Joshua 22

Joshua · Chapter 22

Joshua 22:21

1Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,2And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:3Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.4And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.5But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.6So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.7Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,8And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.9And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.10And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.11And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.12And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.13And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,14And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.15And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,16Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?17Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,18But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.19Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD’s tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.20Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.21Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,22The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)23That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;24And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?25For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.26Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:27But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.28Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.29God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.30And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.31And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.32And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.33And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.34And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
21Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spake unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and they answeredוַֽיַּעֲנוּ֙vai-ya-'a-NUH6030B
to answer

עָנָה (a.nah) 1) to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to answer, respond to 1a2) to testify, respond as a witness 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to make answer 1b2) to be answered, receive answer Aramaic equivalent: a.nah (עֲנָה "to answer" H6032)

[the] descendants ofבְּנֵי־be-nei-H1121GNo entry
Reubenרְאוּבֵ֣ןre-'u-VENH7205
Reuben

רְאוּבֵן (re.u.ven) A man of the tribe of Reuben living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.32; son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812); brother of: Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); father of: Hanoch (H2585J), Pallu (H6396), Hezron (H2696) and Carmi (H3756) § Reuben = "behold a son" 1) the eldest son of Jacob by Leah 2) the tribe descended from Reuben 3) the territory inhabited by the tribe of Reuben

and [the] descendants ofוּבְנֵי־u-ve-nei-H1121GNo entry
Gadגָ֔דGadH1410G
Gad

גָּד (gad) A man of the tribe of Gad living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.30.11; son of: Israel (H3478) and Zilpah (H2153); brother of: Asher (H0836); half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); father of: Ziphion (H6837), Haggi (H2291), Shuni (H7764), Ezbon (H0675), Eri (H6179), Arod (H0720) and Areli (H0692) § Gad = "troop" 1) seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, and full brother of Asher. …

and [the] half ofוַחֲצִ֖יva-cha-TZIH2677
half

חֲצִי (che.tsi) 1) half 1a) half 1b) middle

[the] tribe ofשֵׁ֣בֶטSHE-vetH7626H
tribe

שְׁבַט (she.vat) clan, tribe Aramaic of she.vet (שֵׁ֫בֶט ": staff" H7626)

the Manassehהַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֑הham-na-SHEHH4519G
Manasseh

מְנַשֶּׁה (me.nash.sheh) A man of the tribe of Manasseh living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.41.51; son of: Joseph (H3130) and Asenath (H0621); brother of: Ephraim (H0669); married to Aramitess (H0761); father of: Machir (H4353) and Asriel (H0844H) § Manasseh = "causing to forget" 1) the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh 1a) the tribe descended from Manasseh 1b) the territory occupied by the tribe of Manasseh 2) son of king Hezekiah of Judah and himself king of Judah; he was the immediate and direct cause for the exile …

and they spokeוַֽיְדַבְּר֔וּvay-da-be-RUH1696G
to speak: speak

דָבַר (da.var) : speak/tell/command 1) to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing 1a) (Qal) to speak 1b) (Niphal) to speak with one another, talk 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to speak 1c2) to promise 1d) (Pual) to be spoken 1e) (Hithpael) to speak 1f) (Hiphil) to lead away, put to flight

withאֶת־'et-H0854
with

אֵת (et) 1) with, near, together with 1a) with, together with 1b) with (of relationship) 1c) near (of place) 1d) with (poss.) 1e) from...with, from (with other prep)

[the] leaders ofרָאשֵׁ֖יra-SHEIH7218HNo entry
[the] families ofאַלְפֵ֥י'al-FEIH0505H
thousand

אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) : thousand 1) a thousand 1a) as numeral 2) a thousand, company 2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops

Israelיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃YIS-ra-'ELH3478
Jacob

יַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478) § Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter" …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.