Numbers 32:16

16 And they came to him, and said, We will build here folds for our cattle, and cities for our possessions;

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, ye are risen up in the room of your fathers, a combination of sinful men, to increase yet farther the fierce wrath of the Lord against Israel.

15 For ye will turn away from him to desert him yet once more in the wilderness, and ye will sin against this whole congregation.

16 And they came to him, and said, We will build here folds for our cattle, and cities for our possessions;

17 and we will arm ourselves and go as an advanced guard before the children of Israel, until we shall have brought them into their place; and our possessions shall remain in walled cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

18 We will not return to our houses till the children of Israel shall have been distributed, each to his own inheritance.