Joshua 22:10

10 And when they had come to the terms of (the) Jordan, into the land of Canaan, they builded beside (the) Jordan an altar of (the) greatest sight. (And when they had come to Geliloth, by the Jordan River, in the region of Gilgal, they built a great altar there by the river for all to see.)

Joshua 22:10 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 22:10

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that [are] in
the land of Canaan
To the banks of it, or the sand heaps, some take the word to signify, which were thrown up to restrain the waters from overflowing; some by Geliloth understand a place so called; and Jerom ^F7 says it was near Jordan in the tribe of Benjamin: but rather the word signifies the meanders, windings, and turnings, of the river {h}; and such circuits and compasses it fetched near Jericho, as the same writer ^F9 observes, where we may suppose these tribes went over, and at a place where the river jetted out into the land of Canaan:

the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, built there an altar
by Jordan;
or "then"; that is, when they had passed over the river into their own country, for which Josephus is express ^F11; and certain it is, that the altar was built not on the Canaan side of Jordan, but on the opposite side, as is clear from ( Joshua 22:11 ) : and indeed they had no right to build on any other ground than their own; and they pitched upon a spot where the river jetted out into the land of Canaan, as most proper to erect it on, to be a witness, that though separated from the rest of the Israelites by the river Jordan, yet were a part of them, and had a right to join them in the service of God, and bring their sacrifices to the altar of God in the tabernacle, as more fully appears in some after verses:

a great altar to see to;
built up very high, so that it might be seen at a great distance.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C.
F8 Vid. Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 170, 573. Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 1. l. 1. c. 43. p. 274, 279.
F9 Ut supra, (De loc. Heb. fol. 92.) G.
F11 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 26.

Joshua 22:10 In-Context

8 he said to them, With much cattle and riches turn ye again to your seats (and he said to them, Return ye to your homes with much cattle and riches); with silver and gold, and brass, and iron, and with much clothing; (and) part ye the prey of [the] enemies with your brethren.

9 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half lineage of Manasseh turned again, and went from the sons of Israel from Shiloh, which is set in the land of Canaan, that they should enter into Gilead, the land of their possession, which they got by [the] commandment of the Lord in the hand of Moses. (And so the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh went away from the Israelites at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to return to Gilead, the land of their possession, which they got by the Lord's command, through Moses.)

10 And when they had come to the terms of (the) Jordan, into the land of Canaan, they builded beside (the) Jordan an altar of (the) greatest sight. (And when they had come to Geliloth, by the Jordan River, in the region of Gilgal, they built a great altar there by the river for all to see.)

11 And when the sons of Israel had heard this, and certain messengers had told (this) to them, that the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and the half lineage of Manasseh, had builded an altar in the land of Canaan, on the heaps of (the) Jordan, against the sons of Israel, (And when the Israelites had heard of this, and certain messengers had told them, that the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh, had built an altar on the bank of the Jordan River, facing the Israelites in the land of Canaan,)

12 all they came together in Shiloh (they all came together in Shiloh), (so) that they should go up, and fight against them.