1 Tribes to possess Gilead
1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of ch. 21:32;Josh. 13:25;2 Sam. 24:5Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for cattle;
2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,
3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and [a]Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and [b]Shebam, and Nebo, and [c]Beon,
4 Even the country ch. 21:24,34which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:
5 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.
6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
7 And wherefore [d]discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them?
8 Thus did your fathers, ch. 13:3,26when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea Deut. 1:22to see the land.
9 For ch. 13:24,31;Deut. 1:24,28when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them.
10 ch. 14:11,21;Deut. 1:34And the Lord's anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,
11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, ch. 14:28,29;Deut. 1:35from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because ch. 14:24,30they have not [e]wholly followed me:
12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: ch. 14:24;Deut. 1:36;Josh. 14:8,9for they have wholly followed the Lord.
13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them ch. 14:33-35wander in the wilderness forty years, until ch. 26:64,65all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed.
14 And behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the Deut. 1:34fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel.
15 For if ye Deut. 30:17;Josh. 22:16,18;2 Chr. 7:19turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
17 But Josh. 4:12,13we 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.
18 Josh. 22:4We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; ver. 33;Josh. 12:1;& 13:8because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.
20 And Deut. 3:18;Josh. 1:14;& 4:12,13Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war,
21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the Lord, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
22 And Deut. 3:20;Josh. 11:23;& 18:1the land be subdued before the Lord: then afterward Josh. 22:4ye shall return, and be guiltless before the Lord, and before Israel; and Deut. 3:12,15,16,18;Josh. 1:15;& 13:8,32;& 22:4,9this land shall be your possession before the Lord.
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure Gen. 4:7;& 44:16;Is. 59:12your sin will find you out.
24 ver. 16,34Build ye cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
26 Josh. 1:14Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:
27 Josh. 4:12But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord saith.
28 So Josh. 1:13concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:
29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
30 But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
31 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the Lord hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.
33 And Deut. 3:12-17;& 29:8;Josh. 12:6;& 13:8;& 22:4Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, ch. 21:24,33,35the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.
34 And the children of Gad built ch. 33:45,46Dibon, and Ataroth, and Deut. 2:36Aroer,
35 And Atroth, Shophan, and [f]Jaazer, and Jogbehah,
36 And [g]Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, ver. 24fenced cities: and folds for sheep.
37 And the children of Reuben ch. 21:27built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,
38 And Is. 46:1Nebo, and ch. 22:41Baal-meon, (See ver. 3;Ex. 23:13;Josh. 23:7their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and [h]gave other names unto the cities which they builded.
39 And the children of Gen. 50:23Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
40 And Moses Deut. 3:12,13,15;Josh. 13:31;& 17:1gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
41 And Deut. 3:14;Josh. 13:30;1 Chr. 2:21Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Judg. 10:4;1 Ki. 4:13Havoth-jair.
42 And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
43 Journey from Egypt to Canaan
