1Los hijos de Rubén y los hijos de Gad tenían muchísimo ganado. Y al ver la tierra de Jazer y la tierra de Galaad, el lugar les pareció apropiado para el ganado. 2Entonces los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén fueron y hablaron a Moisés, al sacerdote Eleazar y a los dirigentes de la congregación, diciendo: 3—Atarot, Dibón, Jazer, Nimra, Hesbón, Eleale, Sebam, Nebo y Beón, 4tierras que Jehovah conquistó delante de la congregación de Israel, son tierras apropiadas para el ganado; y tus siervos tienen ganado. 5Por eso—dijeron—, si hemos hallado gracia ante tus ojos, sea dada esta tierra a tus siervos como posesión; no nos hagas cruzar el Jordán. 6Pero Moisés respondió a los hijos de Gad y a los hijos de Rubén; —¿Irán vuestros hermanos a la guerra, y vosotros os quedaréis aquí? 7¿Por qué desalentáis a los hijos de Israel, de modo que no crucen a la tierra que les ha dado Jehovah? 8Así hicieron vuestros padres cuando los envié desde Cades-barnea para que reconociesen la tierra. 9Fueron hasta el arroyo de Escol, y después que reconocieron la tierra desalentaron a los hijos de Israel para que no entrasen en la tierra que Jehovah les había dado. 10Entonces se encendió el furor de Jehovah, y juró diciendo: 11"Los hombres que vinieron de Egipto, desde los 20 años para arriba, no verán la tierra de la cual juré a Abraham, a Isaac y a Jacob, porque no me siguieron con integridad; 12excepto Caleb hijo de Jefone el quenezeo y Josué hijo de Nun, quienes con integridad han seguido a Jehovah." 13El furor de Jehovah se encendió contra Israel, y los hizo andar errantes 40 años por el desierto, hasta que pasó toda aquella generación que había hecho lo malo ante los ojos de Jehovah. 14Y he aquí, vosotros habéis sucedido a vuestros padres, prole de hombres pecadores, para añadir más al ardor de la ira de Jehovah contra Israel. 15Porque si dejáis de ir en pos de él, él volverá otra vez a dejaros en el desierto; y destruiréis a todo este pueblo. 16Entonces ellos se acercaron a él y le dijeron: —Aquí edificaremos rediles para nuestras ovejas y ciudades para nuestros niños; 17pero nosotros nos armaremos, listos para ir al frente de los hijos de Israel, hasta que los introduzcamos en su lugar. Nuestros niños quedarán en las ciudades fortificadas, a causa de los habitantes del país. 18No volveremos a nuestras casas hasta que los hijos de Israel reciban cada uno su heredad. 19Porque no tomaremos heredad con ellos al otro lado del Jordán ni más allá, pues ya tendremos nuestra heredad en este lado del Jordán, al oriente. 20Entonces les respondió Moisés: —Si así lo hacéis, si os armáis para ir a la guerra delante de Jehovah, 21y si todos vuestros hombres cruzan armados el Jordán delante de Jehovah, hasta que él haya echado a sus enemigos de su presencia 22y la tierra sea sometida delante de Jehovah, luego volveréis y seréis libres de culpa ante Jehovah e Israel. Entonces esta tierra será vuestra en posesión delante de Jehovah. 23Pero si no lo hacéis así, he aquí que habréis pecado contra Jehovah, y sabed que vuestro pecado os alcanzará. 24Edificaos, pues, ciudades para vuestros niños y rediles para vuestros rebaños, pero haced lo que habéis prometido. 25Los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén dijeron a Moisés: —Tus siervos harán como manda mi señor. 26Nuestros niños, nuestras mujeres, nuestros rebaños y todo nuestro ganado quedarán allí en las ciudades de Galaad; 27pero tus siervos, todos los que están armados para la guerra, cruzarán delante de Jehovah para la batalla, como dice mi señor. 28Entonces Moisés dio órdenes acerca de ellos al sacerdote Eleazar, a Josué hijo de Nun y a los jefes de las casas paternas de las tribus de los hijos de Israel. 29Moisés les dijo: —Si los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén, todos armados para la guerra, cruzan con vosotros el Jordán delante de Jehovah, después que la tierra sea conquistada por vosotros, les daréis la tierra de Galaad como posesión. 30Pero si no cruzan armados con vosotros, entonces tendrán que tomar posesión entre vosotros en la tierra de Canaán. 31Los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén respondieron diciendo: —Haremos lo que Jehovah ha dicho a tus siervos. 32Nosotros cruzaremos armados delante de Jehovah a la tierra de Canaán, pero la posesión de nuestra heredad estará en este lado del Jordán. 33Así Moisés dio a los hijos de Gad, a los hijos de Rubén y a la media tribu de Manasés hijo de José, el reino de Sejón, rey amorreo, y el reino de Og, rey de Basán: la tierra con sus ciudades dentro de sus fronteras y las ciudades del territorio circundante. 34Los hijos de Gad reedificaron Dibón, Atarot, Aroer, 35Atarot-sofán, Jazer, Jogboa, 36Bet-nimra y Bet-haram, ciudades fortificadas, y rediles de rebaños. 37Los hijos de Rubén reedificaron Hesbón, Eleale, Quiriataim, 38Nebo, Baal-maón (con los nombres cambiados), y Sibma. Ellos llamaron con otros nombres a las ciudades que reedificaron. 39Los hijos de Maquir hijo de Manasés fueron a Galaad y la tomaron, echando a los amorreos que estaban allí. 40Entonces Moisés dio Galaad a Maquir hijo de Manasés, el cual habitó en ella. 41También Jaír hijo de Manasés fue y tomó sus aldeas, y las llamó Havot-jaír. 42Asimismo, Nóbaj fue y tomó Quenat y sus aldeas, y la llamó Nóbaj, según su propio nombre.
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.