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Joshua 22:12
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An Altar by the Jordan

10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar.
11 Now the children of Israel aheard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the1 frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.”  
12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, athe whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.  
13 Then the children of Israel asent bPhinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,  
14 and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel; and aeach one was the head of the house of his father among the1 divisions of Israel.  
15 Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,
16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: ‘What atreachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, bthat you might rebel this day against the Lord?  
17 Is the iniquity aof Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord,  
18 but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow aHe will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.  
19 Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, awhere the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God.  
20 aDid not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”  
21 Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the1 divisions of Israel:  
22 “The Lord aGod of gods, the Lord God of gods, He bknows, and let Israel itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day.  
Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
<< Joshua 22:11   Joshua 22:13 >>


Joshua 22:11-29

CONTENTION THEREUPON. (Jos. 22:11-29)

and the children of Israel heard say—Fame speedily spread intelligence of what the trans-jordanic tribes had done. The act being suspected of some idolatrous design, the tribes rose in a mass, and repairing to the tabernacle at Shiloh, resolved to declare war against the two tribes and a half as apostates from God. On calmer and more mature consideration, however, they determined, in the first instance, to send a deputation consisting of the son of the high priest, and ten eminent persons from each tribe, to make inquiry into this rumored rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 13:13-15). The quality of the deputies evinced the deep solicitude that was felt on the occasion to maintain the purity of the divine worship throughout Israel. In the presumptive belief that the two tribes and a half had really built an altar, the deputies expressed astonishment at their so soon falling into such a heinous crime as that of violating the unity of divine worship (Exodus 20:24; Leviticus 17:8-9; Deuteronomy 12:5-13). They reminded their eastern brethren of the disastrous consequences that were entailed on the nation at large by the apostasy at Peor and by the sin of Achan, and finally exhorted them, if they felt the want of the tabernacle and altar and repented of their rash choice in preferring worldly advantages to religious privileges, to remove to the western side of the Jordan, where all the tribes would form a united and obedient community of worshippers.


 
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