A verse by verse commentary on Joshua 22 dealing with Joshua calling the Eastern tribes to return home with the warning to keep the Law of the Lord given by Moses, and to walk in His ways, and to love the Lord as their God,

1. JOSHUA 22 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Eastern Tribes Return Home
1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the
Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh
BAR ES, "The events of this chap. are no doubt recorded in their proper historical
order. The auxiliary forces of the trans-Jordanic tribes were not sent away immediately
after the campaigns against the Canaanites were over. They set forth from Shiloh, Jos_
22:9, to which place the sanctuary had been removed Jos_18:1 after the conquest and
the settlement of the children of Judah and of Joseph in their possessions, and after the
appointment of the Levitical cities.
CLARKE, "Then Joshua called the Reubenites, etc. - We have already seen
that 40,000 men of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, had
passed over Jordan armed, with their brethren, according to their stipulation with
Moses. The war being now concluded, Joshua assembles these warriors, and with
commendations for their services and fidelity, he dismisses them, having first given
them the most pious and suitable advices. They had now been about seven years absent
from their respective families; and though there was only the river Jordan between the
camp at Gilgal and their own inheritance, yet it does not appear that they had during
that time ever revisited their own home, which they might have done any time in the
year, the harvest excepted, as at all other times that river was easily fordable.
GILL, "Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half
tribe of Manasseh. The promise of God to Israel being fulfilled, the land of Canaan
being for the most part subdued, the war at an end, and rest had on all sides from their
enemies, and the land divided among the nine tribes and an half, and they settled in the
quiet possession of their lots; Joshua sent for the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the
half tribe of Manasseh, who had, at their own request, their portion allotted them on the
other side Jordan, and who came over that river with him to assist their brethren in their
wars with the Canaanites, and addressed them in the following respectable
HE RY, "The war being ended, and ended gloriously, Joshua, as a prudent general,
disbands his army, who never designed to make war their trade, and sends them home,

2. to enjoy what they had conquered, and to beat their swords into plough-shares and their
spears into pruning-hooks; and particularly the forces of these separate tribes, who had
received their inheritance on the other side Jordan from Moses upon this condition, that
their men of war should assist the other tribes in the conquest of Canaan, which they
promised to do (Num_32:32), and renewed the promise to Joshua at the opening of the
campaign, Jos_1:16. And, now that they had performed their bargain, Joshua publicly
and solemnly in Shiloh gives them their discharge. Whether this was done, as it was
placed, not till after the land was divided, as some think, or whether after the war was
ended, and before the division was made, as others think (because there was no need of
their assistance in dividing the land, but only in conquering it, nor were there any of
their tribes employed as commissioners in that affair, but only of the other ten, Num_
34:18, etc.), this is certain, it was not done till after Shiloh was made the head-quarters
(v. 2), and the land was begun to be divided before they removed from Gilgal, Jos_14:6.
It is probable that this army of Reubenites and Gadites, which had led the van in all
the wars of Canaan, had sometimes, in the intervals of action, and when the rest of the
army retired into winter-quarters, some of them at least, made a step over Jordan, for it
was not far, to visit their families, and to look after their private affairs, and perhaps
tarried at home, and sent others in their room more serviceable; but still these two tribes
and a half had their quota of troops ready, 40,000 in all, which, whenever there was
occasion, presented themselves at their respective posts, and now attended in a body to
receive their discharge. Though their affection to their families, and concern for their
affairs, could not but make them, after so long an absence, very desirous to return, yet,
like good soldiers, they would not move till they had orders from their general. So,
though our heavenly Father's house above be ever so desirable (it is bishop Hall's
allusion), yet must we stay on earth till our warfare be accomplished, wait for a due
discharge, and not anticipate the time of our removal.
JAMISO , "Jos_22:1-9. Joshua dismisses the two tribes and a half, with a blessing.
Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh — The general war of invasion being ended and the enemy being in so
dispirited and isolated a condition that each tribe, by its own resources or with the aid of
its neighboring tribe, was able to repress any renewed hostilities, the auxiliary Israelites
from the eastern side of the Jordan were now discharged from service. Joshua dismissed
them with high commendations for their fidelity and earnest admonitions to cultivate
perpetual piety in life. The redundancy of the language is remarkable [Jos_22:2-5]. It
shows how important, in the judgment of the venerable leader, a steadfast observance of
the divine law was to personal happiness, as well as national prosperity.
K&D, "After the conquest and division of the land, Joshua sent the auxiliaries of the
tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh back to their homes, with a laudatory
acknowledgment of the help they had given to their brethren, and a paternal admonition
to adhere faithfully to the Lord and His law, and with a parting blessing (Jos_22:1-6). By
the expression “then Joshua called,” etc., the occurrence described in this chapter is
placed in a general manner after the conquest and subjugation of Canaan, though not of
necessity at the close of the distribution of the land. As the summons to these tribes to go
with their brethren into Canaan, to assist them in the war, formed the commencement of
Joshua's plans for the conquest of Canaan (Jos_1:12.), their dismission to their home
very properly forms the conclusion to the history of the conquest of this land by the
Israelites. We might therefore assume, without in any way contradicting the words of the

3. text, that these auxiliaries had been dismissed immediately after the war was ended.
Even in that case, the account of their dismission would stand in its proper place, “since
it was only right that the history itself, which relates to the conquest and possession of
the land, should be fully completed before any other narratives, or any casual
occurrences which took place, were introduced to break the thread” (Lightfoot, App. i. p.
42). On the other hand, however, the circumstance that the two tribes and a half were
dismissed from Shiloh, where the tribes assembled for the first time during the casting
of the lots, favours the conclusion that the dismission did not take place till after the lots
had been cast; that is to say, contemporaneously with the advance of the other tribes
into their possessions.
CALVI , "1.Then Joshua called the Reubenites, etc Here is related the discharge of
the two tribes and half-tribe, who had followed the rest of the people, not that they
might acquire anything for themselves, but that, as they had already obtained
dwellings and lands without lot, they might carry on war in common with their
brethren, until they also should have a quiet inheritance. ow, as they had been
faithful companions and helpers to their brethren, Joshua declares that they were
entitled to their discharge, and thus sends them back to their homes released and
free. It is asked, however, how he can consider them to have performed their due
measure of military service, while the enemy were still in possession of part of the
land, of which the sole possession was to be the proper termination of the war? (178)
But if we bear in mind what I lately said, the knot will be loosed. Had the Israelites
followed the invitation of God, and seconded his agency, nay, when he was
stretching out his hand to them, had they not basely drawn back, (179) the
remaining part of the war would have been finished with no danger and little
trouble. From their own sloth, therefore, they refused what God was ready to
bestow. And thus it happened that the agreement by which the two tribes and half-
tribe had bound themselves, ceased to be binding. For the only obligation they had
undertaken was to accompany the ten tribes, and contend for their inheritance as
strenuously as if their condition had been exactly the same. ow, when they have
perseveringly performed their part as faithful allies, and the ten tribes contented
with their present fortune, not only do not demand, but rather tacitly repudiate
their assistance, a free return to their homes is justly allowed them. They, indeed,
deserve praise for their patient endurance, in not allowing weariness of the service
to make them request their discharge, but in waiting quietly till Joshua of his own
accord sends for them. (180)
COFFMA , "The third and final major division of the Book of Joshua begins here.
The Trans-Jordanic tribes, having discharged their duty, are sent home, with the
compliments and encouragement of their great commander, who also gave a solemn
warning against apostasy (Joshua 22:1-9). On the way home, the tribes of Gad,
Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh constructed an impressive altar near the
Jordan (Joshua 22:10-12); the remainder of Israel were greatly disturbed and
demanded an explanation (Joshua 22:13-20); the eastern tribes responded with a
full explanation (Joshua 22:21-29); western Israel was pleased and satisfied with the
explanation, and perfect unity was restored (Joshua 22:30-34).

4. There is no reason whatever for excising this chapter from the Word of God and for
labeling it a "late priestly addition." o textual evidence whatever warrants such a
scissors job on the Holy Bible. The only reason for the critical attacks against this
chapter is that it destroys one of their darling THEORIES, namely, that, "God's
command to worship at the central sanctuary was OT VALID from the very
beginning, but that such a law came into being only after the construction of
Solomon's Temple."[1]
This theory is incorrect; it is founded upon two tremendous errors, namely: (1) that,
"A plurality of sanctuaries does not seem to be frowned upon in the O.T. prior to
Josiah's reforms (about 621 B.C.)."[2] Woudstra based that rather timid statement
of the theory on Deuteronomy 12:1-5, but that passage forbids worship anywhere
except, "The place which Jehovah your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put
his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither shalt thou come."
The critical canard that the O LY PLACE God ever selected was Jerusalem is a
gross mistake. Right here in Joshua, God chose to place his name at Shiloh, where
the tabernacle rested for three centuries, and, throughout the history of Israel from
the beginning to the end of it, the idea of the one central sanctuary where God
would dwell among his people and where their sacrifices should be offered is the
dominating theme.
(The first half dozen pages of my commentary on Deuteronomy 12, are devoted to
the refutation of this irresponsible and ridiculous theory. Also, see my further
comments in Vol. 2, Exodus, of the Pentateuchal series of commentaries, pp.
299,300.)
(2) The other prime mistake underlying this critical theory is that "Solomon's
Temple" was the one and only goal of Almighty God throughout Israel's history!
Preposterous! (Read our elaborate discussions of that "Den of Thieves and
Robbers" known as Solomon's Temple in the .T. series.) It was "the Tabernacle"
that God gave Israel, not the Temple. The Temple was David's idea (2 Samuel 7),
and, although God accommodated to it, God Almighty twice destroyed it. Why?
From its beginning it proved to be a hindrance and a roadblock to the true will of
God. It was that Temple, really, that crucified the Son of God!
This chapter, of course, is the death of that pivotal theory of the critics, and,
therefore, they must get rid of the chapter! If they don't, they lose the war on that
theory! We are thankful indeed that Samuel Holmes has told us exactly how they try
to get rid of it. Here it is:
"This narrative is Midrash ... Midrash conveys doctrine, not in the form of abstract
discourse, but in a mode appealing to the imagination. The teaching is embodied in
a story, whether parable, or allegory, or seeming historical narrative; and the last
thing such teachers would have thought of was the question of whether the selected
persons, events, and circumstances, which so vividly suggest the doctrine are in
themselves real or fictitious. The doctrine is everything; the mode of expression has
no independent value. This narrative (Joshua 22) is clearly unhistorical. It is

5. Midrash!"[3]
Is there any truth or value in such an "analysis" of God's Word? The answer is O!
It is on a parity with what Satan told Eve, "Ye shall not surely die." Such
statements are not based upon any evidence at all, but merely upon the prior
necessity of destroying a portion of God's Word that is hostile and contradictory
regarding their false theories.
The big thing in this chapter is, of course, the near-civil war that was threatened by
the building of that altar near the Jordan. It is amazing that a translator of the
ability of Boling would declare this chapter to be the record of, "The comic
squabbling of the people over an internal (or was it external?) boundary."[4] There
is no boundary dispute at all in this chapter.
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gaddites, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah
commanded you, and have hearkened unto my voice in all that I commanded you:
ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the
charge of the commandment of Jehovah your God. And now Jehovah your God
hath given rest unto your brethren, as he spake unto them: therefore now turn ye,
and get ye unto your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses the
servant of Jehovah gave you beyond Jordan. Only take diligent heed to do the
commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to
love Jehovah your God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments,
and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went unto their tents."
This first paragraph of the chapter is "essential to the story of the invasion, showing
that God kept faith with those who kept faith with Him, answering, as it does to
Joshua 1:12-18."[5] Far from being a late addition by unscrupulous priests desiring
to change God's law, as the critics allege, "The events of this chapter, without doubt,
are recorded in their proper historical order."[6]
"These many days ..." (Joshua 22:3). Plummer says that the Hebrew in this passage
actually means "a great many days."[7] Surely, those Trans-Jordanic troops served
long and diligently in the conquest; and it is a remarkable tribute to Joshua's
leadership that there is never a hint of any murmuring or dissatisfaction on the part
of those soldiers. In fact, Plummer pointed out that the whole record of Israel under
Joshua's leadership was one of strict obedience and continuity in God's law,
forming a dramatic contrast with the endless bickerings and murmurings that
marked Israel's conduct in the wilderness, and also immediately following the death
of Joshua. He cited this as a significant indication of the historicity of the
narrative." Any writer who was inventing his details (as would have been done in
Midrash) could hardly have thought of making his history such a contrast with the
rest of the history of Israel."[8]
"Do ... Love ... Walk ... Keep ... Cleave ... Serve ... with all your heart, and with all
your souls ..." (Joshua 22:5). Here we have six one-syllable words, dramatic

6. imperatives that can lead the soul into a state of being well pleasing to God. The
message here is founded upon the "first and great commandment" (Mark 12:29-30).
Throughout the Scriptures, the "love of God" is equated with keeping God's Word
and doing His will. Christ said, "If ye love me, ye will keep my word; if ye love me,
ye will keep my commandments" (John 14:15,23).
COKE, "Ver. 1-4. Then Joshua called the Reubenites, &c.— The war against the
Canaanites being happily concluded, the conquered country divided, and the priests
and people settled in the peaceable possession of the cities which had been assigned
them; Joshua thought it was just to dismiss the 40,000 men of the three tribes
beyond the Jordan, who, for seven or eight years before, had generously quitted
their families, and run all the hazards of war, to assist their brethren in their
conquest, as Moses had enjoined them. Accordingly, he sent for their chiefs, bore
public testimony to their courage and fidelity, and in a solemn manner permitted
them to return to their tents, i.e. to their dwellings or houses; for, as the Israelites
dwelt at first in tents, this word is in Scripture put indifferently for dwellings or
habitations.
BE SO , "Joshua 22:1. Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites, &c. — The
war being ended, and ended gloriously, Joshua, as a prudent general, disbands his
army, and sends them home to enjoy what they had conquered; and particularly the
forces of those separate tribes, which had received their inheritance on the other
side Jordan, from Moses, upon this condition, that their men of war should assist
the other tribes in the conquest of Canaan; which they promised to do, umbers
32:32, and renewed the promise to Joshua at the opening of the campaign, Joshua
1:16. And now, as they had performed their agreement, Joshua publicly and
solemnly, in Shiloh, gives them their discharge.
WHEDO , "THE TRA S-JORDA IC TRIBES DISMISSED, Joshua 22:1-9.
We have seen (Joshua 1:12-15) that Joshua required these tribes to fulfil the
condition on which they were permitted to receive their portions before the conquest
of Canaan, namely, that they should assist in that conquest, ( umbers 32:20,) and
we have noted the cheerfulness with which they left their families and possessions
(Joshua 1:16) and became the vanguard of the invading host, forty thousand strong.
Joshua 4:12-13. Through all the long war of subjugation they have served faithfully,
till at last the land is substantially conquered and actually allotted, and henceforth
each tribe is to clear its own inheritance without the aid of the federal army, which
is now disbanded with the high encomiums of their chief.
PETT, "Chapter 22 The Transjordan Contingents Return Home - The Memorial
Altar.
The initial war with the Canaanites being over, Joshua called to him the warriors
from the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who had
came over Jordan with him to assist in the warfare, and commended them for their
obedience to Moses, to himself, and to God. Then he bade them return home with

7. his blessing on them, giving them careful instructions about keeping to the right
ways and to the rightful worship of God.
At this they returned to their country, and when they came to the border they set up
a memorial altar by the River Jordan. When the rest of the children of Israel heard
of this, it gave them great offence, for they feared that they were going to turn from
the pure worship of God at the central sanctuary. So they sent a deputation of
princes to them, along with Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the high priest, to enquire
into what was happening, and rebuke them about it. But when they received a
satisfactory answer, they returned and reported back to the children of Israel to the
satisfaction of all.
Verses 1-3
Chapter 22 The Transjordan Contingents Return Home - The Memorial Altar.
The initial war with the Canaanites being over, Joshua called to him the warriors
from the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who had
came over Jordan with him to assist in the warfare, and commended them for their
obedience to Moses, to himself, and to God. Then he bade them return home with
his blessing on them, giving them careful instructions about keeping to the right
ways and to the rightful worship of God.
At this they returned to their country, and when they came to the border they set up
a memorial altar by the River Jordan. When the rest of the children of Israel heard
of this, it gave them great offence, for they feared that they were going to turn from
the pure worship of God at the central sanctuary. So they sent a deputation of
princes to them, along with Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the high priest, to enquire
into what was happening, and rebuke them about it. But when they received a
satisfactory answer, they returned and reported back to the children of Israel to the
satisfaction of all.
Joshua 22:1-3
‘Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh, and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of YHWH
commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. You have
not left your brothers these many days to this day but have kept the charge of the
commandment of YHWH your God.” ’
Joshua commended the Transjordan contingent. They had been faithful in their
duty, fully obeyed their commander and had not sought to desert or to avoid battle.
They had been true soldiers of God even though it had involved hardship and
separation from their families and loved ones for well over five years. But now the
groundwork had been done it was time for them to return home.
“All that Moses commanded you.” See Deuteronomy 3:18-20. It was the
commandment of Moses, of Joshua (Joshua 1:12-18) and of God. ‘You have kept’ is
strictly ‘you shall keep’. Joshua is thinking of the command he had given them. For

8. ‘keep the charge of’ see Leviticus 8:35; Leviticus 18:30; Deuteronomy 11:1. ‘The
commandment’ is a characteristic expression of Moses (Deuteronomy 17:20
compare Deuteronomy 5:29) which Joshua takes up here and Joshua 22:5.
CO STABLE, "Verses 1-8
Joshua commended these Israelites for their faithfulness to their promise to go to
war with their brothers ( Joshua 22:2-3; cf. Joshua 1:16-18). He also charged them
to remain faithful to the Mosaic Law ( Joshua 22:5). Obedience included complete
devotion to Yahweh.
"This [ Joshua 22:5] is the key verse in this chapter. It is another statement of the
theme of the book that the people must be faithful to the Lord and obey his laws if
they wish to be blessed and live in the land." [ ote: Madvig, p355.]
Joshua then dismissed these Israelites with his blessing ( Joshua 22:6-8).
PULPIT, "The Reubenites and the Gadites. According to the Hebrew idiom, these
are in the original in the singular, as in Genesis 12:6. Thus a tribe, as has been
before remarked, or even a family (Joshua 6:25), is spoken of frequently as a single
individual (cf. Joshua 17:14, Joshua 17:15, Joshua 17:17, Joshua 17:18). It seems
probable that this chapter occurs in strict chronological order, and that the soldiers
of the two tribes and a half remained under the national banner at Shiloh until the
work of survey and appointment was completed. But this cannot be affirmed with
certainty. The word ‫אָז‬ with which the chapter commences, is not the usual word for
chronological sequence, though it does not preclude it (see note on Joshua 8:30).
And the time during which these soldiers must in this case have remained separated
from their wives and families was a very long one. Some have even supposed that it
lasted fourteen years (see Genesis 12:3). On the other hand, the words "gathered
together to Shiloh," in Genesis 12:12, implies that the tribes west of Jordan had left
Shiloh. or did there seem to be the least need for their services after the battle of
Merom. We must be content to leave the matter in uncertainty, with the remark that
if the armed men of the two tribes and a half did remain during this long period
away from their homes, our sense of their ready obedience must be greatly
enhanced, as also of the personal influence of the leader at whose instance they did
so. The half tribe of Manaseh. Some cities read ‫ֶט‬‫ב‬ ֶ‫ש‬ here for ‫ה‬ֶ‫טּ‬ַ‫מ‬, and as the tribe is
spoken of in a political and not in a genealogical point of view, the reading, as far as
internal considerations go, would seem preferable. The two words, however, are not
always used with complete strictness, but are sometimes regarded as synonymous
(see note on Joshua 13:29).
PI K, "Pledges Honored
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh" (Josh. 22:1). The opening "Then" looks back to 21:43-45, where there is
a brief but blessed summing up of all that is recorded in the foregoing chapters:

9. "And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their
fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest
round about, according to all that He sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a
man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their
hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the
house of Israel; all came to pass." Therein thankful acknowledgment was made of
the inviolable integrity of Jehovah, for there had been an exact performance of
everything He had promised. Therein we behold His unchanging faithfulness:
notwithstanding their wilderness provocations, He brought them into Canaan.
Therein we have exhibited the perfect harmony which there is between God’s words
and His works, which are wonderful not only in contrivance, but equally so in their
execution. Therein we learn how sure is the fulfillment of Divine prophecy; every
detail predicted was literally accomplished.
The Lord had promised to give the land of Canaan unto Abram’s seed for a
possession (Gen. 12:7), and He had now done so. He promised to make Abram’s
seed a prolific and numerous one (Gen. 13:16), and they "multiplied and grew" (Ex.
1:12), so that by the time they left Egypt a single family had become "about six
hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children" (Ex. 12:37). The Lord
promised to preserve them in all places whither they went (Gen. 28:15), and He had
done so—in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and throughout all their wilderness journeyings.
He promised to bring into Canaan the fourth generation of Abram’s descendants
after their sojourn in Egypt (Gen. 15:16), and a close examination of Exodus 6:16-
28, proves that so it came to pass. The Lord promised to give them success in their
fighting:
"I will send My fear before thee (cf. Joshua 2:9), and will destroy all the people to
whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee .
. . for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand" (Ex. 23:27, 31), and
so their sons acknowledged (Ps. 44:3). He promised to deliver "kings" into their
hands (Deut. 8:24), and Joshua 10:24, 40, attests that He did so. He promised to give
them "rest" in the land (Deut. 12:10), and we are told "the Lord gave them rest"
(Josh. 21:44).
There were indeed some of the original inhabitants still left in the land to test and
try God’s people; but at the close of the seven-year campaign all open conflict had
ceased. The whole of Canaan had now been given by Divine lot unto Abram’s
descendants: the greater part of it was then occupied by the different tribes, and
they were peacefully settled in their heritage. If they continued to obey the Lord and
count upon His enablement, they should still more completely possess their
possessions. "There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken
unto the house of Israel." Such will be the triumphant testimony of the whole
Church collectively and of every Christian individually. In due season shall all that
God has promised the spiritual Israel come to pass, with regard both to their
present comfort and future felicity. All will be accomplished, exactly and perfectly,
as God has declared, for all His promises are in Christ yea and amen (2 Cor. 1:20).
At the last, when the whole company of the redeemed will have entered their eternal

10. rest and inheritance, they will bear joyous witness that "He hath done all things
well."
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh" (Josh. 22:1). The passage which opens with those words contains the
sequel to what is recorded at some length in umbers 22. There we read, " ow the
children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle:
and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead that, behold, the place
was a place for cattle . . . came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and
unto the princes of the congregation, saying . . . the country which the Lord smote
before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle;
wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto
thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan" (vv. 1-5). They referred
to the land which had formerly been occupied by Sihon and Og, whose forces Israel
had, under God, completely destroyed, and whose territory they then seized by right
of victory ( um. 21:21-35). Lying in the Jordan valley, the ground was well watered,
and ideal for pasturage.
For several months the camp of Israel had remained stationary on the plains of
Moab: looking backward to the house of bondage from which they had been
delivered; looking forward to the land of Canaan which had been promised them
for their inheritance. Behind them lay the dreary desert, before them was the river
of Jordan. In view of the mentioning of "the princes of the congregation" in
addition to Eleazar, it would appear that an official conference of the Sanhedrin, or
chief counsel of the nation, was being held—perhaps over the disposing of the
territory which had been acquired by their recent victory. The language used by the
spokesman of the two tribes also conveys the impression that their request was of
the nature of a formal petition. It was to the effect that they should be given the title
to settle in the luxurious valley of Jazer and Gilead. There was nothing underhand
or stealthy in the appeal which they. made, but an honorable and open approach
unto the heads of authority; and in a meek and modest spirit, as their "if we have
found grace in thy sight" evinces. otwithstanding, the commentators generally
condemn their action.
It is concluded by some that their conduct was very blameworthy: that they showed
contempt of Canaan, or, if not that, were following the line of least resistance in
wanting to remain where they were, and thus escape the hardships and fighting
which the crossing of the Jordan would involve. Others see in their proposal a
display of covetousness, a greedy desire to make this fertile portion their own. Still
others charge them with being lacking in public spirit, putting their own private
interests before the common good of the nation. Personally, we see nothing definite
in the narrative to support such views, but rather some things to the contrary. Had
their request been as reprehensible as these critics make out, they had been
promptly informed of its unlawfulness, and there the matter would have terminated.
Most certainly the Lord had never confirmed it! God had already delivered this
land into the hands of Israel, and someone must inherit and inhabit it. It was
particularly suited for pasturage, and that was what these tribes, with their "very

11. great multitude of cattle," most needed. or were they despising the Lord’s
inheritance, for the boundary of Canaan was not the Jordan, but rather the
mountain-range of Gilead, which separated it from the desert lying beyond. Thus, as
Joshua 22:9, shows, the section desired by these tribes was as much within Canaan
proper as was the land on the farther side of the Jordan.
Moses was thoroughly displeased with their suggestion, placing the worst
construction upon it. He supposed that their request proceeded from a spirit of
cowardice and sloth. He considered that they were giving way to unbelief,
distrusting God’s power, seeking to shelve their responsibility ( um. 35:6). In any
case, it would mean the weakening of Israel’s army by a reduction of at least one
fifth of its manpower. Moreover, they were asking him to establish a dangerous
precedent, which others might desire to follow (v. 7). He recalled the faint-
heartedness of their fathers, and the disastrous sequel which had attended the same
(vv. 8, 9). He feared that their attitude would bring down the Lord’s wrath upon the
whole congregation (v. 14). But his suspicions were unwarranted, and his fears
unnecessary.
"And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our
cattle, and cities for our little ones: but we ourselves will go ready armed before the
children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones
shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not
return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his
inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward;
because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward" ( um. 32:16-
19). Thus did they show how grievously Moses had misjudged them, and how
unfounded were his surmisings. They had no intention of sitting still while the other
tribes went to war. Without murmuring or disputing, they expressed a willingness
to share their brethren’s burden. So far from being afraid to enter the field against
the enemy, they were prepared to take the lead and go "before the children of
Israel." They would remain with their fellows until all of them were duly settled.
or would they require any compensation or expect to receive any share of the
spoils.
Satisfied with their explanation and assurances, Moses conditionally granted their
request. Holding them to their promises, he agreed to the proposal 6n their
fulfillment of its terms. If they carried out their part of the contract, the land of
Jazer and Gilead should be their "possession before the Lord" ( um. 32:22). But if
they went back upon their word, then they would be offending against God Himself,
and in such an event their sin was certain to find them out (v. 23), which signifies
that bitter and inevitable would be the consequences, and not discovered or brought
to light. "Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth" (v. 25) was their ready
response and solemn vow. Thereupon the agreement was formally and publicly
ratified before Israel’s supreme court, Joshua (who was to succeed him) being
expressly informed of the compact (v. 28), according to the terms of which the coasts
and cities of Sihon and Og became the possession of the two and a half tribes (v. 33).
Thus did they strikingly prefigure the Old Testament saints, who entered into their

12. spiritual inheritance during the Mosaic economy.
When Joshua took over the leadership, he addressed himself to the two and a half
tribes thus: "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded
you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land,"
and then detailed the stipulated conditions of this provisional arrangement (Josh.
1:12-15). As we pointed out in the ninth article of this series, Joshua was acting here
not on the ground of natural prudence, but in obedience to his Master’s will. The
Lord had bidden him to "observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My
servant commanded thee" (Josh. 1:7), and this was one of those things ( um.
32:28)! Thus, the new head of the nation did not take it for granted that they would
carry out their agreement, but definitely reminded them of the same and held them
to it. It is blessed, too, to observe the ground upon which he appealed to them: it was
neither as a personal favor to himself for their co-operation nor as an
encouragement unto their brethren, but as an act of obedience: "Remember the
word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you."
Equally blessed is it to hear their response: "And they answered Joshua, saying, All
that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.
According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee:
only the Lord thy God be with thee" (Josh. 1:16, 17). Thus did they solemnly and
explicitly renew their agreement; and, as the sequel demonstrates, it was no idle
boast that they made. It is ever God’s way to honor those who honor Him: Joshua
had given Him His proper place by complying with his commission and magnifying
God’s Word, and now the Lord graciously inclined these two and a half tribes
willingly to serve under him. In his "until the Lord have given your brethren rest . .
. and they also have possessed the land" (v. 15), he expressed his unwavering faith in
the successful outcome of the campaign; and here the Lord moved these men to give
him their full support. They averred their willingness to accept him as their
commander and yield full obedience to his authority.
Faithfully did they fulfill their part of the agreement: "And the children of Reuben,
and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before
the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: about forty thousand prepared for
war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho" (Josh. 4:12,
13). How the Holy Spirit delights to record the obedience of saints! And now we
come to the happy sequel to the whole of the above: "Then Joshua called the
Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye
have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed
my voice in all that I commanded you: ye have not left your brethren these many
days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your
God" (Josh. 22:2, 3). A real tribute of praise was that, and a signal proof of the
magnanimity of the one who paid it. Though they had only discharged a manifest
obligation and fulfilled their part of the contract, it cost Joshua nothing to
acknowledge their fidelity and commend their obedience, and such a word from
their general would mean much to them.

13. They had given further proof of the sterling quality of their character by submitting
to the authority of Joshua. They might have pleaded that their agreement had been
made with Moses, and that, since death cancels all contracts, his decease relieved
them of their engagement. But having put their hand to the plough, they refused to
look back (Luke 4:62). Or, to change the figure, they conducted themselves in a
manner that was in every respect the very opposite of that of the Ephraimites at a
later date, of whom we read that they "turned back in the day of battle. They kept
not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law" (Ps. 78:9, 10). Alas, how
the courage of many who enlist under the banner of Christ fails them in the day of
testing, so that they retreat before the foe: and in the hour of temptation prove false
to their good resolutions and solemn promises and vows. Different far was it with
these Reubenites and Gadites. ot only did they begin well, but they also endured
unto the end; yea, their wholehearted devotion to the cause of God and His people
increased, for a comparison of Joshua 1:16, with umbers 32:31, reveals that the
promise which they made unto Joshua went beyond that which they had pledged
unto Moses.
For seven years they had served obediently under Joshua, had disinterestedly put
the welfare of the nation before their own private comforts, had made no attempt to
rejoin their families, but had remained by the side of their brethren until Canaan
was conquered. Most commendable was their meekness in waiting for their
dismissal. They did not chafe at the delay, but were submissive to their leader’s will.
Instead of seeking out Joshua and complaining that it was high time for them to
return to their homes, they quietly tarried for Him to take the initiative in the
matter. As another remarked, "Like good soldiers they would not move till they had
orders from their general. They had not only done their duty to Joshua and Israel,
but, which was best of all, they had made conscience of their duty to God: ‘Ye have
kept the charge,’ or, as the word is, ‘Ye have kept the keeping,’ that is, Ye have
carefully and circumspectly kept the commandments of the Lord your God: not
only in this particular instance of continuing in the service of Israel to the end of the
war, but in general, you have kept up religion in your part of the camp—a rare and
excellent thing among soldiers, and which is worthy to be praised" (Matthew
Henry).
"And now the Lord your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as He promised
them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of
your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side
Jordan" (v. 4). How careful was Joshua to place the crown of honor where it rightly
belonged, and ascribe the glory of their victory unto the Author of the same! At the
same time, he considered it meet that thankful acknowledgment should be made to
those who had assisted him therein. "God must be chiefly eyed in our praises, but
instruments must not be altogether overlooked" (Matthew Henry). Equally definite
was Joshua in here magnifying the fidelity of Jehovah, reminding Israel that the
successful outcome of their military efforts, and the resultant rest for the whole
nation, was the fulfillment of the sure word of the Lord. Having faithfully
performed their part of the contract by sharing the hardships and dangers of their
brethren, Joshua now made good the assurances which Moses had given to the two

14. and a half tribes, publicly and solemnly granting them an honorable discharge from
the army and authorizing them to rejoin their families.
"But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the
servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His
ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him
with all your heart and with all your soul" (v. 5). Ere dismissing the two and a half
tribes, Joshua gave them salutary counsel. o instructions were furnished for the
fortifying of their cities or for the cultivation of their land, the whole emphasis being
placed upon the regulating of their spiritual lives. or was there any lowering of the
rule to meet their "moral inability," but a strict maintaining of God’s claims upon
them. "Perfect obedience to the Divine Law was no more practicable in the days of
Joshua than at present, yet his exhortation takes no notice of this, for the standard
of obedience cannot be too high (Matthew 5:43-48), nor our aim too high, as we are
sure to fall very far short of what we propose for ourselves. But the consciousness of
our imperfections subserves the purposes of humiliation, and the feeling of our
insufficiency dictates prayers for forgiveness and assistance" (Thomas Scott). It is
not sufficient that we know God’s Law, we are required to do it: in order to
obedience, we most "take diligent heed": we shall only walk in God’s ways to the
extent that we serve Him wholeheartedly, for love to Him is the spring of all
acceptable obedience and worship.
EXLPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMME TARY
THE ALTAR ED.
Joshua 22:1-34.
THE two tribes and a half had behaved well. They had kept their word, remained
with their brethren during all Joshua's campaign, and taken their part in all the
perils and struggles through which the host had passed. And now they receive the
merited reward of honourable conduct. They are complimented by their general;
their services are rehearsed with approval; their threefold fidelity, to God, to Moses,
and to Joshua, is commended; they are dismissed with honour, and they receive as
their reward a substantial share of the spoil which had been taken from the enemy.
"Return," said Joshua, "with much riches unto your tents, and with very much
cattle, with silver and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much
raiment; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren." It thus appeared that
honour, like honesty, is the best policy. Had these two tribes and a half chosen the
alternative of selfishness, refused to cross the Jordan to help their brethren, and
devoted their whole energies at once to their fields and flocks, they would have fared
worse in the end. o doubt as they recrossed the Jordan, bearing with them the
treasure which had been acquired on the western side, their hearts would be full of
that happy feeling which results from duty faithfully performed, and honourable
conduct amply rewarded. They brought back "peace with honour" and prosperity

15. to the bargain. After all, it is high principle that pays. It demands a time of patient
working and of patient waiting, but its bills are fully implemented in the end.
In sending away the two tribes and a half Joshua pressed two counsels on them. One
was that they were to divide the spoil with those of their brethren that had remained
at home. Here, again, selfishness might possibly have found a footing. Why should
the men that had incurred none of the labour and the peril enjoy any of the spoil?
Would it not have been fair that those who had borne the burden and heat of the
day should alone enjoy its rewards? But, in point of fact, there had been good
reason why a portion should remain at home. To leave the women and children
wholly undefended would have been recklessness itself. Some arrangement, too, had
to be made for looking after the flocks and herds. And as the supply of manna had
ceased, the production of food had to be provided for. The men at home had been
doing the duty assigned to them as well as the men abroad. If they could not
establish a claim in justice to a share of the spoil, the spirit of brotherhood and
generosity pleaded on their behalf. The soldier-section of the two and a half tribes
had done their part honourably and generously to the nine and a half; let them act
in the same spirit to their own brethren. Let them share in the good things which
they had brought home, so that a spirit of joy and satisfaction might be diffused
throughout the community, and the welcome given to those who had been absent
might be cordial and complete, without one trace of discontent or envy.
Occasions may occur still on which this counsel of Joshua may come in very
suitably. It does not always happen that brothers or near relatives who have
prospered abroad are very mindful of those whom they have left at home. They like
to enjoy their abundance, and if the case of their poor relations comes across their
minds, they dismiss it with the thought that men's lots must differ, and that they are
not going to lose all the benefit of their success by supporting other families besides
their own. Yet, how much good might accrue from a little generosity, though it were
but an occasional gift, towards those who are straitened? And how much better it
would be to kindle by this means a thankful and kindly feeling, than to have envy
and jealousy rankling in their hearts!
The other counsel of Joshua bore upon that which was ever uppermost in his heart -
loyalty to God. ''Take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which
Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk
in all His ways, and to keep all His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to
serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." It is evident that Joshua
poured his whole heart into this counsel. He was evidently anxious as to the effect
which their separation from their brethren would have on their religious condition.
It was west of the Jordan that the sanctuary had been placed, and that the great
central influence in support of the national worship would mainly operate. Would
not these eastern tribes be in great danger of drifting away from the recognised
worship of God, and becoming idolaters? Joshua knew well that as yet the nation
was far from being weaned from idolatry (see Joshua 24:14). He knew that among
many there were strong propensities towards it. He had something of the feeling
that an earnest Christian parent would have in sending off a son, not very decided

16. in religion, to some colony where the public sentiment was loose, and where the
temptations to worldliness and religious indifference were strong. He was therefore
all the more earnest in his exhortations to them, for he felt that all their prosperity,
all their happiness, their very life itself, depended on their being faithful to their
God.
We cannot tell how long time had elapsed when word was brought to the western
side that the two and a half tribes had built a great altar on the edge of Jordan,
apparently as a rival to the ecclesiastical establishment at Shiloh. That this was their
intention seems to have been taken for granted, for we find the congregation or
general assembly of Israel assembled at Shiloh to prepare for war with the
schismatical tribes. War had evidently become a familiar idea with them, and at
first no other course suggested itself for arresting the proposal. It was one of the
many occasions of unreasoning impetuosity which the history of Israel presents.
o mention is made of Joshua in the narrative of this transaction; he had retired
from active life, and perhaps what is here recorded did not take place for a
considerable time after the return of the two and a half tribes. It may be that we
have here an instance of the method so often pursued in Hebrew annals, of
recording together certain incidents pertaining to the same transaction, or to the
same people, though these incidents were separated from each other by a
considerable interval of time.
It was well that the congregation assembled at Shiloh. They would be reminded by
the very place that great national movements were not to be undertaken rashly,
since God was the supreme ruler of the nation. We are not told whether the usual
method of asking counsel of God was resorted to, but certainly the course followed
was more reasonable than rushing into war. It was resolved to begin by
remonstrating with the two and a half tribes. The idea that their proposal was
schismatical, nay, even idolatrous, was not given up, but it was thought that if a
solemn remonstrance and warning were addressed to them, they might be induced
to abandon their project.
A deputation was sent over, consisting of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, as
representing the religious interest, and ten princes, representing the ten tribes, to
have an interview with the heads of the two and a half tribes. When they met, the
deputation opened very fiercely on their brethren. They charged them with
unheard-of wickedness. What they had done was a daring act of rebellion. It was
worthy to be classed with the iniquity of Peor - one of the vilest deeds that ever
disgraced the nation. It was fitted to bring down God's judgments on the whole
nation, and would certainly do so. If the secret act of Achan involved the
congregation in wrath, what calamity to the whole people would not result from this
daring and open deed of rebellion? They were not safe for a single day. The vials of
the Divine wrath could not but be ready, and in twenty-four hours the whole
congregation of Israel might be overwhelmed by the tokens of His displeasure.
One should have said that if anything was fitted to have a bad effect on the two and

17. a half tribes, it was this mode of dealing. It is not wise to assume that your brother is
a villain. And scolding, as has been well said, does not make men sorry for their sins.
But one thing was said by the deputation that was fitted to have a different effect.
" otwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto
the land of the possession of the Lord, wherein the Lord's tabernacle dwelleth, and
take possession among us: but rebel not against the Lord, nor rebel against us, in
building you an altar beside the altar of the Lord our God."
Here was a generous, a self-denying proposal; the ten tribes were some of them in
straits themselves, finding the room available for them far too narrow; nevertheless
they were prepared to divide what they had with their brethren, if their real feeling
was that the east side of the Jordan was outside the hallowed and hallowing
influence of the presence of the Lord.
Instead, therefore, of firing up at the fierce reproof of their brethren, the two and a
half tribes were softened by this really kind proposal and returned a reassuring
answer. They solemnly repudiated all idea of a rival establishment. They knew that
there was but one place where the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant could be,
and they had not the remotest intention of interfering with the spot that had been
chosen for that purpose. They had never entertained the thought of offering burnt
offerings, or meat offerings, or peace offerings on their altar. They solemnly abjured
all intention to show disrespect to the Lord, or to His law. The altar which they had
built had a very different purpose. It was occasioned by the physical structure of the
country, and the effect which that might have on their children in years to come. "In
time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying. What have ye to
do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord hath made Jordan a border between
us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the Lord:
so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord. Therefore we
said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for
sacrifice; but that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations
after us." It was not a rival, but a witness, a pattern; a reminder to the two and a
half tribes that the true altar, the Divine sanctuary, hallowed by the token of God's
presence was elsewhere, and that there, and only there, were the public sacrifices to
be offered.
The acquaintance with the physical structure of Palestine which we have obtained in
recent years enables us to appreciate the feeling of the two and a half tribes better
than could have been done before. The mere fact that a river separated the east
from the west of Palestine would not have been enough to account for the sense of
isolation and the fear thence arising which had taken hold of the heads of the two
and a half tribes. It is the peculiar structure of the valley in which the river runs
that explains the story. The Jordan valley, as has already been mentioned, is
depressed below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, the depression increasing
gradually as the river flows towards the Dead Sea, where it amounts to 1300 feet. In
addition to this, the mountainous plateau on each side of the Jordan valley rises to
the height of 2000 or 2500 feet above the sea, so that the entire depression, counting
from the top of the plateau to the edge of the river, is between three and four

18. thousand feet. On each side the approach to the Jordan is difficult, while, during the
warm season, the great heat increases the fatigue of travelling and discourages the
attempt. All these things make the separation between the two parts of the country
caused by the river and its valley much more complete than in ordinary cases of
river boundaries. There can be no doubt now that the heads of the two and a half
tribes had considerable ground for their apprehensions. There was some risk that
they should cease to be regarded as part of the nation; and their explanation of the
altar seems to have been an honest one. It was designed simply as a memorial, not
for sacrifices. We see what a happy thing it was for the whole nation that the
deputation was sent across before resorting to arms. A new light was thrown on
what had seemed a daring sin; it was but an innocent arrangement; and the terrible
forebodings which it awakened are at once scattered to the winds.
But who can estimate all the misery that has come in almost every age, in circles
both public and private, from hasty suspicions of evil, which a little patience, a little
inquiry, a little opportunity of explanation, might have at once averted? History,
tradition, fiction, alike furnish us with instances. We recall the story of Llewellyn
and his dog Gelert, stabbed by his master, who thought the stains upon his mouth
were the blood of his beloved child; while, on raising the cradle which had been
turned over, he found his child asleep and well, and a huge wolf dead, from whose
fangs the dog had delivered him. We remember the tragedy of Othello and
Desdemona; we see how the fondest love may be poisoned by hasty suspicion, and
the dearest of wives murdered, when a little patience would have shown her
innocent - shown her all too pure to come in contact with even a vestige of the evil
thing. We think of the many stories of crusaders and others leaving their homes
with their love pledged to another, detained in distant lands without means of
communication, hearing a rumour that their beloved one had turned false, and
doing some rash and irrevocable deed, while a little further waiting would have
realized all their hopes. But perhaps it is in less tragic circumstances that the spirit
of suspicion and unjust accusation is most commonly manifested. A rumour
unfavourable to your character gets into circulation; you suspect some one of being
the author, and deal fiercely with him accordingly; it turns out that he is wholly
innocent. A friend has apparently written a letter against you which has made you
furious; you pour a torrent of reproaches upon him; it turns out that the letter was
written by some one else with a similar name. But indeed there is no end to the
mischief that is bred by impatience, and by want of inquiry, or of waiting for
explanations that would put a quite different complexion on our matters of
complaint. True charity ''thinketh no evil," for it "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth in truth. It beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things." If its gentle voice were more regarded, what a multitude of
offences would vanish, and how much wider would be the reign of peace!
The explanation that had been offered by Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh proved
satisfactory to Phinehas and the princes of the congregation, and likewise to the
people of the west generally, when the deputation reported their proceedings. The
remark of Phinehas before he left his eastern brethren was a striking one: "This day
do we perceive that the Lord is among us, because ye have not committed this

19. trespass against the Lord; now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the
hand of the Lord." There was a great difference between the Lord being among
them, and their being in the hand of the Lord. If the Lord were among them they
were under all manner of gracious influence; if they were in the hand of the Lord
they were exposed to the utmost visitations of His wrath. It was the joy of Phinehas
to find not only that no provocation had been given to God's righteous jealousy but
that proof had been afforded that He was graciously blessing them. If God often
departs from us without our suspecting it, He is sometimes graciously present with
us when we have been fearing that He was gone. So it was now. Phinehas in
imagination had seen the gathering of a terrible storm, as if the very enemy of man
had been stirring up his countrymen to rebellion and contempt of God; but in place
of that, he sees that they have been consulting for God's honour, for the permanence
of His institutions, and for the preservation of unity between the two sections of the
nation; and in this he finds a proof that God has been graciously working among
them. For God is the God of peace, not of strife, and the Spirit is the Spirit of order,
and not of confusion. And when two sections of a community are led to desire the
advancement of His service and the honour of His name, even by methods which are
not in all respects alike, it is a proof that He is among them, drawing their hearts to
Himself and to one another.
Perhaps the common adage might have been applied to the case - that there were
faults on both sides. If the ten tribes were too hasty in preparing for war, the two
and a half tribes had been too hasty in deciding on the erection of their altar,
without communication with the priests and the civil heads of the nation. In a
matter so sacred, no such step should have been taken without full consultation and
a clear view of duty. The goodness of their motive did not excuse them for not taking
all available methods to carry out their plan in a way wholly unexceptional. As it
was, they ran a great risk of kindling a fire which might have at once destroyed
themselves and weakened the rest of the nation through all time. In their effort to
promote unity, they had almost occasioned a fatal schism. Thus both sections of the
nation had been on the edge of a fearful catastrophe.
But now it appeared that the section that had seemed to be so highly offending were
animated by a quite loyal sentiment. Phinehas gladly seized on the fact as a proof
that God was among them. A less godly man would not have thought of this as of
much importance. He would hardly have believed in it as anything that could exist
except in a fanatical imagination. But the more one knows of God the more real does
the privilege seem, and the more blessed. ay, it comes to be felt as that which
makes the greatest conceivable difference between one individual or one community
and another. The great curse of sin is that it has severed us from God. The glory of
the grace of God in Christ is that we are brought together. Man without God is like
the earth without the sun, or the body without the soul. Man in fellowship with God
is man replenished with all Divine blessings and holy influences. A church in which
God does not dwell is a hold of unclean spirits and a cage of every unclean and
hateful bird. A church inhabited by God, like the bride in the Song of Solomon,
"Looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an
army with banners."

20. BI 1-34, "Ye have not left your brethren.
Helping one another
I. These tribes helped their brethren to their own inconvenience and positive detriment.
A narrow-minded, selfish race would have recognised no claim for any service which
could not be repaid dollar for dollar. What fine excuses could have been made for the
non-performance of this duty if they had been in the excuse-making mood! How
prominently that threadbare proverb, “Charity begins at home”—a proverb often
outrageously perverted—might have figured in their conversation! We have our own
children and our own houses to look after; our crops must be planted and harvested; our
homes must be established in this new land; the wandering tribes of our enemies may at
any time swoop down upon our vineyards and gardens. Small and selfish souls always
reason in this way, whether they live in Palestine or America, in the fifteenth century
before Christ or the nineteenth after Christ. Such reasoning and such living inevitably
lead to national and individual bankruptcy in all the generous and noble qualities which
make a nation great. Let us remember also that it is not what we can spare as well as not
which helps our brother. It is not the cast-off coat which we should never wear, the
superfluous dollar whose gift we should never feel, that blesses the world; it is the gift
that carries part of ourselves with it that helps to regenerate mankind. The Reubenites
and Gadites gave themselves, their sturdiest men, their bravest warriors, not merely a
quota of drafted hirelings. There is no other brotherly kindness worth the name; a dollar
bill given without the personal interest of the one who sends it is but a piece of printed
paper; a dollar bill sent with love and prayer, a bill that represents the yearning of some
heart to do good, may be—yea, it always is—the winged messenger of God, carrying a
blessing to him to whom it goes and leaving a larger one with him who sends it.
II. These heroic israelites helped their brethren persistently and patiently. Seven long
years passed before all their battles were fought and they were at liberty to return to
their wives and their children. In our deeds of benevolence and charity the tendency is to
leave the work half-done because of discouragement at the slowness of results. “Ye did
run well, who did hinder you?” might be the epitaph on the tombstone of many
abandoned schemes of philanthropy. If the world could be converted in a year, there
would be many enthusiastic missionaries among those who now chiefly find fault with
the slowness of missionary operations, because the Lord chooses to make use of
centuries in bringing about the triumph of His cause. The reason for this seeming
slowness of God’s hosts is not far to seek. There is more virtue in the fight than in the
victory. There are souls to be enlarged, there are sympathies to be quickened, there are
lives to be inspired with zeal for God and truth and fellow-men. All this is accomplished
by the struggle and not by the ease and the possession of the goodly land that follows the
struggle.
III. Their home-coming after the seven years of conflict. There is another home-coming
to which every true heart aspires, and the conditions of honourable discharge and of
welcome to that home are typified in our lesson. What is heaven except the final
gathering-place for those who have helped their brethren for Christ’s sake? (F. E. Clark.)
Helping others
The law for us is the same as for these warriors. In the family, the city, the nation, the

21. Church, and the world, union with others binds us to help them in their conflicts, and
that especially if we are blessed with secure possessions, while they have to struggle for
theirs. We are tempted to selfish lives of indulgence in our quiet peace, and sometimes
think it hard that we should be expected to buckle on our armour and leave our leisurely
repose because our brethren ask the help of our arms. If we did as Reuben and Gad did,
would there be so many rich men who never stir a finger to relieve poverty, so many
Christians whose religion is much more selfish than beneficent? Would so many souls be
left to toil without help, to Struggle without allies, to weep without comforters, to
wander in the dark without a guide? All God’s gifts in providence and in the gospel are
given that we may have somewhat wherewith to bless our less happy brethren. “The
service of man” is not the substitute for, but the expression of, Christianity. Are we not
kept here, on this side Jordan, away for a time from our inheritance, for the very same
reason that these men were separated from theirs—that we may strike some strokes for
God and our fellows in the great war? Dives, who lolls on his soft cushions, and has less
pity for Lazarus than the dogs have, is Cain come to life again; and every Christian is
either his brother’s keeper or his murderer. Would that the Church of to-day, with
infinitely deeper and sacreder ties knitting it to suffering, struggling humanity, had a
tithe of the willing relinquishment of legitimate possessions and patient participation in
the long campaign for God which kept these rude soldiers faithful to their flag and
forgetful of home and ease till their general gave them their discharge. (A. Maclaren, D.
D.)
Standing by our brethren
A ship arrived at San Francisco recently which had been two hundred and ninety-six
days from New Castle, Australia. She had been in great peril in a storm at sea and had
had long delays. One night when she was in great danger the captain asked the captain of
another ship to stand by through the night, and he did so at great risk to his own vessel
and his own life, but finally was the cause of the salvation of the imperilled vessel. As
soon as he was safe in harbour the captain of the ship that had been threatened with
wreck gave his first attention to showing appreciation of the other captain’s assistance,
and sent him a gold watch, and went before the council of the city of Sydney and told the
story of his heroism. On learning of it the Sydney authorities presented to the noble
captain a medal bearing his name on one side, and on the other the simple inscription,
“The man that did stand by.” In the midst of the campaign for righteousness that is
going on in our modern life the noblest ambition for a Christian man is to share the fate
of righteousness; to be no more popular than Jesus Christ would be, if He stood in his
place, and sought as of old to make it easy for men to do right and hard for them to do
wrong. Rather than anything else the Christian man should prize having Christ look
down upon him and say: “The man that did stand by.” (Louis A. Banks, D. D.)
Take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law.
The commander’s parting charge
They were about to depart for a life of comparative separation from the mass of the
nation. Their remoteness and their occupations drew them away from the current of the
national life, and gave them a kind of quasi-independence. They would necessarily be
less directly under Joshua’s control than the other tribes were. He sends them away with
one commandment, the imperative stringency of which is expressed by the accumulation

22. of expressions in verse 5. They are to give diligent heed to the law of Moses. Their
obedience is to be based on love to God, who is their God no less than the God of the
other tribes. It is to be comprehensive—walking in all His ways; it is to be resolute—
cleaving to Him; it is to be whole hearted and whole-souled service, that will be the true
bond between the separated parts of the whole. Independence so limited will be
harmless; and, however wide apart the paths may lie, Israel will be one. In like manner
the bond that knits all divisions of God’s people together, however different their modes
of life and thought, however unlike their homes and their work, is the similarity of
relation to God. They are one in a common faith, a common love, a common obedience.
Wider waters than Jordan part them. Graver differences of tasks and outlooks than
separated these two sections of Israel part them. But all are one who love and obey the
one Lord. The closer we cleave to Him, the nearer we shall be to all His tribes.
(American Sunday School Times.)
Universal obligation
All the great duties of a Christian life are no more incumbent upon Christians than upon
other men; for men are bound to be and to do right on the religious scale of rectitude not
because they are Christians, but because they are men. Religious obligations took hold of
us when we were born. They waited for us as the air did. They have their sources back of
volition, back of consciousness, just as attraction has. Though a man declares himself an
atheist it in no way alters his obligations. Right and wrong do not spring from the nature
of the Church. Obligation lies deeper than that. It is as much the worldling’s duty to love
God and obey His laws as the Christian’s. (H. W. Beecher.)
Obedience unmeasured
When the truth of our sincerity requires to be weighed out in drachmas and scruples,
and runs so sparingly as from an exhausted vessel—when the state of the conscience
must be ascertained by a theological barometer, the health of the soul must be in a very
feeble and crazy condition. (H. G. Salter.)
Sincere obedience
If conscience be enlightened, and faithful in the trial, a man cannot deliberately deceive
himself: he must know whether his resolutions and endeavours be to obey all the will of
God; or, whether, like an intermitting pulse, that sometimes beats regularly, and then
falters, he is zealous in some duties, and cold, or careless in others? Saul would offer
sacrifice, but not obey the Divine command to destroy all the Amalekites: for his
partiality and hypocrisy he was rejected of God. ‘Tis not the authority of the lawgiver,
but other motives that sway those who observe some commands, and are regardless of
others. A servant that readily goes to a fair or a feast, when sent by his master, and
neglects other duties, does not his master’s command from obedience, but his own
choice. Sincere obedience is to the royalty of the Divine taw, and is commensurate to its
purity and extent. (H. G. Salter.)

23. What trespass is this that ye have committed?—
The memorial altar
1. Notice the proper jealousy of the elders. When the chiefs of the tribes of Israel
heard of this altar they arose in great alarm and went down to their brethren, the two
and a half tribes, to demand an explanation. Their jealousy was hasty, it was ignorant
and uncharitable, but it was not unnatural. It arose, indeed, from a
misunderstanding. They imagined that the eastern men were wishful to do the exact
opposite of that which was in their hearts; they took the altar to be a sign and a
means of division, whereas it was intended to be a symbol and an influence for unity.
Such misunderstandings often and naturally arise. Men look at what others are
doing; they do not stay to inquire, they assume they know all about it; they read in
what they see their own notions, and hence they come to unwise and uncharitable
opinions. It is surely necessary that Christian men, in judging each other’s work,
should cultivate a spirit of candour, should be anxious to be clear in judgment,
should assume the better motive until the worse is proved; and should remember
that, within the limits of what is right, there is room for wide difference of taste, even
where there is equal loyalty for the truth and equal anxiety for its maintenance.
2. Now notice the anxiety of the fathers. They were very anxious to have a symbol of
unity. They themselves, who had borne a part in every conflict, could never forget the
battle or the victory; but to their children those memories might become dim, and
might even become to be thought mere myths, and so they desired a symbol, the
existence of which could only be accounted for by the fact symbolised, and the sight
of which, exciting curiosity and comment, should keep the glorious facts alive
amongst them. And they were surely right. Symbols and monuments are useful, the
human mind requires them, and men in all ages and lands have provided them
erected on the sites of great battles, as Waterloo and Quebec; to commemorate great
discoveries, such as chloroform; or great inventions, such as the steam engine; they
have been executed to keep green the memory of great men. The busy world is only
too apt to forget its benefactors and to lose trace of the events which have been
mightiest in moulding its fortunes, so the instinct of men has led them to keep alive
precious memories by monumental symbols. And the principle has been recognised
by God Himself, and has been embodied in the institutions of the Church. The
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a symbol, a memorial observance in which we do
show forth the Lord’s death till He comes. By its frequent observance the Church
recalls to the mind of its members and the attention of the thoughtless world the
supreme fact of human history. And surely never were becoming memorials of great
and noble events more necessary than in our own time! These are days of rush and
hurry unexampled. Events succeed each other so rapidly that one impression
overlays, and perhaps effaces, its predecessors. Anything that will help us to keep in
mind great deeds done for God and man, and their influence on subsequent events,
will preserve the rich treasure of our spiritual heritage.
3. But, again, those fathers were anxious for a link with the past. They were unwilling
that the continuity of their history should be broken. They, and their children after
them, would be impoverished if the memories of the past should be lost. Some of
them might be memories of shame, but even therein were precious lessons of
warning; and many of them were memories of triumph invaluable for the
inspirations to duty and to enterprise which they conveyed. Those old heroes were
unwilling that the past with its lessons should fade away and disappear, and they
were right. How much we owe to the past, though we are often unconscious of the

24. debt! Our position, our mental quality, the balance of our faculties, our peculiar
character, have come to us through the mingling of many strains and the influence of
a thousand varying circumstances. Our mental conceptions arise out of the heritage
of ideas which we find before us when we come into the world, possessed by all
minds as a common endowment and embodied in a multitude of forms, literary,
mechanical, social, religious. What magnificent possessions the past hands on to us!
4. And, especially, these people were anxious for their children; they were anxious
that their share in the toils and risks of the campaigns of Israel should not be
forgotten. They were fearful lest their children should lose their part in the original
heritage of the covenant. Many causes would favour this: distance, which made it
impossible for them to attend the great national festivals; difference of habits
occasioned by the different surroundings of their life; the influence of neighbouring
idolatry; intermarriage with the tribes hard by—all these things would make it only
too likely that, after one or two generations, their children would fall away from the
faith of Israel. If by the sight of this great altar overlooking the Jordan they could be
reminded of God’s claim upon them and God’s covenant with them and God’s
dealing with their fathers, perhaps they might be preserved from the apostasy which
would otherwise ruin them. Who does not sympathise with this anxiety of the fathers
of the ancient days which has always been a marked characteristic of truly godly
men, that they have been anxious for their children’s salvation? “Oh, that Ishmael
might live before Thee!” is a prayer which has often found echo in the hearts of men.
Love itself becomes more true and tender when, with all the other passions, it is
sanctified by the indwelling Spirit. Then, too, the successes or failures of life become
properly discriminated. Men who see the invisible estimate the more correctly the
things temporal and the things eternal. And the chief solicitude for their children
comes to be, not that they should be rich or fashionable, but that they should be
good. (T. R. Stephenson, D. D.)
The altar of testimony
Suppose we call the Israelites who built the altar the Eastern Church, and those who
found fault with them the Western Church. We shall hope to get instruction from both.
From the builders of the altar of testimony we shall ask you to learn a lesson in Christian
doctrine; from their brethren of the west, who found fault with them, a lesson in
Christian practice.
I. Now the story of the altar on the banks of the Jordan appears to me remarkable as a
perfect illustration of what may be called a great spiritual ambiguity, common (in fact,
universal) throughout the church of the moderns. It certainly is something above and
beyond a mere theological refinement when we discuss one with another the right
province of duty and work in the system of Christianity. It enters into every judgment we
form of other men’s Christianity or our own. The hard-toiling Christian, is he a Pharisee
or not? The idle and the use less Christian, is he a humble believer in the sacrifice of
Christ? Here, then, it is that the Reubenites will come in and render us a valuable service
as teachers of sound doctrine. “We dwell,” said they, “in the near neighbourhood of
idolatrous tribes. There is nothing now—there will be less when we are dead and gone—
to mark us out from the heathen and to rank us with the chosen of the Lord.” And
therefore up went the altar—a memorial, a lasting memorial, in the style of it, or the
inscription it bore, that the builders were they who had come up out of Egypt, and
belonged to the seed of Abraham according to the promise. And is it not for this very

25. same purpose that we Christians are commanded to “let your light so shine before men”?
The offerings of the silver and the gold, the building of churches, the visiting of the
widow and the fatherless, the carrying of the gospel to foreign climes, the reclaiming of
untaught and neglected childhood from misery and guilt—there are lesser motives for
doing these things, but the chief motive is that we may adorn the doctrines we profess,
that men may take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus, and that all the world
may discover that ours is no barren or unprofitable faith. Or perhaps, like the
Reubenites, our motives may stretch out into other generations. We may build, with our
money, and our toils, and our example, and our lives, that our children and our
children’s children may say of our memory, “Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord,
which our fathers made.” But now, mark you. It was an altar that the Church east of the
Jordan built up for their memorial. Were the Reubenites wrong in rearing their
memorial in the form of an altar? It came out, “Not at all.” It was not designed for a
victim: no sacrifice, in the proper Shiloh sense of sacrifice, was ever to be offered up
from it. “Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord.” That was all they intended by the
erection. They would tell the heathen, and their children would tell the children of the
heathen, that the Jordan made no difference between them and the seed of Abraham on
the other side. They must build something. What shall it be? Why, let it be a model, a
copy, of the altar that is at Shiloh. What more fitting? What more pregnant with
meaning? It reminds them whilst they live of the one solitary spot where the blood must
be shed for the remission of sin; it will prove to friends and enemies, when they
themselves are no more, that they too were blessed in faithful Abraham. The altar was a
tribute, not a rival, to the tabernacle that dwelt in Shiloh. Oh, beautiful picture this of
what a Christian’s good works are, and what a Christian’s good works are not. They are a
memorial, a demonstration. They must take some form. What form shall they have?
What? Why the form of patterns, copies, models of the sacrifice of Christ. To be trusted
in? To be looked to for salvation? To supplant the offering on the Cross? Nay, indeed,
not so. But to do homage to that Cross by imitation, to remind us of it while we live, and
to point our descendants to it when we are gone.
II. Learn, then, from the warm-hearted Israelites on the east of the Jordan that a good
man’s toils are not the good man’s atonement, but that they may be reared, and must be
reared, in the shape and on the model of Christ’s atonement—an altar, but an altar of
witness or testimony, reminding both yourselves and your neighbours of the one
sacrifice for sin which, though none can ever repeat, all are commanded to copy. But
now it seems hardly possible to make the Reubenites and the Gadites our only teachers
in this story. They may render a lesson upon Christian doctrine, but certainly their
brethren across the water match them with a lesson on Christian practice. Just think for
a moment of the spirit and manner wherein, from the days of the apostles, the Church
has carried on the innumerable controversies that split up the Catholic Church into
parties. Grace and good works. What a happy thing it would have been for every one but
the booksellers if the champions on both sides had only had the charity and good sense
to do what the men of Western Israel did towards the men of Eastern Israel three
thousand years ago. They condescended first to find out whether, in point of fact, there
was any heresy to fight against. “Strike,” then, in your controversies, but “hear” first; and
when you “strike,” let it be only with the strong argument, and never with the frenzy of
the persecutor. Remember the words of Bishop Taylor: “Either the disagreeing person is
in error, or he is not. In both cases to persecute is extremely imprudent. If he be right,
then we do open violence to God and to God’s truth; if he be wrong, what stupidity it is
to give to error the glory of martyrdom. Besides which, there is always a jealousy and a
suspicion that persecutors have no arguments, and that the hangman is their best

26. reasoner.” No, no, we will not hastily “bear false witness against our neighbour,” but we
will speak one to another, and judge other men’s servants no longer; and may the very
God of peace and love give to all of us to build up everywhere humble models and copies
of His great work for our salvation, and help us to do all that we do in the spirit of
charity. (H. Christopherson.)
The purity and unity of the Church
I. The state of mind which the erection of this altar excited in the other tribes.
1. Zeal for the honour of God.
2. Fear lest they should incur the Divine displeasure.
II. THE real design for which the altar was erected.
1. It was a memorial that they were one people.
2. It was a memorial that they had one God and one religion.
Lessons:
1. These Israelites, by setting up this altar, show their love to the service and worship
of God. Had they not valued their privileges, it would not have occurred to them to
provide against the possibility of losing them: that which we value we endeavour to
keep.
2. They show their love to their brethren. Had they not felt a regard for them, they
would not have sought means to preserve the know ledge of their common relation
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They who sincerely love God will love their brethren,
and love will secure unity; but not at the expense of purity. (Essex Congregational
Remembrancer.)
A supposed wrong explained
1. How little reliance can be placed upon hearsay! It is always so difficult to give a
true report of what has happened, that to draw inferences from, and institute action
upon mere rumour, is a dangerous course. A fact is not necessarily the truth, because
it may be but part of the truth. Part of the truth is often the most dangerous, subtle,
and wicked lie. A fact is after all but the expression of a motive; so that to grasp the
bearing of a fact the motive must be first of all understood. Consequently, hearsay
must always be an unsafe, and often a mischievous guide.
2. Notice how a religious symbol, employed with the most innocent design and for a
praiseworthy end, was interpreted as a signal of idolatry and rebellion. At the present
day, what excites the worst passions so powerfully, and that, too, in the name of
religion, as some devout act or pious sign, of which the meaning is not quite clear to
the uninitiated, or which prejudice associates with heresy or superstition.
3. If all would follow the example of the Israelites, and, before going to war, as it
were, to right a supposed wrong, would first seek an explanation, how often the
wrong would be found to have no existence, and how clear of discord the atmosphere
of the world would become!
4. Never assume the guilt of those whom you suspect. It creates a prejudice in one’s

27. own mind, which it is hard to overcome. It makes one’s own manner severe and
condemnatory, instead of being conciliatory and impartial. The effect upon the
opposite party is to create an attitude of resentment, to excite irritation, to give a
sense of injury, to predispose to a perpetuation of the quarrel, instead of seeking to
remove it.
5. The eastern tribes behaved with exemplary self-control. They were the grossly
injured party. Yet, smarting as they were under the sense of injustice, they did not
resent the indignity. You hear no reproaches or recriminations. They simply state
their innocence and disclose their real motives.
6. Phinehas and the people blessed God that war was averted. Are we not sometimes
disappointed when we find there is no cause for quarrel? (T. W. M. Lund, M. A.)
Misunderstanding
1. Prepossessions and misunderstandings are too often the occasion of great
divisions in the world, and of such as, if not prevented, draw after them very
pernicious and fatal consequences.
2. There ought to be the speediest and most effectual care taken for preventing the
ill-consequences of such misunderstandings, and to rake up the case before it comes
to the utmost extremity.
3. The most proper method for preventing such misunderstandings, and for
composing differences arising from such misunderstandings, is examination and
inquiry into the cause with deliberation and meekness, that they may see where the
difference lies, and take the best course for the composing of it.
4. It is a comfortable evidence of God’s presence with a people to bless, defend, and
prosper them when mistakes are removed, differences happily composed, and they
are at union and peace among themselves. (John Williams, D. D.)
Misconstruction
Thus quarrels among brethren oft arise from mere mistakes, as betwixt Cyril and
Theodoret, who excommunicated one another for heresy, &c., yet afterwards coming to a
better understanding of each other’s meaning, and finding they both held the same
truth, they were cordially reconciled. We must justly wonder at the over-hasty jealousy
of the ten tribes against their brethren, whose faithfulness and valour for God and His
people they had so long experience of in the Seven Years’ War; yet now to find fault,
when themselves were foully faulty of a rash censure, having only Allegata’s, or matters
alleged, but no Probata’s, or things proved; but alas I how oft doth inconsiderate zeal
transport even religious men to uncharitable censures. Would to God all such differences
upon mistakes in our day may be as happily ended as this was here, then God is among
us (Jos_22:31), perceivingly; but dissension drives God from us, and will let in
dissolution among us if we avoid not all giving offence carelessly and all taking offence
causelessly. Oh, that the Lord would take away that morosity and malignity of a
censorious spirit from us, and give to us more meekness of wisdom (Jas_3:13). The
Reubenites, &c., here were really to be commended not only for their care in building
this altar for the spiritual good of their posterity (lest they should forsake the sincere
service of the true God in their following generations), but also for their meekness when

28. thus foully calumniated. They did not bristle and set up the crest in a way of scornful
defiance, but they calmly sought to give due satisfaction to their offended brethren; and
the ten tribes were verily more blameworthy for misconstruing their religious meanings
and doings upon such slender grounds as a bare report (without any solid proof),
misrepresenting the matter to them. Yet herein were they truly praiseworthy, not only
that they were so blessedly blown up with a zeal for God’s glory, in preparing war against
idolatry, yea, even in one half of the tribe of Manasseh against the other half beyond
Jordan, when the purity of their religion came in competition with brotherly affection,
like Levi in that heroic act of Divine justice (Exo_32:26-29), would not spare their own
brethren (Deu_33:9), but also, and more especially, that the ten tribes first sent
Phinehas, so famous for his heroic act against Zimri and Cozbi, whereby God’s wrath
was appeased (Num_25:8-11; Psa_106:30), to compromise the controversy, which he
happily effected without any imbruing their hands in one another’s blood. Sure I am we
want such a Phinehas in our day to put an happy end to our unhappy differences. (C.
Ness.).
2 and said to them, “You have done all that Moses
the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have
obeyed me in everything I commanded.
GILL, "And said unto them, ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the
Lord commanded you,.... Which was, that they should leave their wives and children,
and flocks, and herds, behind them in the land of Gilead, and pass over Jordan, with
their brethren the children of Israel armed, and fight with them, and for them, until the
Canaanites were subdued, and not return until their brethren were peaceably settled in
the possession of their inheritances; all which they had punctually observed, and
inviolably kept, as they agreed to, Num_32:1,
and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you; as the generalissimo
and commander in chief of the Israelitish forces; as what rank and position to be in,
what part to take in an engagement, what attack to make, when and where, or on what
expedition to go; wherever he ordered them to go, they went; and upon whatsoever and
wheresoever he sent them, they readily and cheerfully obeyed, as they promised, Jos_
1:16; and approved themselves as good soldiers under him; for all which he commends
them, and gives them military honour.
K&D, "Jos_22:2-3
Joshua acknowledged that they had done all that they were under any obligation to do

29. towards Moses and himself (Num_32:20.; Jos_1:16-17). “Kept the charge of the
commandment,” i.e., observed what had to be observed in relation to the commandment
of the Lord (see at Lev_8:35 and Gen_26:5).
Jos_22:4
BE SO ,"Verse 2-3
Joshua 22:2-3. Ye have kept all that Moses commanded, &c. — Thus he dismisses
them with a very honourable character. When Moses was gone, they remembered
and observed the charge he had given them; and all the orders which Joshua, as
general of the forces, had issued out, they had carefully obeyed. Ye have not left
your brethren these many days — He does not say how many, nor can it be collected
with certainty from any other place; but it was as long as the war lasted, and
therefore must have been the space of seven or eight years, Joshua 11:18; Joshua
14:10. So long they had been absent from home, excepting such individuals as might
have occasionally visited their families, the distance not being great, or have been
exchanged for others of their brethren.
3 For a long time now—to this very day—you
have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have
carried out the mission the Lord your God gave
you.
GILL, "Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day,.... For
the space of fourteen years, which is the commonly received notion of the Jews (f); seven
years according to them the land was subduing, and seven more spent in dividing it, and
then these tribes were sent for and dismissed; all this time they stayed close by their
brethren, and assisted them in their wars, and never offered to return to their wives and
children, until they had an order from their general:
but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God; for what
both Moses and Joshua commanded them was from the mouth of the Lord; so that, in
obeying them, they obeyed him.
JAMISO , "Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day
— for the space of seven years.

30. WHEDO , "3. Ye have not left your brethren — Ye have not permanently
abandoned them during seven years of war. It is not to be supposed that in the long
intervals between the military campaigns they had not been permitted to visit on
furloughs their families only a few miles distant beyond the Jordan. Such frequent
permissions to visit their homes had kept them from murmuring at the long delay in
the division of Canaan. For the provision made for the protection of their homes,
and the maintenance of their families during their absence, see Joshua 1:14, note.
PULPIT, "Many days (see note on Joshua 22:1). The expression in the original
implies more, a great many days, the usual expression for a period of considerable
length. Thus the military service of these tribes must under any circumstances have
been a prolonged and arduous one, and they well deserved the encomiums which
Joshua here lavishes upon them. It is a remarkable and almost inexplicable fact,
that while the sojourn in the wilderness is represented as one long catalogue of
murmurings, not one single complaint disturbs the peace of the tribes while Joshua
led them. This remarkable consistency of the narrative throughout, so great a
contrast to what precedes and what follows, and felt to be so by the writer (Joshua
24:31), is of itself no small pledge of the trustworthiness of the whole. A collector at
random from various narratives, themselves to a considerable extent fictitious,
could hardly have managed to cull portions which would form an harmonious
whole. A writer who was inventing his details would hardly have thought of making
his history so great a contrast to the rest of the history of Israel, save with the idea of
exalting the character of his hero. But there is no attempt to set Joshua above
Moses, or any other Jewish leader. In fact, it is an argument for the early
composition of the hook that there is no reference, not even an allusion, to any later
events in the history of Israel. Why there was this marked difference between Israel
under Joshua, and Israel at any other time, is a question somewhat difficult to
determine. Yet we may believe that it was the evidence of visible success. While the
Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they felt keenly, as men accustomed to a
civilised and settled life, the inconveniences of a nomad existence. By their mingled
impatience and cowardice they had forfeited their claim to God's protection. Even
the observance of their feasts, and still further the rite of initiation into the covenant
itself, were in abeyance (see notes on Joshua 5:2-8). So uncertain, humanly
speaking, was their future, that it was as difficult a task, and one the successful
accomplishment of which was above unassisted human powers, for Moses to keep
them together in the wilderness, as it was for Joshua to lead them to victory in the
promised land. And it is one of the commonest of Christian experiences, both in the
history of individuals and of the Christian Church, that times of prosperity are
times of content and outward satisfaction. It is the times of adversity that try men's
faith and patience. As long as the Israelitish Church was subduing kingdoms,
winning splendid victories, experiencing the encouragement derivable from God's
sensible presence and intervention, there was no discontent, discouragement, or
wavering. But the trials of the long wandering, as well as those incident to the quiet,
unostentatious discharge of duty, were fatal to their faith and patience. Can theirs