Joshua 22:30

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.

Joshua 22:30 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 22:30

And when Phinehas the priest
For he was, being the son of Eleazar the high priest, so the word "priest", ( Joshua 22:13 ) ; is to be joined, not to Eleazar but to Phinehas:

and the princes of the congregation;
the ten princes, who were sent by the congregation of Israel, one out of each tribe:

and heads out of the thousands of Israel;
these are the same with the princes, and this belongs to their title, who were heads of the Chiliarchs, or those who were rulers of thousands in Israel:

which [were] with him;
with Phinehas, who were joined with him in the embassy, and now present with him:

heard the words that the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad,
and the children of Manasseh; spake;
in defence of themselves, explaining the meaning and design of the altar they had built:

it pleased them;
they were not only satisfied with their answer, but highly delighted with what they had done, as tending to preserve the common faith and fellowship of Israel.

Joshua 22:30 In-Context

28 “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of the LORD ’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the LORD .’

29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the LORD our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.

31 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the LORD is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the LORD .”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened.