Joshua 22:34

34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar: It^[a] is a witness between us that the Lord is God.

Joshua 22:34 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 22:34

And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, called
the altar [Ed]
Which signifies a "witness"; they caused such an inscription to be put upon it, or this word to be engraved on it, that so the intention of erecting it might be known in future time; that it was not for sacrifice, but to be a testimony of their being one with their brethren on the other side Jordan, in worship, faith, and fellowship:

for [it shall be] a witness between us that the Lord [is] God;
is the one God, the God of them both, of all Israel, whether on the one or the other side of Jordan; to be worshipped by them in one and the same manner, and their sacrifices to be offered to him on his altar before the tabernacle.

Joshua 22:34 In-Context

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report to them.

33 The Israelites were pleased with the report, and they praised God. They spoke no more about going to war against them to ravage the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived.

34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar: It is a witness between us that the Lord is God.

Footnotes

• [a]. Some Hb mss, Syr, Tg read altar Witness because it