Advanced Commentary

(ex.: John 3:14-18)

Table of Contents Bible Dictionary
Arts
Questions
Sermon Illustrations
Resources/Books

Context
32:1 Now the Reubenites <07205> <01121> and the Gadites <01410> <01121> possessed a very <03966> large <06099> number <07227> of cattle <04735>. When they saw <07200> that the lands <0776> of Jazer <03270> and Gilead <01568> were ideal for cattle <04735>, 32:2 the Gadites <01410> <01121> and the Reubenites <07205> <01121> came <0935> and addressed <0559> Moses <04872>, Eleazar <0499> the priest <03548>, and the leaders <05387> of the community <05712>. They said <0559>, 32:3 “Ataroth <05852>, Dibon <01769>, Jazer <03270>, Nimrah <05247>, Heshbon <02809>, Elealeh <0500>, Sebam <07643>, Nebo <05015>, and Beon <01194>, 32:4 the land <0776> that <0834> the Lord <03068> subdued <05221> before <06440> the community <05712> of Israel <03478>, is ideal for cattle <04735>, and your <01931> servants <05650> have cattle <04735>.” 32:5 So they said <0559>, “If <0518> we have found <04672> favor <02580> in your sight <05869>, let this <02063> land <0776> be given <05414> to your servants <05650> for our inheritance <0272>. Do not <0408> have us cross <05674> the Jordan River <03383>.” 32:6 Moses <04872> said <0559> to the Gadites <01410> <01121> and the Reubenites <07205> <01121>, “Must your brothers <0251> go <0935> to war <04421> while you <0859> remain <03427> here <06311>? 32:7 Why <04100> do you frustrate <05106> the intent <03820> of the Israelites <03478> <01121> to cross over <05674> into <0413> the land <0776> which <0834> the Lord <03068> has given <05414> them? 32:8 Your fathers <01> did <06213> the same thing when I sent <07971> them from Kadesh Barnea <06947> to see <07200> the <0853> land <0776>. 32:9 When they went up <05927> to <05704> the Eshcol <0812> Valley <05158> and saw <07200> the land <0776>, they frustrated <05106> the intent <03820> of the Israelites <03478> <01121> so that they did not <01115> enter <0935> the land <0776> that <0834> the Lord <03068> had given <05414> them. 32:10 So the anger <0639> of the Lord <03068> was kindled <02734> that day <03117>, and he <01931> swore <07650>, 32:11 ‘Because <03588> they have not <03808> followed <0310> me wholeheartedly <04390>, not <0518> one of the men <0376> twenty <06242> years <08141> old <01121> and upward <04605> who came <05927> from Egypt <04714> will see <07200> the land <0127> that <0834> I swore <07650> to give to Abraham <085>, Isaac <03327>, and Jacob <03290>, 32:12 except <01115> Caleb <03612> son <01121> of Jephunneh <03312> the Kenizzite <07074>, and Joshua <03091> son <01121> of Nun <05126>, for <03588> they followed <0310> the Lord <03068> wholeheartedly <04390>.’ 32:13 So the Lord’s <03068> anger <0639> was kindled <02734> against the Israelites <03478>, and he made them wander <05128> in the wilderness <04057> for forty <0705> years <08141>, until <05704> all <03605> that generation <01755> that had done <06213> wickedly <07451> before <05869> the Lord <03068> was finished <08552>. 32:14 Now look <02009>, you are standing <06965> in your fathers <01>’ place <08478>, a brood <08635> of sinners <02400>, to increase <05595> still further <05750> the fierce <02740> wrath <0639> of the Lord <03069> against <0413> the Israelites <03478>. 32:15 For <03588> if you turn <07725> away from following <0310> him, he will once <03254> again <05750> abandon <03240> them in the wilderness <04057>, and you will be the reason for their destruction <07843>.” 32:16 Then they came very close <05066> to him <0413> and said <0559>, “We will build <01129> sheep <06629> folds <01448> here <06311> for our flocks <04735> and cities <05892> for our families <02945>, 32:17 but we <0587> will maintain <02502> ourselves in armed <02502> readiness <02363> and go before <06440> the Israelites <03478> <01121> until <05704> whenever <0518> <0834> we have brought <0935> them to <0413> their place <04725>. Our descendants <02945> will be living <03427> in fortified <04013> towns <05892> as a protection against <06440> the inhabitants <03427> of the land <0776>. 32:18 We will not <03808> return <07725> to <0413> our homes <01004> until <05704> every Israelite <03478> <01121> has his inheritance <05159>. 32:19 For <03588> we will not <03808> accept <05157> any inheritance <05157> on <0854> the other side <05676> of the Jordan River <03383> and beyond <01973>, because <03588> our inheritance <05159> has come <0935> to <0413> us on this eastern <04217> side <05676> of the Jordan <03383>.” 32:20 Then Moses <04872> replied <0559>, “If <0518> you will do <06213> this <02088> thing <01697>, and if <0518> you will arm <02502> yourselves for battle <04421> before <06440> the Lord <03068>, 32:21 and if all <03605> your armed men <02502> cross <05674> the Jordan <03383> before <06440> the Lord <03068> until <05704> he drives out <03423> his enemies <0341> from his presence <06440>

• Num 32:1-5 -- The Petition of the Reubenites and Gadites
• Num 32:6-15 -- Moses' Response
• Num 32:16-32 -- The Offer of the Reubenites and Gadites

• Gilead

  [ebd] hill of testimony, (Gen. 31:21), a mountainous region east of Jordan. From its mountainous character it is called "the mount of Gilead" (Gen. 31:25). It is called also "the land of Gilead" (Num. 32:1), and sometimes simply "...
  [smith] (rocky region). A mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon. (Genesis 31:21; 3:12-17) It is sometimes called "Mount G...
  [nave] GILEAD 1. A region E. of the Jordan allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half tribe of Manasseh, Num. 32:1-30; Deut. 3:13; 34:1; 2 Kin. 10:33. Reubenites expel the Hagarites from, 1 Chr. 5:9, 10, 18-22. Ammonites m...
  

• Motive

  [nave] MOTIVE Ascribed to God, Psa. 106:8; Ezek. 36:21, 22, 32. Right, required, Matt. 6:1-18. Sinful, illustrated by Cain, Gen. 4:7; 1 John 3:12. Misunderstood The tribes of Reuben and Gad, in asking inheritance E. of Jordan, ...
  

• GAD (1)

  [isbe] GAD (1) - (gadh, "fortune"; Gad): 1. The Name: The seventh son of Jacob, whose mother was Zilpah (Gen 30:11), and whose birth was welcomed by Leah with the cry, "Fortunate!" Some have sought to connect the name with that of ...
  

• Misjudgment

  [nave] MISJUDGMENT. Instances of Of the Reubenites and Gadites, Num. 32:1-33; Josh. 22:11-31. Of Haah, 1 Sam. 1:14-17. See: Accusation, False; Uncharitableness.
  

• REUBEN

  [isbe] REUBEN - roo'-ben, ru'-ben (re'ubhen; Rhouben): The eldest son of Jacob, born to him by Leah in Paddan-aram (Gen 29:32). 1. Jacob's Oldest Son: This verse seems to suggest two derivations of the name. As it stands in Massore...
  

• JABESH

  [smith] (dry). Father of Shallum, the fifteenth king of Israel. (2 Kings 15:10,13,14) Jabesh-gilead, or Jabesh in the territory of Gilead. In its widest sense Gilead included the half tribe of Manasseh, (1 Chronicles 27:21) as...
  

• Reubenites

  [nave] REUBENITES, the descendants of Reuben. Military enrollment of, at Sinai, Num. 1:20, 21; in Moab, Num. 26:7. Place of in camp and march, Num. 2:10. Standard of, Num. 10:18. Have their inheritance east of the Jordan, Num. 32...
  

• Uncharitableness

  [nave] UNCHARITABLENESS. Isa. 29:20, 21; Matt. 7:1-5 Luke 6:37-42. Luke 12:57; John 7:24; John 8:7; Rom. 2:1; Rom. 14:1-15; 1 Cor. 4:3-5, 7; 1 Cor. 13:1-6; Jas. 4:11, 12 See: Accusation, False; Charitableness; Slander; Speaking, E...
  

• Haste

  [nave] HASTE, in judgment, by Moses and the Israelites, Num. 32:1-19; Josh. 22:10-34. See: Rashness.
  

• Gad

  [ebd] fortune; luck. (1.) Jacob's seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, and the brother of Asher (Gen. 30:11-13; 46:16, 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, "A troop cometh: and she called," etc., should rather be...
  [nave] GAD 1. Jacob's seventh son, Gen. 30:11; 35:26; Ex. 1:4. Children of, Gen. 46:16; Num. 26:15-18; 1 Chr. 5:11. Prophecy concerning, Gen. 49:19. 2. A tribe of Israel. Blessed by Moses, Deut. 33:20. Enumeration of, at Sinai,...
  

• Disobedience to God

  [nave] DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD. Denunciations Against Num. 14:11, 12, 22-24; Num. 32:8-13; Deut. 18:19; Deut. 28:15-68 Lev. 26:14-46. Punishment of Of the Egyptians by plagues, See: Plagues. See also Sin, Punishment of. Instances...
  

• Cattle

  [ebd] abounded in the Holy Land. To the rearing and management of them the inhabitants chiefly devoted themselves (Deut. 8:13; 12:21; 1 Sam. 11:5; 12:3; Ps. 144:14; Jer. 3:24). They may be classified as, (1.) Neat cattle. Many hun...
  [nave] CATTLE, of the bovine species. Used for sacrifice, 1 Kin. 8:63. See: Heifer; Offerings. Sheltered, Gen. 33:17. Stall-fed, Prov. 15:17. Gilead adapted to the raising of, Num. 32:1-4, and Bashan, Psa. 22:12; Ezek. 39:18; Am...
  

• Petition

  [nave] PETITION Right of, recognized by Pharaoh, Ex. 5:15-18; Israel, Num. 27:1-5; 32:1-5; 36:1-5; Josh. 17:4, 14, 16; 21:1, 2; David, 1 Kin. 1:15-21; Rehoboam, 1 Kin. 12:1-17; 2 Chr. 10; Jehoram, 2 Kin. 8:3, 6.
  

• Reuben, Tribe of

  [ebd] at the Exodus numbered 46,500 male adults, from twenty years old and upwards (Num. 1:20, 21), and at the close of the wilderness wanderings they numbered only 43,730 (26:7). This tribe united with that of Gad in asking permi...
  

• Elealeh

  [ebd] God has ascended, a place in the pastoral country east of Jordan, in the tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:3, 37). It is not again mentioned till the time of Isaiah (15:4; 16:9) and Jeremiah (48:34). It is now an extensive ruin calle...
  [isbe] ELEALEH - e-le-a'-le ('el`aleh, "God has ascended"): Lay in the country taken from Sihon and within the lot given to Reuben (Nu 32:3,17 f). "Their names being changed" seems to apply to all the towns mentioned. There is no i...
  [smith] (the ascending of God), a place on the east of Jordan, taken possession of and rebuilt by the tribe of Reuben. (Numbers 32:3,37) By Isaiah and Jeremiah it is mentioned as a Moabite town. (Isaiah 15:4; 16:9; Jeremiah 48:34)
  [nave] ELEALEH a city of Moab. Taken by the Israelites, Num. 32:3, 37. Repossessed by the Moabites, Isa. 15:4; 16:9.
  

• Caleb

  [ebd] a dog. (1.) One of the three sons of Hezron of the tribe of Judah. He is also called Chelubai (1 Chr. 2:9). His descendants are enumerated (18-20, 42-49). (2.) A "son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah" (1 Chr. 2:50). Some wo...
  [isbe] CALEB - ka'-leb (kalebh; in the light of the cognate Syriac and Arabic words, the meaning is not "dog," which is kelebh, in Hebrew, but "raging with canine madness"; Chaleb): As a person, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, occurs ...
  [nave] CALEB One of the two survivors of the Israelites permitted to enter the land of promise, Num. 14:30, 38; 26:63-65; 32:11-13; Deut. 1:34-36; Josh. 14:6-15. Sent to Canaan as a spy, Num. 13:6. Brings favorable report, Num. 1...
  

• Ataroth

  [ebd] crowns. (1.) A city east of Jordan, not far from Gilead (Num. 32:3). (2.) A town on the border of Ephraim and Benjamin (Josh. 16:2, 7), called also Ataroth-adar (16:5). Now ed-Da'rieh. (3.) "Ataroth, the house of Joab" (1 Ch...
  [isbe] ATAROTH - at'-a-roth, a-ta'-roth (`aTaroth, "crowns" or "wreaths"; Ataroth): (1) A city East of the Jordan, apparently in the territory given to Reuben, but built, or fortified, by the children of Gad (Nu 32:3,34). It is nam...
  [smith] (crowns). One of the towns in the "land of Jazer and land of Gilead," (Numbers 32:3) east of the Jordan, taken and built by the tribe of Gad. (Numbers 32:34) A place on the (south?) boundary of Ephraim and Manasseh. (Joshua ...
  [nave] ATAROTH, called also Atroth. 1. A city E. of Jordan, Num. 32:3, 34. 2. A city, or possibly two different cities, of Ephraim, Josh. 16:2, 5, 7; 18:13. 3. A city of Judah, 1 Chr. 2:54. 4. A city of Gad, Num. 32:35.
  

• Jazer

  [isbe] JAZER - ja'-zer (ya`zer or ya`zeyr; Septuagint Iazen in Codex Alexandrinus; Iazer): In some cases, e.g. Nu 21:32, the King James Version reads "Jaazer." This was a city of the Amorites East of the Jordan taken, along with it...
  [nave] JAZER 1. A city of refuge E. of the Jordan, Josh. 21:39. Taken from the Amorites, Num. 21:32; 32:1, 3, 35; Josh. 13:25. 2. Sea of, Jer. 48:32.
  

• Anger

  [nave] ANGER. Gen. 4:6; Gen. 49:7; 2 Chr. 28:9; Job 5:2; Job 19:29; Psa. 37:8; Psa. 55:3; Psa. 76:10; Prov. 6:34; Prov. 12:16; Prov. 14:17, 29; Prov. 15:1, 18; Prov. 16:14, 29, 32; Prov. 17:14; Prov. 19:11, 12, 19; Prov. 21:24; Pr...
  

• Nimrah

  [ebd] pure, a city on the east of Jordan (Num. 32:3); probably the same as Beth-nimrah (Josh. 13:27). It has been identified with the Nahr Nimrin, at one of the fords of Jordan, not far from Jericho.
  [smith] (limpid, pure), a place mentioned by this name in (Numbers 32:3) only. If it is the same as BETU-NIMRAH, ver. 36, it belonged to the tribe of Gad. It was ten miles north of the Dead Sea and three miles east of the Jordan, in ...
  [nave] NIMRAH, a city in Gad, Num. 32:3.
  

• Who Were the Amorites?
  They were one of the seven nations of Canaan and were governed by many independent kings (Josh. 5:1; Josh. 9:10). They originally inhabited a mountain district in the south (Num. 13:29), but later acquired an extensive tract ...

He Must Punish Sin

Back to Commentary Page