Numbers 32:16

16 They came near to him and said, "We will build sheep pens here for [the] flock of our livestock and cities for our little children;

Numbers 32:16 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 32:16

And they came near unto him
The heads of the tribes of Gad and Reuben came a little nearer to Moses, having something more to say unto him, in order to explain their meaning, and in doing which they used some degree of freedom and boldness with him, see ( Genesis 44:18 )

and said, we will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for
our little ones
not build new ones, but repair the old ones; for there were cities enough in the country, as before named, and no doubt sheepfolds too, as the land was a place of cattle, but those were through the war broken down and demolished, and needed repairing; and this they proposed to do, and leave their children and their cattle to the care of their servants, under the protection of the divine Providence, and did not mean for the present to take up their abode here.

Numbers 32:16 In-Context

14 Behold, you stand in the place of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more {Yahweh's fierce anger} against Israel.

15 If you turn from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you would have destroyed all these people."

16 They came near to him and said, "We will build sheep pens here for [the] flock of our livestock and cities for our little children;

17 but we ourselves will become armed [and] ready before the {Israelites} until we have brought them to their place, and our little children will live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

18 We will not return to our houses until the {Israelites} each obtain their inheritance for themselves.