Judges 21:4

21:4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. ¹ 

Genesis 33:20

33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” ² 

Joshua 22:10

Civil War is Averted

22:10 The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built there, near the Jordan, an impressive altar. ³ 

Joshua 22:26-28

22:26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, ⁴  and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence ⁵  with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. ⁶  Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ ⁷  22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing ⁸  to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors ⁹  made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Or “peace offerings.”

² tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.

³ tn Heb “and they went to Geliloth of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar near the Jordan, an altar great with respect to appearance.”

⁴ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

⁵ tn Heb “to do the service of the Lord before him.”

⁶ tn Or “peace offerings.”

⁷ tn Heb “You have no portion in the Lord.”

⁵ tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁶ tn Heb “fathers.”

⁷ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”