Joshua 22

Listen to Joshua 22

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
2 and said to them, "You have kept 1all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you 2and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you.
3 You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God.
4 3And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, 4which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
5 5Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, 6to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."
6 So Joshua 7blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
7 Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, 8but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their homes and blessed them,
8 he said to them, "Go back to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. 9Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers."
9 So the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go 10to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had possessed themselves by command of the LORD through Moses.

The Eastern Tribes' Altar of Witness

10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.
11 And the people of Israel 11heard it said, "Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel."
12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, 12the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.
13 Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, 13Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
14 and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, 14every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.
15 And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them,
16 "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 'What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar this day 15in rebellion against the LORD?
17 Have we not had enough of 16the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the LORD,
18 that you too must turn away this day from following the LORD? And if 17you too rebel against the LORD today then tomorrow 18he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the LORD's land 19where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. 20Only do not rebel against the LORD or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.
20 21Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and 22wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.'"
21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel,
22 "The Mighty One, 23God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! 24He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today
23 for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself 25take vengeance.
24 No, but we did it from fear that 26in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.' So your children might make our children cease to worship the LORD.
26 Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,
27 but to be 27a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we 28do perform the service of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."'
28 And we thought, If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, 'Behold, the copy of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be 29a witness between us and you.'
29 Far be it from us that we should 30rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following the LORD 31by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!"
30 When 32Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, 33it was good in their eyes.
31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, "Today we know that 34the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the LORD. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the LORD."
32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad 35in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them.
33 And the report 36was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel 37blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled.
34 The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, "For," they said, 38"it is a witness between us that the LORD is God."

Joshua 22 Commentary

Chapter 22

Reuben and Gad, with the half tribe of Manasseh, dismissed to their homes. (1-9) They build an altar of testimony, The congregation offended thereat. (10-20) The answer of the Reubenites. (21-29) The children of Israel satisfied. (30-34)

Verses 1-9 Joshua dismisses the tribes with good counsel. Those who have the commandment have it in vain, unless they do the commandment; and it will not be done aright unless we take diligent heed. In particular to love the Lord our God, as the best of beings, and the best of friends; and as far as that principle rules in the heart, there will be constant care and endeavour to walk in his ways, even those that are narrow and up-hill. In every instance to keep his commandments. At all times, and in all conditions, with purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord, and to serve him and his kingdom among men, with all our heart, and with all our soul. This good counsel is given to all; may God give us grace to take it!

Verses 10-20 Here is the care of the separated tribes to keep their hold of Canaan's religion. At first sight it seemed a design to set up an altar against the altar at Shiloh. God is jealous for his own institutions; we should be so too, and afraid of every thing that looks like, or leads to idolatry. Corruptions in religion are best dealt with at first. But their prudence in following up this zealous resolution is no less commendable. Many an unhappy strife would be prevented, or soon made up, by inquiries into the matter of the offence. The remembrance of great sins committed formerly, should engage us to stand on our guard against the beginnings of sin; for the way of sin is down-hill. We are all concerned to reprove our neighbour when he does amiss, lest we suffer sin upon him, ( Leviticus 19:17 ) . The offer made that they should be welcome to come to the land where the Lord's tabernacle was, and settle there, was in the spirit of true Israelites.

Verses 21-29 The tribes took the reproofs of their brethren in good part. With solemnity and meekness they proceeded to give all the satisfaction in their power. Reverence of God is expressed in the form of their appeal. This brief confession of faith would remove their brethren's suspicion that they intended to worship other gods. Let us always speak of God with seriousness, and mention his name with a solemn pause. Those who make appeals to Heaven with a careless "God knows," take his name in vain: it is very unlike this. They express great confidence of their own uprightness in the matter of their appeal. "God knows it," for he is perfectly acquainted with the thoughts and intents of the heart. In every thing we do in religion, it highly concerns us to approve ourselves to God, remembering that he knows the heart. And if our sincerity be known to God, we should study likewise to let others know it by its fruits, especially those who, though they mistake us, show zeal for the glory of God. They disdained the design of which they were suspected to be guilty, and fully explained their true intent in building this altar. Those who have found the comfort and benefit of God's ordinances, cannot but desire to preserve them to their seed, and to use all possible care that their children may be looked upon as having a part in him. Christ is the great Altar that sanctifies every gift; the best evidence of our interest in him is the work of his Spirit in our hearts.

Verses 30-34 It is well that there was on both sides a disposition to peace, as there was a zeal for God; for quarrels about religion, for want of wisdom and love, often prove the most fierce and difficult to be made up. Proud and peevish spirits, when they have passed any unjust blame on their brethren, though full evidence be brought of its unfairness, can by no means be persuaded to withdraw it. But Israel was not so prejudiced. They looked upon their brethren's innocence as a token of God's presence. Our brethren's zeal for the power of godliness, and faith and love, notwithstanding the fears of their breaking the unity of the church, are things of which we should be very glad to be satisfied. The altar was called ED, a witness. It was a witness of their care to keep their religion pure and entire, and would witness against their descendants, if they should turn from following after the Lord. Happy will it be when all professed Christians learn to copy the example of Israel, to unite zeal and steady adherence to the cause of truth, with candour, meekness, and readiness to understand each other, to explain and to be satisfied with the explanations of their brethren. May the Lord increase the number of those who endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace! may increasing grace and consolation be with all who love Jesus Christ in sincerity!

Cross References 38

  • 1. See Numbers 32:20-22; Deuteronomy 3:18-20
  • 2. Joshua 1:16, 17
  • 3. See Joshua 11:23
  • 4. See Joshua 13:8
  • 5. Deuteronomy 6:6, 17; Deuteronomy 11:22
  • 6. Joshua 23:11; Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 11:1, 13, 22
  • 7. Joshua 14:13
  • 8. Joshua 17:5
  • 9. Numbers 31:27; 1 Samuel 30:24
  • 10. Num. 32:1, 26, 29
  • 11. See Deuteronomy 13:12-15
  • 12. Judges 20:1
  • 13. Exodus 6:25; Numbers 25:7; Judges 20:28
  • 14. Numbers 1:4
  • 15. ver. 18, 19; Numbers 14:9; [Leviticus 17:8, 9; Deuteronomy 12:13, 14]
  • 16. Numbers 25:3; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalms 106:28
  • 17. [See ver. 16 above]
  • 18. Numbers 16:22
  • 19. Joshua 18:1
  • 20. ver. 16, 18
  • 21. Joshua 7:1, 5
  • 22. [See ver. 18 above]
  • 23. Deuteronomy 10:17
  • 24. 1 Kings 8:39
  • 25. Deuteronomy 18:19; 1 Samuel 20:16
  • 26. See Joshua 4:6, 21
  • 27. ver. 34; Joshua 24:27; Genesis 31:48
  • 28. Deut. 12:5, 6, 17, 18
  • 29. [See ver. 27 above]
  • 30. See ver. 16
  • 31. See ver. 16
  • 32. ver. 13, 14
  • 33. ver. 33
  • 34. Leviticus 26:11, 12
  • 35. ver. 10, 11, 15
  • 36. ver. 30
  • 37. 1 Chronicles 29:20; Nehemiah 8:6; Daniel 2:19; Luke 2:28
  • 38. ver. 27

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 22

The war with the Canaanites being ended, Joshua called to him the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who came over Jordan with him to assist in it, and commended them for their obedience to Moses and to himself, and to God by them; and then dismissed them, with some instructions to keep the ways and worship of God, and with his blessing upon them, Jos 22:1-8; upon which they returned to their country, and when they came to the borders of it set up an altar by Jordan, Jos 22:9,10; which, when the children of Israel heard of, it gave them great offence, they fearing they were going to make a revolt from the pure worship of God, and therefore sent a deputation of princes to them, with the son of the high priest, to inquire into the matter, and expostulate with them about it, who did, Jos 22:11-20; and who received from them a very satisfactory answer, Jos 22:21-31; with which they returned and reported to the children of Israel, and which gave them pleasure, Jos 22:32-34.

Joshua 22 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.