Bamidbar 32:20

20 And Moshe said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before Hashem to milchamah,

Bamidbar 32:20 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 32:20

And Moses said unto them
Being better disposed towards them, and more satisfied with the reasonableness of their request, it being explained unto him:

if ye will do this thing;
which they had promised:

if ye will go armed before the Lord to war;
they had said they would go ready armed before the children of Israel, but Moses expresses it "before the Lord"; which is more agreeable to their encampment and order in marching, for not the standard of Reuben but that of Judah went foremost, yet the standard of Reuben marched directly before the sanctuary bore by the Kohathites, ( Numbers 10:18 Numbers 10:21 ) , and so might be properly said to go before the Lord, who dwelt there.

Bamidbar 32:20 In-Context

18 We will not return unto bateinu, until the Bnei Yisroel have inherited every ish his nachalah.

19 For we will not inherit with them across the Yarden, or beyond; because our nachalah is fallen to us on this side of the Yarden eastward.

20 And Moshe said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before Hashem to milchamah,

21 And will go all of you armed over Yarden before Hashem, until He hath driven out His oyevim from before Him,

22 And HaAretz be subdued before Hashem; then afterward ye shall return, and be nekiyim before Hashem, and before Yisroel; and HaAretz Hazot shall be your achuzzah before Hashem.