Joshua 22:26

26 So we built an altar, not to burn sacrifices or make offerings,

Joshua 22:26 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 22:26

Therefore we said
One to another, in order to prevent the apostasy of our children from God, their departure from his worship, and going into idolatry:

let us now prepare to build us an altar;
get materials ready, and set about it instantly, without any delay, while the thing dwells upon our minds:

not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice;
not for offerings of any kind required by the law, neither for sin offerings nor trespass offerings, nor any other not named.

Joshua 22:26 In-Context

24 No! We did it because we were afraid that in the future your descendants would say to ours, "What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?

25 He made the Jordan a boundary between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have nothing to do with the Lord.' Then your descendants might make our descendants stop worshiping the Lord.

26 So we built an altar, not to burn sacrifices or make offerings,

27 but instead, as a sign for our people and yours, and for the generations after us, that we do indeed worship the Lord before his sacred Tent with our offerings to be burned and with sacrifices and fellowship offerings. This was to keep your descendants from saying that ours have nothing to do with the Lord.

28 It was our idea that, if this should ever happen, our descendants could say, "Look! Our ancestors made an altar just like the Lord's altar. It was not for burning offerings or for sacrifice, but as a sign for our people and yours.'