Joshua 8:30

Covenant Renewal

8:30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal,

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. ¹ 

Joshua 22:29

22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace ²  aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” ³ 

Joshua 22:19

22:19 But if your own land ⁴  is impure, ⁵  cross over to the Lord’s own land, ⁶  where the Lord himself lives, ⁷  and settle down among us. ⁸  But don’t rebel against the Lord or us ⁹  by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God.

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. ¹⁰  They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. ¹¹ 

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. ¹² 

Joshua 22:23

22:23 If we have built ¹³  an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making ¹⁴  burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering ¹⁵  tokens of peace ¹⁶  on it, the Lord himself will punish us. ¹⁷ 

Joshua 22:28

22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing ¹⁸  to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors ¹⁹  made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ ²⁰ 

[22:10]  ¹ 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.”

[22:29]  ¹ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:29]  ² sn The Lord’s dwelling place here refers to the tabernacle.

[22:19]  ¹ tn Heb “the land of your possession.”

[22:19]  ² sn The western tribes here imagine a possible motive for the action of the eastern tribes. T. C. Butler explains the significance of the land’s “impurity”: “East Jordan is impure because it is not Yahweh’s possession. Rather it is simply ‘your possession.’ That means it is land where Yahweh does not live, land which his presence has not sanctified and purified” (Joshua [WBC], 247).

[22:19]  ³ tn Heb “the land of the possession of the Lord.”

[22:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “where the dwelling place of the Lord resides.”

[22:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”

[22:19]  ⁶ tc Heb “and us to you rebel.” The reading of the MT, the accusative sign with suffix (וְאֹתָנוּ, vÿ’otanu), is problematic with the verb “rebel” (מָרַד, marad). Many Hebrew mss correctly read the negative particle אַל (’al) for the preposition אֶל (’el, “to”).

[8:31]  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”).

[8:31]  ² tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:16]  ¹ 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?”

[22:23]  ¹ tn Heb “by building.” The prepositional phrase may be subordinated to what precedes, “if in unfaithfulness…by building.”

[22:23]  ² tn Heb “or if to offer up.”

[22:23]  ³ tn Heb “or if to make.”

[22:23]  ⁴ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Lord, he will seek.” Perhaps this is a self-imprecation in an oath, “may the Lord himself punish us.”

[22:28]  ¹ tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[22:28]  ² tn Heb “fathers.”

[22:28]  ³ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”