Joshua 8:31

8:31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool. ¹  They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. ² 

Joshua 22:11

22:11 The Israelites received this report: ³  “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to ⁴  the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”

Joshua 22:16

22:16 “The entire community of the Lord says, ‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord. ⁵ 

Joshua 22:23

22:23 If we have built ⁶  an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making ⁷  burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering ⁸  tokens of peace ⁹  on it, the Lord himself will punish us. ¹⁰ 

Joshua 22:28

22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing ¹¹  to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors ¹²  made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ ¹³ 

¹ tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).

² tn Or “peace offerings.”

³ tn Heb “the sons of Israel heard, saying.”

⁴ tn Heb “toward the front of.”

⁵ tn Heb “What is this unfaithfulness with which you have been unfaithful against the God of Israel, turning today from after the Lord, when you built for yourselves an altar, rebelling today against the Lord?”

⁷ tn Heb “by building.” The prepositional phrase may be subordinated to what precedes, “if in unfaithfulness…by building.”

⁸ tn Heb “or if to offer up.”

⁹ tn Heb “or if to make.”

¹⁰ tn Or “peace offerings.”

¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord, he will seek.” Perhaps this is a self-imprecation in an oath, “may the Lord himself punish us.”

⁹ tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁰ tn Heb “fathers.”

¹¹ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”