Joshua 22:1-15

Context

Joshua Sends Home the Eastern Tribes

22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 22:2 and told them: “You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the Lord’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you.¹ 22:3 You have not abandoned your fellow Israelites² this entire time,³ right up to this very day. You have completed the task given you by the Lord your God.⁴ 22:4 Now the Lord your God has made your fellow Israelites secure,⁵ just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes⁶ in your own land⁷ which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan. 22:5 But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love⁸ the Lord your God, follow all his instructions,⁹ obey¹⁰ his commands, be loyal to him,¹¹ and serve him with all your heart and being!”¹²

22:6 Joshua rewarded¹³ them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes.¹⁴ 22:7 (Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home,¹⁵ he rewarded¹⁶ them, 22:8 saying, “Take home¹⁷ great wealth, a lot of cattle,¹⁸ silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a lot of¹⁹ clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your brothers.” 22:9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to their own land in Gilead,²⁰ which they acquired by the Lord’s command through Moses.

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.²¹ 22:11 The Israelites received this report:²² “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to²³ the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 22:12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them.²⁴

22:13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 22:14 He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans.²⁵ 22:15 They went to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them:

[22:2] ¹tn Heb “You have kept all which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you, and you have listened to my voice, to all which I commanded you.”

[22:3] ²tn Heb “your brothers” (also in vv. 4, 7), but this does not refer to siblings or necessarily even to relatives. It refers to the Israelites of the remaining tribes.

[22:3] ³tn Heb “these many days.”

[22:3] ⁴tn Heb “you have kept the charge of the command of the Lord your God.”

[22:4] ⁵tn Heb “has given rest to your brothers.”

[22:4] ⁶tn Heb “tents.”

[22:4] ⁷tn Heb “the land of your possession.”

[22:5] ⁸tn Heb “But be very careful to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you, to love.”

[22:5] ⁹tn Heb “walk in all his paths.”

[22:5] ¹⁰tn Or “keep.”

[22:5] ¹¹tn Heb “hug him.”

[22:5] ¹²tn Or “soul.”

[22:6] ¹³tn Heb “blessed.” However, see v. 8, where rewards are given.

[22:6] ¹⁴tn Heb “and they went to their tents.”

[22:7] ¹⁵tn Heb “to their tents.”

[22:7] ¹⁶tn Heb “blessed.”

[22:8] ¹⁷tn Heb “return to your tents with.”

[22:8] ¹⁸tn Heb “very many cattle.”

[22:8] ¹⁹tn Heb “very much clothing.”

[22:9] ²⁰tn Heb “returned and went from the sons of Israel, from Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession.”

[22:10] ²¹tn 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.”

[22:11] ²²tn Heb “the sons of Israel heard, saying.”

[22:11] ²³tn Heb “toward the front of.”

[22:12] ²⁴tn Heb “to go up against them for battle.”

[22:14] ²⁵tn Heb “ten leaders with him, one leader, one leader for a paternal house, for all the tribes of Israel, and each a head of the house of their father, they belong to the clans of Israel.”