seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Numbers 32:14 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”
16 Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle[a] and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him— 22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.
23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”
16 Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle[a] and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him— 22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.
23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”
a. Numbers 32:17 Septuagint; Hebrew will be quick to arm ourselves
"No, we'll fight, we just want to live here when y'all go into Canaan. The grass is greener here....."
"Oh, you better keep your word because we're tired of wandering around the dessert."
Well here's the easy English commentary.
But Reuben’s tribe and Gad’s tribe emphasised that their men would enter the Promised Land with the other tribes. They were not afraid of the people who lived there. They promised to fight with the other tribes to defeat those people. But first, they wanted to build towns on the east side of the river. Then, after they had fought, the two tribes wanted to return to their own land outside the country called Canaan.
So Moses agreed to grant their request. He reminded the two tribes about what they had promised to do. If they did not fight with the other tribes, they would receive a punishment for their sin. Also, they would have to live in the country called Canaan, like the other tribes.
So Moses agreed to grant their request. He reminded the two tribes about what they had promised to do. If they did not fight with the other tribes, they would receive a punishment for their sin. Also, they would have to live in the country called Canaan, like the other tribes.
Ok.... who are these upstarts who don't want to move into the promised land with their brothers. Reuben and Gad were both sons of Jacob. Jacob, as you will recall, took all of his sons to Egypt while one of his sons, Joseph, was in charge of almost everything in the country.
Reuben was the oldest of Jacob's sons and he had little respect for his father. He, after all, slept with his father's wife. In Genesis 49:3-4 Jacob said that Reuben was as stable as water.
Apparently Gad's father knew his son would be a warrior. When Jacob blessed his sons before his death in Genesis 49:19, he prophesied that the tribe of Gad will provide brave troops who will lead the children of Israel to victory in the conquest of the Promised Land, then return to their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan.
So they would fight but they didn't want to live in Canaan. I guess their land would be considered part of the spoils of war, right?
