Joshua 22:13

13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead.

Joshua 22:13 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 22:13

And the children of Israel
In the land of Canaan:

sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to
the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead;
they were possessed of, and had now returned unto and dwelt in; hither they sent an embassy to them, to inquire into the truth of what they had heard, and the reason of it, before they went to war with them, or proclaimed it, or took any further steps towards it; and which they were obliged to do by the above law, when there was any suspicion of idolatry, and any good ground and reason for it, ( Deuteronomy 13:14 ) ; and at the head of this deputation was

Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest;
a man zealous for the Lord of hosts, and his glory, of which there is an instance in ( Numbers 25:7 Numbers 25:11 Numbers 25:13 ) ; and so a fit person to be employed in this affair, who would be faithful, bold, and zealous, as well as capable of giving advice and counsel to both parties, if needful.

Joshua 22:13 In-Context

11 The rest of the Israelites heard about it and said, "See there! Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the border of Canaan. It's in the region near the Jordan River on Israel's side."

12 When the people of Israel heard about it, the whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh. They intended to wage war against them.

13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead.

14 Ten leaders, one from each tribe in Israel, went with him. Each man was a leader of a household and head of a family division in Israel.

15 When they arrived these leaders said to the people of Gilead,