1Or les enfants de Ruben et les enfants de Gad avaient des troupeaux nombreux, considérables; et ils virent le pays de Jazer et le pays de Galaad, et voici, ce lieu était un lieu propre pour le bétail. 2Et les enfants de Gad et les enfants de Ruben vinrent, et parlèrent à Moïse, à Éléazar, le sacrificateur, et aux principaux de l'assemblée, en disant: 3Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimra, Hesbon, Élealé, Sebam, Nébo et Beon, 4Ce pays, que YEHOVAH a frappé devant l'assemblée d'Israël, est un pays propre pour les troupeaux, et tes serviteurs ont des troupeaux. 5Ils dirent donc: Si nous avons trouvé grâce à tes yeux, que ce pays soit donné en possession à tes serviteurs; ne nous fais point passer le Jourdain. 6Mais Moïse répondit aux enfants de Gad et aux enfants de Ruben: Vos frères iront-ils à la guerre, tandis que vous, vous demeurerez ici? 7Pourquoi détourneriez-vous le cœur des enfants d'Israël de passer au pays que YEHOVAH leur a donné? 8C'est ainsi que firent vos pères, quand je les envoyai de Kadès-Barnéa pour examiner le pays. 9Car ils montèrent jusqu'au torrent d'Eshcol, et virent le pays; et ils détournèrent le cœur des enfants d'Israël, pour ne point entrer au pays que YEHOVAH leur avait donné. 10Et la colère de YEHOVAH s'enflamma en ce jour-là, et il fit ce serment et dit: 11Les hommes qui sont montés d'Égypte, depuis l'âge de vingt ans et au-dessus, ne verront jamais le pays que j'ai juré de donner à Abraham, à Isaac et à Jacob, car ils n'ont pas pleinement marché après moi; 12Excepté Caleb, fils de Jéphunné, le Kenizien, et Josué, fils de Nun, car ils ont suivi pleinement YEHOVAH. 13Ainsi la colère de YEHOVAH s'enflamma contre Israël; et il les fit errer dans le désert, quarante ans, jusqu'à ce que toute la génération qui avait fait ce qui est mauvais aux yeux de YEHOVAH, eût été consumée. 14Et voici, vous vous êtes levés à la place de vos pères, comme une race d'hommes pécheurs, pour augmenter encore l'ardeur de la colère de YEHOVAH contre Israël. 15Car si vous vous détournez de lui, il continuera encore à laisser ce peuple dans le désert, et vous le ferez périr tout entier. 16Mais ils s'approchèrent de Moïse, et dirent: Nous bâtirons ici des parcs pour nos troupeaux, et des villes pour nos petits enfants; 17Puis nous nous équiperons promptement pour marcher devant les enfants d'Israël, jusqu'à ce que nous les ayons fait entrer dans leur lieu; mais nos petits enfants demeureront dans les villes fortes, à cause des habitants du pays. 18Nous ne retournerons point dans nos maisons, que chacun des enfants d'Israël n'ait pris possession de son héritage; 19Et nous ne posséderons rien avec eux au delà du Jourdain ni plus loin, parce que notre héritage nous sera échu de ce côté-ci du Jourdain, à l'Orient. 20Et Moïse leur dit: Si vous faites cela, si vous vous équipez pour aller au combat devant YEHOVAH, 21Et que chacun de vous passe, équipé, le Jourdain devant YEHOVAH, jusqu'à ce qu'il ait chassé ses ennemis de devant lui, 22Et que le pays soit soumis devant YEHOVAH; et qu'ensuite vous vous en retourniez; alors vous serez innocents envers YEHOVAH et envers Israël, et ce pays vous appartiendra pour le posséder devant YEHOVAH. 23Mais si vous n'agissez pas ainsi, voici, vous aurez péché contre YEHOVAH, et sachez que votre péché vous trouvera. 24Bâtissez donc des villes pour vos petits enfants, et des parcs pour vos troupeaux, et faites ce que vous avez dit. 25Alors les enfants de Gad et les enfants de Ruben parlèrent à Moïse, en disant: Tes serviteurs feront ce que mon seigneur commande. 26Nos petits enfants, nos femmes, nos troupeaux et tout notre bétail demeureront ici dans les villes de Galaad; 27Et tes serviteurs passeront, tous équipés pour la guerre, devant YEHOVAH, prêts à combattre, comme mon seigneur l'a dit. 28Alors Moïse donna des ordres à leur égard à Éléazar, le sacrificateur, à Josué, fils de Nun, et aux chefs de famille des tribus des enfants d'Israël. 29Et Moïse leur dit: Si les enfants de Gad et les enfants de Ruben passent avec vous le Jourdain, tous équipés pour le combat devant YEHOVAH, et que le pays soit soumis devant vous, vous leur donnerez en possession le pays de Galaad; 30Mais s'ils ne passent point en armes avec vous, ils auront leur possession parmi vous au pays de Canaan. 31Et les enfants de Gad et les enfants de Ruben répondirent, en disant: Nous ferons ce que YEHOVAH a dit à tes serviteurs; 32Nous passerons en armes devant YEHOVAH au pays de Canaan; mais nous posséderons pour notre héritage ce qui est de ce côté-ci du Jourdain. 33Ainsi Moïse donna aux enfants de Gad et aux enfants de Ruben, et à la moitié de la tribu de Manassé, fils de Joseph, le royaume de Sihon, roi des Amoréens, et le royaume d'Og, roi de Bassan, le pays avec ses villes, avec les territoires des villes du pays tout autour. 34Alors les enfants de Gad bâtirent Dibon, Ataroth, Aroër, 35Atroth-Shophan, Jaezer, Jogbeha, 36Beth-Nimra, et Beth-Haran, villes fortes. Ils firent aussi des parcs pour leurs troupeaux. 37Et les enfants de Ruben bâtirent Hesbon, Elealé, Kirjathaïm, 38Nébo, et Baal-Meon, dont les noms furent changés, et Sibma; et ils donnèrent des noms aux villes qu'ils bâtirent. 39Or, les enfants de Makir, fils de Manassé, allèrent en Galaad, et s'en emparèrent, et dépossédèrent les Amoréens qui y étaient. 40Moïse donna donc Galaad à Makir, fils de Manassé, qui y habita. 41Et Jaïr, fils de Manassé, alla et prit leurs villages, et les appela villages de Jaïr. 42Et Nobach alla et prit Kenath avec les villes de son ressort, et l'appela Nobach d'après son nom.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE REUBENITES AND GADITES ASK FOR AN INHERITANCE. (Num. 32:1-42)
the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead--A complete conquest had been made of the country east of the Jordan, comprising "the land of Jazer," which formed the southern district between the Arnon and Jabbok and "the land of Gilead," the middle region between the Jabbok and Jarmouk, or Hieromax, including Bashan, which lay on the north of that river. The whole of this region is now called the Belka. It has always been famous for its rich and extensive pastures, and it is still the favorite resort of the Bedouin shepherds, who frequently contend for securing to their immense flocks the benefit of its luxuriant vegetation. In the camp of ancient Israel, Reuben and Gad were pre-eminently pastoral; and as these two tribes, being placed under the same standard, had frequent opportunities of conversing and arranging about their common concerns, they united in preferring a request that the trans-jordanic region, so well suited to the habits of a pastoral people, might be assigned to them.
6 Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they had really meditated such a withdrawal from all share in the war of invasion, or the effect of their leader's expostulation was to drive them from their original purpose, they now, in answer to his impressive appeal, declared it to be their sincere intention to co-operate with their brethren; but, if so, they ought to have been more explicit at first.
16 they came near--The narrative gives a picturesque description of this scene. The suppliants had shrunk back, dreading from the undisguised emotions of their leader that their request would be refused. But, perceiving, from the tenor of his discourse, that his objection was grounded only on the supposition that they would not cross the Jordan to assist their brethren, they became emboldened to approach him with assurances of their goodwill.
We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones--that is, rebuild, repair. It would have been impossible within two months to found new cities, or even to reconstruct those which had been razed to the ground. Those cities of the Amorites were not absolutely demolished, and they probably consisted only of mud-built, or dry-stone walls.
17 and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land--There was good policy in leaving a sufficient force to protect the conquered region lest the enemy should attempt reprisals; and as only forty thousand of the Reubenites and the Gadites, and a half of Manasseh, passed over the Jordan (
Josh 4:13), there were left for the security of the new possessions 70,580 men, besides women and children under twenty years (compare
Num 26:7,
Num 26:18,
Num 26:34).
We ourselves will go ready armed--that is, all of us in a collective body, or as many as may be deemed necessary, while the rest of our number shall remain at home to provide for the sustenance and secure the protection of our families and flocks. (See on
Josh 4:12).
20 Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing--with sincerity and zeal.
go before the Lord to war--The phrase was used in allusion to the order of march in which the tribes of Reuben and Gad immediately preceded the ark (see on Num. 2:10-31), or to the passage over the Jordan, in which the ark stood in mid-channel, while all the tribes marched by in succession (
Josh 3:4), of course including those of Reuben and Gad, so that, literally, they passed over before the Lord and before the rest of Israel (
Josh 4:13). Perhaps, however, the phrase is used merely in a general sense to denote their marching on an expedition, the purpose of which was blessed with the presence, and destined to promote the glory, of God. The displeasure which Moses had felt on the first mention of their proposal had disappeared on the strength of their solemn assurances. But a lurking suspicion of their motives seems still to have been lingering in his mind--he continued to speak to them in an admonitory strain; and he concluded by warning them that in case of their failing to redeem their pledge, the judgments of an offended God would assuredly fall upon them. This emphatic caution against such an eventuality throws a strong doubt on the honesty of their first intentions; and yet, whether through the opposing attitude or the strong invectives of Moses they had been brought to a better state of mind, their final reply showed that now all was right.
28 concerning them Moses commanded--The arrangement itself, as well as the express terms on which he assented to it, was announced by the leader to the public authorities. The pastoral country the two tribes had desired was to be granted them on condition that they would lend their aid to their brethren in the approaching invasion of Canaan. If they refused or failed to perform their promise, those possessions should be forfeited, and they themselves compelled to go across the Jordan and fight for a settlement like the rest of their brethren.
33 half the tribe of Manasseh--It is nowhere explained in the record how they were incorporated with the two tribes, or what broke this great tribe into two parts, of which one was left to follow the fortunes of its brethren in the settled life of the western hills, while the other was allowed to wander as a nomadic tribe over the pasture lands of Gilead and Bashan. They are not mentioned as accompanying Reuben and Gad in their application to Moses [
Num 32:1]; neither were they included in his first directions (
Num 32:25); but as they also were a people addicted to pastoral pursuits and possessed as immense flocks as the other two, Moses invited the half of them to remain, in consequence, probably, of finding that this region was more than sufficient for the pastoral wants of the others, and he may have given them the preference, as some have conjectured, for their valorous conduct in the contests with the Amorites (compare
Num 32:39, with
Josh 17:1).
34 And the children of Gad built--(See on
Num 32:16).
Dibon--identified with Dheban, now in ruins, an hour's distance from the Arnon (Mojeb).
Ataroth (Hebrew, "crowns")--There are several towns so called in Scripture, but this one in the tribe of Gad has not been identified.
Aroer--now Arair, standing on a precipice on the north bank of the Arnon.
35 Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, &c.--Jaazer, near a famed fountain, Ain Hazier, the waters of which flow into Wady Schaib, about fifteen miles from Hesbon. Beth-nimrah, now Nimrin; Heshbon, now Hesban; Elealeh (Hebrew, "the high"), now Elaal; Kirjathaim (Hebrew, "the double city"); Nebo, now Neba, near the mountain of that name; Baal-meon, now Myoun, in ruins, where was a temple of Baal (
Josh 13:17;
Jer 48:23); Shibmah, or Shebam (
Num 32:3), near Heshbon, famous for vines (
Isa 16:9-
Isa 16:10;
Jer 48:32).
38 (their names being changed)--either because it was the general custom of conquerors to do so; or, rather, because from the prohibition to mention the names of other gods (
Exod 23:13), as Nebo and Baal were, it was expedient on the first settlement of the Israelites to obliterate all remembrance of those idols. (See
Josh 13:17-
Josh 13:20).
39 Gilead--now Jelud.
41 Havoth-jair--that is, "tent-villages." Jair, who captured them, was a descendant of Manasseh on his mother's side (
1Chr 1:21-22).
42 Nobah--also a distinguished person connected with the eastern branch of the tribe of Manasseh.
