1Now, the [tribes] of Reuben and Gad both had huge herds of cattle, and when they saw that the area of JaZer and GalaAd had good grazing land, 2they went to Moses, EliEzer the Priest, and to the leaders of the gathering, and said to them, 3‘The area of AtarOth, DaEbon, JaZer, Namra, Hesh-Eboneh, ElAle, Sebama, Nabau, and BaeAn, 4which Jehovah has delivered into the hands of the children of Israel, is pasture land, and we (your servants) have many cattle. 5So if it pleases you, may your servants be given this land as our inheritance. Don’t make us cross the Jordan River.’ 6But Moses asked, ‘Then, when your brothers go to war, are you just going to sit here? 7Why are you twisting the minds of the children of Israel by encouraging them not to cross into the land that Jehovah is giving them? 8Isn’t this the same thing that your fathers did when I sent them from Cades Barne to spy in the land? 9For, after they went into the Valley of Grape Clusters as spies, they twisted the hearts of the children of Israel, so that they didn’t want to enter the land that Jehovah gave them. 10And this made Jehovah very angry, so He swore and said, 11All these men who were twenty years old and older when they left Egypt, and who knew the difference between good and evil, will not see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have chosen not to follow Me. 12The only exceptions are Caleb (the son of JePhonNe) and JoShua (the son of NaWeh), for they followed Me closely. 13‘And because Jehovah was so angry with Israel, He made them wander in the desert for forty years, until the whole generation that did this evil thing before Him was gone. 14Now {Look!} you’re following in the footsteps of your fathers and you have allied yourselves as sinful people to make Jehovah even angrier against Israel, 15because you want to turn away from Him and stay in the desert again. And in doing this, you are sinning against this whole gathering!’ 16But they came to him and said, ‘If we can build pens for our cattle here and have these cities as our possession, 17we will arm ourselves and march ahead of the children of Israel to lead them to their land. However, we will leave our possessions inside walled cities (because of the people who live in this land), 18and we won’t return to our homes until the children of Israel have each been given their own inheritance and are settled in the land. 19We won’t take any of the land on the other side of the Jordan as our inheritance, because we will take our full inheritance on its east side.’ 20So Moses said to them, ‘If you do everything you’re saying… if you arm yourselves and march in battle before Jehovah, 21and you cross the Jordan and stay there until our enemies are destroyed 22and the land is settled before you return home, you will be free of guilt before Jehovah, and this land can be yours. 23But if you don’t do that, you will sin against Jehovah and you will see the results of your sin when bad things happen to you. 24Now, build the cities to store your things and the pens for your cattle, and do as you’ve proposed.’ 25Then the [tribes] of Reuben and Gad replied, ‘Your servants will do as our lord commands. 26We will leave all our possessions, our wives, and our cattle in the cities of GalaAd. 27And after that, we will march ahead [of Israel], all armed and ready for battle before Jehovah, as you said.’ 28Then Moses gave these instructions to EliEzer the Priest, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), and all the heads of the families and tribes of Israel. 29He said, ‘If the sons of Reuben and Gad cross the Jordan armed and ready for war before Jehovah and help conquer the land before you, then you must give them the land of GalaAd as theirs. 30But if they don’t cross [the Jordan] all armed and ready for war, then must you make them bring their possessions, wives, and cattle into the land of CanaAn, where they will receive their inheritance among you.’ 31And the sons of Reuben and Gad answered, ‘We will do whatever Jehovah tells his servants. 32We will arm ourselves and march into the land of CanaAn before Jehovah, and you must give us our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.’ 33So Moses gave the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuben, and half of the tribe of ManasSeh (one of the sons of Joseph) the land of the Amorite king (Seon), the land of the king of Bashan (Og), and all its cities and borders, and the cities and land around them. 34Then the sons of Gad built and fortified DaEbon, AtarOth, AroEr, 35Sophar, and JaZer, and they 36built and fortified NamRam, and BaethAran, where they made pens for their sheep. 37The sons of Reuben built Hesh-Eboneh, ElAle, KariathAm, 38and BeelMeon, which they surrounded with walls, and [the town of] Sebama. Then they named each of the cities after themselves. 39Also, the family of Machir (of the tribe of ManasSeh) went to GalaAd and captured it, destroying all the Amorites who lived there. 40So Moses gave GalaAd to Machir, and they started living there. 41And JaIr (of the tribe of ManasSeh) captured many villages, which he called the villages of JaIr. 42Then NabOth went and captured the villages of CaAth, and renamed them after himself (NabOth).
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.