New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Joshua 22
1
Joshua sent for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
2
He said to them, "You have done everything that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded. You have also obeyed everything I commanded.
3
For a long time now you haven't deserted the other Israelites. Instead, you have done what the Lord your God sent you to do. You have obeyed him to this very day.
4
"Now the Lord your God has given the other tribes peace and rest. That's what he promised to do. So return to your homes. They are in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you. It's on the east side of the Jordan River.
Reference
5
"Be very careful to obey the law that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you. He commanded you to love the Lord your God. He told you to live exactly as the Lord wants you to. He told you to obey the Lord's commands. He told you to remain true to the Lord. And he told you to serve the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul."
Reference
Love
Matthew 22:37
Exodus 20:6
Romans 8:28
Deuteronomy 11:22
Romans 12:9
References God
Matthew 4:10
Acts 11:23
Acts 27:23
Romans 1:9
Word
Exodus 15:26
7
Moses had given land in Bashan to half of the tribe of Manasseh. Joshua had given land to the other half of the tribe along with the other tribes on the west side of the Jordan River. When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them.
Reference
References Moses
Numbers 32:33
8
He said, "Return to your homes. Take your great wealth with you. Return with your large herds of livestock. Take your silver, gold, bronze and iron with you. Return with all of your clothes. Divide up the things you have taken from your enemies. Share them with your people."
Reference
9
So the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh went home. They left the other people of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead. That was their own land. They had gotten it in keeping with the Lord's command through Moses.
Reference
10
The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. They built a large altar there by the Jordan.
11
The rest of the people of Israel heard that they had built the altar. They heard that they had built it on the border of Canaan at Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River on the west side.
12
So the whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They decided to go to war against the eastern tribes.
13
The people of Israel sent the priest Phinehas to the land of Gilead. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. They sent him to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
Reference
14
They sent ten of their leaders with him. There was one for each of the tribes of Israel. Each man was the leader of a family group among the larger family groups of Israel.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 1:4
15
They went to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. They said to them,
16
"We're speaking for the Lord's whole community. How could you disobey the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord? How could you disobey him by building an altar for yourselves?
17
"Don't you remember how we sinned at Peor? The Lord struck us with a plague because of what we did. Up to this very day we're still suffering because of that sin.
18
Are you turning away from the Lord now? "Suppose you disobey the Lord today. If you do, he'll be angry with the whole community of Israel tomorrow.
Reference
19
"If your own land isn't 'clean,' come over to the Lord's land. It's where his holy tent stands. Share our land with us. But don't disobey the Lord. Don't turn against us by building an altar for yourselves. Don't build any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.
Reference
Temple
Joshua 18:1
20
"Remember Achan, the son of Zerah. Achan wasn't faithful to the Lord. He took the things that had been set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. Didn't the Lord's anger come on the whole community of Israel? And Achan wasn't the only one who died because of his sin."
Reference
21
Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh replied. They answered the leaders of the family groups of Israel.
22
They said, "The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And we want Israel to know! Have we opposed the Lord? Have we refused to obey him? If we have, don't spare us today.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 8:39
Job 10:7
References God
Deuteronomy 10:17
Psalm 44:21
References Lord
Jeremiah 17:10
23
"Have we built our own altar so we can turn away from the Lord? Have we built it to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it? Have we built it to sacrifice friendship offerings on it? If we have, may the Lord himself hold us accountable.
Reference
24
"No! We built it because we were afraid. Someday your children might speak to our children. We were afraid they might say, 'What do you have to do with the Lord? What do you have to do with the God of Israel?
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 4:6
25
The Lord has made the Jordan River a border between us and you. You people of Reuben! You people of Gad! You don't have anything to do with the Lord.' If your children say that, they might cause our children to stop worshiping the Lord.
26
"That's why we said to ourselves, 'Let's get ready and build an altar. But let's not build it to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices on it.'
27
"So just the opposite is true. The altar will be a witness between us and you. It will be a witness between our children and yours after us. It will also be a witness that we will worship the Lord at his sacred tent. We'll worship him there with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and friendship offerings. Then in days to come your children won't be able to say to ours, 'You don't have anything to do with the Lord.'
Reference
28
"So we said to ourselves, 'Suppose they say that to us sometime. Or suppose they say it to our children after us. Then we'll answer, "Look at this altar. It's exactly like the Lord's altar. Our people built it. They didn't build it to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices on it. Instead, they built it to be a witness between us and you." '
29
"We would never refuse to obey the Lord. We would never turn away from him now. We wouldn't build an altar to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices on it. We wouldn't use any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. That altar stands in front of his holy tent."
Reference
References God
Joshua 24:16
30
The priest Phinehas heard what the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say. The leaders of the family groups of the community of Israel heard it too. All of them were pleased with what they heard.
Reference
References Israel
Joshua 22:33
31
The priest Phinehas spoke to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. He said, "Today we know that the Lord is with us. That's because you have been faithful to him in this matter. Now you have saved the people of Israel from the Lord's anger against them."
Reference
References Lord
2 Chronicles 15:2
32
Then the priest Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, returned to Canaan. So did the leaders. All of them went back from their meeting with the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead. They brought a report back to the people of Israel.
33
The people were glad to hear the report. They praised God. They didn't talk anymore about going to war against the eastern tribes. And they didn't talk anymore about destroying the country where the tribes of Reuben and Gad lived.
Reference
Summary of Joshua 22
Joshua 22 describes the return of the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh to their inheritance east of Jordan, and of a large altar which they had built by the banks of the Jordan. Their fighting men had left with the rest of Israel to wage war on Canaan, and had remained with them until their enemies were vanquished. Joshua called them together, and let them go home. He reminded them that they had obeyed Moses, and during the war had obeyed him also: they had left their families and their belongings, and fought with their fellow Israelites. This had helped Israel to obtain the land which the Lord had promised them. They should now return with their goods, and divide the plunder of their enemies with their families.
Before they left he charged them to be careful to keep all the commandments of the Lord, to love Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His statutes, judgments and ordinances. Then the eastern tribes went home, to their wives and children, their cattle and goods. Crossing the Jordan, they built an altar by the side of the river.
This was resented by the rest of Israel, who feared that their brethren had sought to make a rival to the tabernacle, for they believed the Lord had chosen that the sacrifices should be offered there alone. The Israelites laid siege to Shiloh, and prepared to march against the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. But the leaders sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with ten chief men of the tribes of Israel west of Jordan, to remonstrate, before declaring war.
Phinehas denounced the altar and those who had built it. He reminded the eastern tribes of the rebellion of Israel, and of the judgments which had overtaken them. He spoke of the Peor and Achan, and feared that unless the rebellious tribes made atonement the Lord would wreak His vengeance on them all. If their brethren had rebelled against the God of Israel, it would be the fault of those who had persuaded them. They could yet avert the judgment which threatened them if they humbled themselves before the Lord. The western tribes even suggested coming to live with them in their inheritance, if they preferred living east of Jordan to dwelling with the tribes west of the river. But there must be no separation of the people of Israel, and no rebellion against God.
The eastern tribes replied that they had built the altar not to offer sacrifices on it, nor yet to offer incense to the Lord, but that it was a witness between them and their brethren. The Jordan had divided them, and it might happen that future generations would forget that they were all Israelites, under One Lord. The altar would be a witness, so that men might know that the peoples on either side of Jordan were one.
Their children might say to future generations, What is this stone, and what does it mean? Then they would tell them that their brethren had built this as a memorial that they were all children of Israel, and worshipped the Self-same God. The altar would be a witness to preserve the unity of the Lord among the Israelites. It was not for burnt offerings, meat offerings or sacrifices, but to be a memorial to all future generations. The altar for sacrifices stood in the midst of Israel, at the tabernacle. Phinehas was satisfied; these tribes had not rebelled against the Lord, but had sought the good of future generations of Israel.
It was the eastern tribes who asked the western tribes to come with them, so that their children might learn the truth. But the western tribes saw that the eastern tribes had no intention of rebelling, and the threatened war never took place. The eastern tribes named the altar, saying that it was a witness.
Joshua 22 ends with the Israelites returning home, and praising the Lord that no rebellion had taken place. The chapter shows the importance of consultation when serious charges are brought. The western tribes had just cause to resent the building of an altar by the eastern tribes, when Israel's history showed how frequently rebellion had taken place. But the eastern tribes had a right to be anxious lest permanent separation from the other tribes might lead to a lack of unity in Israel. Instead of a war breaking out as a result of, the leaders of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were able to explain the reasons for the building of the altar.
It is interesting to note how far the Israelites valued fellowship and unity in their worship of the Lord. Though the eastern tribes lived in a different part of the country, they still considered themselves as part of the one people which worshipped the Lord. The altar would be a witness to bind them together, and the children of Israel would see that this altar was not meant to rival the altar at the tabernacle.
It also shows how anxious the Israelites were for unity in their worship. They knew that the tabernacle was the Lord's especial dwelling place, and that it was there that sacrifices and offerings should be made. The building of an altar by the eastern tribes was not thought to be inconsiderate or impertinent by the western tribes, but was a cause of alarm. Perhaps the reason is that the Israelites knew how easily their people might fall into rebellion and unbelief, and how the divisions in Israel always led to their defeat as a nation. But the Israelites saw the necessity for unity. It was not the east or the west which mattered, but the Lord, One God, whose altar stood in the midst of Israel.
Joshua 22 closes the chapter dealing with Israel's conquest of Canaan and the division of the lands. The Israelites had left their foes behind them in the conquered land, and had set up their tents in their respective inheritances. This new settlement brought with it fresh dangers, for the tribes were now scattered over a wide territory, and could all too easily fall out with each other. The building of this altar by the Jordan had a special significance. The river divided them, and it might become a witness that their children and their children's children would live separated from each other. The tribes west of Jordan would be in constant danger from the tribes living to the east of the river, and who now claimed to have set up their altars to the Lord. The eastern tribes thought that it would be a witness to bind them all to One Lord, and His altar at the tabernacle would always remind them that Israel must stand united for victory. The Jordan was not merely a geographical boundary, but might in the future be an emblematic one; a division between families or between peoples who had once been united as one people.
Joshua 22 shows that, having conquered their foes and settled in their respective possessions, the Israelites found it necessary to be on their guard against their old foes, rebellion and idolatry. The unity of the people was more important to them than their territorial divisions. The altar had its purpose in preserving this unity. It would be a witness to the children of Israel in days to come.
Before they left he charged them to be careful to keep all the commandments of the Lord, to love Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His statutes, judgments and ordinances. Then the eastern tribes went home, to their wives and children, their cattle and goods. Crossing the Jordan, they built an altar by the side of the river.
This was resented by the rest of Israel, who feared that their brethren had sought to make a rival to the tabernacle, for they believed the Lord had chosen that the sacrifices should be offered there alone. The Israelites laid siege to Shiloh, and prepared to march against the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. But the leaders sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with ten chief men of the tribes of Israel west of Jordan, to remonstrate, before declaring war.
Phinehas denounced the altar and those who had built it. He reminded the eastern tribes of the rebellion of Israel, and of the judgments which had overtaken them. He spoke of the Peor and Achan, and feared that unless the rebellious tribes made atonement the Lord would wreak His vengeance on them all. If their brethren had rebelled against the God of Israel, it would be the fault of those who had persuaded them. They could yet avert the judgment which threatened them if they humbled themselves before the Lord. The western tribes even suggested coming to live with them in their inheritance, if they preferred living east of Jordan to dwelling with the tribes west of the river. But there must be no separation of the people of Israel, and no rebellion against God.
The eastern tribes replied that they had built the altar not to offer sacrifices on it, nor yet to offer incense to the Lord, but that it was a witness between them and their brethren. The Jordan had divided them, and it might happen that future generations would forget that they were all Israelites, under One Lord. The altar would be a witness, so that men might know that the peoples on either side of Jordan were one.
Their children might say to future generations, What is this stone, and what does it mean? Then they would tell them that their brethren had built this as a memorial that they were all children of Israel, and worshipped the Self-same God. The altar would be a witness to preserve the unity of the Lord among the Israelites. It was not for burnt offerings, meat offerings or sacrifices, but to be a memorial to all future generations. The altar for sacrifices stood in the midst of Israel, at the tabernacle. Phinehas was satisfied; these tribes had not rebelled against the Lord, but had sought the good of future generations of Israel.
It was the eastern tribes who asked the western tribes to come with them, so that their children might learn the truth. But the western tribes saw that the eastern tribes had no intention of rebelling, and the threatened war never took place. The eastern tribes named the altar, saying that it was a witness.
Joshua 22 ends with the Israelites returning home, and praising the Lord that no rebellion had taken place. The chapter shows the importance of consultation when serious charges are brought. The western tribes had just cause to resent the building of an altar by the eastern tribes, when Israel's history showed how frequently rebellion had taken place. But the eastern tribes had a right to be anxious lest permanent separation from the other tribes might lead to a lack of unity in Israel. Instead of a war breaking out as a result of, the leaders of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were able to explain the reasons for the building of the altar.
It is interesting to note how far the Israelites valued fellowship and unity in their worship of the Lord. Though the eastern tribes lived in a different part of the country, they still considered themselves as part of the one people which worshipped the Lord. The altar would be a witness to bind them together, and the children of Israel would see that this altar was not meant to rival the altar at the tabernacle.
It also shows how anxious the Israelites were for unity in their worship. They knew that the tabernacle was the Lord's especial dwelling place, and that it was there that sacrifices and offerings should be made. The building of an altar by the eastern tribes was not thought to be inconsiderate or impertinent by the western tribes, but was a cause of alarm. Perhaps the reason is that the Israelites knew how easily their people might fall into rebellion and unbelief, and how the divisions in Israel always led to their defeat as a nation. But the Israelites saw the necessity for unity. It was not the east or the west which mattered, but the Lord, One God, whose altar stood in the midst of Israel.
Joshua 22 closes the chapter dealing with Israel's conquest of Canaan and the division of the lands. The Israelites had left their foes behind them in the conquered land, and had set up their tents in their respective inheritances. This new settlement brought with it fresh dangers, for the tribes were now scattered over a wide territory, and could all too easily fall out with each other. The building of this altar by the Jordan had a special significance. The river divided them, and it might become a witness that their children and their children's children would live separated from each other. The tribes west of Jordan would be in constant danger from the tribes living to the east of the river, and who now claimed to have set up their altars to the Lord. The eastern tribes thought that it would be a witness to bind them all to One Lord, and His altar at the tabernacle would always remind them that Israel must stand united for victory. The Jordan was not merely a geographical boundary, but might in the future be an emblematic one; a division between families or between peoples who had once been united as one people.
Joshua 22 shows that, having conquered their foes and settled in their respective possessions, the Israelites found it necessary to be on their guard against their old foes, rebellion and idolatry. The unity of the people was more important to them than their territorial divisions. The altar had its purpose in preserving this unity. It would be a witness to the children of Israel in days to come.