1Los hijos de Rubén y los hijos de Gad tenían una inmensa cantidad de ganado. Vieron la tierra de Jazer y de Galaad, y les pareció el país un lugar apropiado para el ganado. 2Fueron, pues, los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén, y dijeron a Moisés, al sacerdote Eleazar y a los príncipes de la congregación: 3--Atarot, Dibón, Jazer, Nimra, Hesbón, Eleale, Sebam,[1] Nebo y Beón, 4la tierra que Jehová hirió delante de la congregación de Israel, es tierra de ganado, y tus siervos tienen ganado. 5Por tanto --dijeron-- si hallamos gracia a tus ojos, dése esta tierra a tus siervos en heredad y no nos hagas pasar 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 desanimáis a los hijos de Israel para que no pasen a la tierra que les ha dado Jehová? 8Así hicieron vuestros padres, cuando los envié desde Cades-barnea para que vieran la tierra. 9Subieron hasta el torrente Escol y, después que vieron la tierra, desalentaron a los hijos de Israel para que no fueran a la tierra que Jehová les había dado.[2] 10La ira de Jehová se encendió entonces, y juró diciendo: 11"Los hombres que subieron de Egipto, de veinte años para arriba, no verán la tierra que prometí con juramento a Abraham, Isaac y Jacob, por cuanto no me han sido fieles, 12excepto Caleb hijo de Jefone, el cenezeo, y Josué hijo de Nun, que fueron fieles a Jehová". 13Así la ira de Jehová se encendió contra Israel, y los hizo andar errantes durante cuarenta años por el desierto, hasta que se extinguió toda aquella generación que había obrado mal delante de Jehová.[3] 14Y ahora vosotros, prole de hombres pecadores, ocupáis el lugar de vuestros padres para añadir aún más a la ira de Jehová contra Israel. 15Si os apartáis de él, él volverá otra vez a dejaros en el desierto, y destruiréis a todo este pueblo. 16Entonces fueron ellos ante Moisés, y le dijeron: --Edificaremos aquí corrales para nuestro ganado y ciudades para nuestros niños. 17Pero nosotros nos armaremos e iremos con diligencia delante de los hijos de Israel, hasta que los hagamos entrar en su territorio, mientras nuestros niños se quedan en ciudades fortificadas a causa de los habitantes del país. 18No volveremos a nuestras casas hasta que cada uno de los hijos de Israel tome posesión de su heredad. 19Porque no reclamaremos heredad junto con ellos al otro lado del Jordán, ni más allá, por cuanto tendremos ya nuestra heredad al oriente, a este otro lado del Jordán. 20Entonces les respondió Moisés: --Si lo hacéis así, si os disponéis para ir delante de Jehová a la guerra,[4] 21y todos vosotros pasáis armados el Jordán delante de Jehová, hasta que haya echado a sus enemigos de delante de sí, 22y sea el país sojuzgado delante de Jehová, entonces podréis volver. Así quedaréis libres de culpa para con Jehová y para con Israel, y esta tierra será vuestra heredad delante de Jehová. 23Pero si así no lo hacéis, entonces habréis pecado ante Jehová, y sabed que vuestro pecado os alcanzará. 24Edificaos ciudades para vuestros niños y corrales para vuestras ovejas, pero haced lo que ha prometido vuestra boca. 25Los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén respondieron a Moisés: --Tus siervos harán como mi señor ha mandado. 26Nuestros niños, nuestras mujeres, nuestros ganados y todas nuestras bestias, estarán ahí en las ciudades de Galaad. 27Pero tus siervos, armados todos para la guerra, pasarán delante de Jehová para combatir de la manera que mi señor dice. 28Entonces les encomendó Moisés al sacerdote Eleazar, a Josué hijo de Nun y a los príncipes de los padres de las tribus de los hijos de Israel. 29Les dijo Moisés: --Si los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén pasan con vosotros el Jordán, armados todos para la guerra delante de Jehová, luego que el país sea sojuzgado delante de vosotros, les daréis la tierra de Galaad en posesión; 30pero si no pasan armados con vosotros, entonces tendrán su posesión entre vosotros, en la tierra de Canaán. 31Los hijos de Gad y los hijos de Rubén respondieron: --Haremos lo que Jehová ha dicho a tus siervos. 32Nosotros pasaremos armados delante de Jehová a la tierra de Canaán, pero la heredad que poseamos estará a este lado del Jordán.[5] 33Así Moisés dio a los hijos de Gad, a los hijos de Rubén y a la media tribu de Manasés[6] hijo de José, el reino de Sehón, rey amorreo, y el reino de Og, rey de Basán, la tierra con sus ciudades y sus territorios, o sea, las ciudades de los alrededores.[7] 34Los hijos de Gad edificaron Dibón, Atarot, Aroer, 35Atarot-sofán, Jazer, Jogbeha, 36Bet-nimra y Bet-arán, ciudades fortificadas; hicieron también corrales para las ovejas. 37Los hijos de Rubén edificaron Hesbón, Eleale, Quiriataim, 38Nebo, Baal-meón, cambiándoles sus nombres, y Sibma; y pusieron nuevos nombres a las ciudades que edificaron. 39Los hijos de Maquir hijo de Manasés fueron a Galaad, la tomaron y echaron al amorreo que estaba en ella. 40Entonces Moisés dio Galaad a Maquir hijo de Manasés, el cual habitó en ella. 41También Jair hijo de Manasés fue y tomó sus aldeas, y las llamó Havot-jair. 42Asimismo Noba fue y tomó Kenat y sus aldeas, y le puso su propio nombre: Noba.
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.