And 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.

31Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is here among us, because you have not been unfaithful to him in this way. You have saved the Israelites from the LORD's punishment."

31And 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.

Note"Saved the Israelites from the LORD's punishment" is idiomatic: to be in someone's "hand" is to be in their power. Phinehas means that by explaining themselves the eastern tribes have prevented the nationwide disaster the delegation feared in verse 18.

32Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders left the men of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead and returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and they brought back their report.

32And 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.

33The Israelites were satisfied with the report. They praised God and said no more about going to war against them or destroying the land where the people of Reuben and Gad lived.

33And 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.

34The men of Reuben and the men of Gad named the altar Ed, saying, "It is a witness between us that the LORD is God."

34And 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.

Note"Ed" is simply the Hebrew word for "witness," so the altar's name states its purpose. The name is missing from most Hebrew manuscripts, which read only "they called the altar, for it is a witness between us"; older English translations supplied "Ed" from the context and from other ancient copies.