Numbers 32:1

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

1 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an ¹exceedingly large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of ²Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock,

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Numbers 32:1 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 32:1

Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very
great multitude of cattle
By which it seems that they had more in proportion than any of the other tribes; by what means it is not easy to say; very probably they were more addicted to the pastoral life, and took more delight in breeding cattle, and were more diligent in taking care of them: however, the reason for this observation presently follows:

and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead;
Jazer was in the kingdom of Sihon, and Gilead in the kingdom of Og, which had been both conquered by the Israelites:

that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
where much cattle was fed, there being a great deal of good pasturage for them: Jazer appears to be a well watered country, ( Jeremiah 48:32 ) , and Gilead and Bashan which joined and belonged to the same country of Og, who was king of Bashan, were famous for good feeding of cattle: hence we read of the bulls of Bashan, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats on Mount Gilead that looked plump and sleek; see ( Micah 7:14 ) ( Deuteronomy 32:14 ) ( Psalms 22:12 ) ( Song of Solomon 4:1 ) .

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Numbers 32:1 In-Context

1 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock,

2 the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,

3 "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon,

4 the land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock."

5 They said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan."

Cross References 2

1. Exodus 12:38
2. Numbers 21:32

Footnotes 1

[a]. Lit "behold, the place, a place for"