Joshua 22:10

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

¶ And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that [are] in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

Complete Jewish Bible:

When the descendants of Re'uven, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe arrived in the area of the land of Kena'an near the Yarden, they built an altar there by the Yarden, a large, impressive altar.

Berean Standard Bible:

And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

American Standard Version:

And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And when they came^{H935} unto the borders^{H1552} of Jordan^{H3383}, that are in the land^{H776} of Canaan^{H3667}, the children^{H1121} of Reuben^{H7205} and the children^{H1121} of Gad^{H1410} and the half^{H2677} tribe^{H7626} of Manasseh^{H4519} built^{H1129} there an altar^{H4196} by Jordan^{H3383}, a great^{H1419} altar^{H4196} to see to^{H4758}.

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Commentary for Joshua 22:10

Joshua 22:10 describes a significant event in the narrative of the Israelite settlement in the Promised Land of Canaan. The historical context of this verse is set after the conquest of Canaan, led by Joshua, when the tribes of Israel were allocated their respective territories. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, having received their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River, built a large altar near the Jordan as they entered the land of Canaan.

The construction of this altar initially caused alarm among the other tribes, who feared it might lead to unauthorized worship and a breach of the covenant with God, as the altar could be seen as a rival to the central sanctuary where all Israel was to worship. However, the following verses clarify that the altar was not intended for sacrifice but as a witness to the unity of all the tribes of Israel and their commitment to worshipping the Lord at the designated sanctuary. The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh were ensuring that future generations would remember that, despite living on the other side of the Jordan, they were still part of the covenant community of Israel.

The themes present in this verse include the importance of unity among the tribes of Israel, the commitment to the worship of the one true God as prescribed by the Mosaic Law, and the significance of visible symbols in maintaining the collective identity and faith of the nation. It also highlights the potential for misunderstanding and conflict within a community, and the necessity for clear communication to maintain peace and unity. This event underscores the delicate balance the Israelites had to maintain between respecting tribal distinctions and upholding the religious and national unity that was foundational to their identity as the people of God.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H935
   There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בּוֹא
   Transliteration: bôwʼ
   Pronunciation: bo
   Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way.
   
2. Strong's Number: H1552
   There are 5 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: גְלִילָה
   Transliteration: gᵉlîylâh
   Pronunciation: ghel-ee-law'
   Description: feminine of גָּלִיל; a circuit or region; border, coast, country.
   
3. Strong's Number: H3383
   There are 164 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יַרְדֵּן
   Transliteration: Yardên
   Pronunciation: yar-dane'
   Description: from יָרַד; a descender; Jarden, the principal river of Palestine; Jordan.
   
4. Strong's Number: H776
   There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֶרֶץ
   Transliteration: ʼerets
   Pronunciation: eh'-rets
   Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.
   
5. Strong's Number: H3667
   There are 91 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: כְּנַעַן
   Transliteration: Kᵉnaʻan
   Pronunciation: ken-ah'-an
   Description: from כָּנַע; humiliated; Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him; Canaan, merchant, traffick.
   
6. Strong's Number: H1121
   There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בֵּן
   Transliteration: bên
   Pronunciation: bane
   Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
   
7. Strong's Number: H7205
   There are 68 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: רְאוּבֵן
   Transliteration: Rᵉʼûwbên
   Pronunciation: reh-oo-bane'
   Description: from the imperative of רָאָה and בֵּן; see ye a son; Reuben, a son of Jacob; Reuben.
   
8. Strong's Number: H1410
   There are 67 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: גָּד
   Transliteration: Gâd
   Pronunciation: gawd
   Description: from גּוּד; Gad, a son of Jacob, including his tribe and its territory; also a prophet; Gad.
   
9. Strong's Number: H2677
   There are 103 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חֵצִי
   Transliteration: chêtsîy
   Pronunciation: khay-tsee'
   Description: from חָצָהlemma חָעָה ayin, corrected to חָצָה; the half or middle; half, middle, mid(-night), midst, part, two parts.
   
10. Strong's Number: H7626
    There are 178 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שֵׁבֶט
    Transliteration: shêbeṭ
    Pronunciation: shay'-bet
    Description: from an unused root probably meaning to branch off; a scion, i.e. (literally) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.) or (figuratively) a clan; [idiom] correction, dart, rod, sceptre, staff, tribe.
    
11. Strong's Number: H4519
    There are 133 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מְנַשֶּׁה
    Transliteration: Mᵉnashsheh
    Pronunciation: men-ash-sheh'
    Description: from נָשָׁה; causing to forget; Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; Manasseh.
    
12. Strong's Number: H1129
    There are 345 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בָּנָה
    Transliteration: bânâh
    Pronunciation: baw-naw'
    Description: a primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively); (begin to) build(-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), [idiom] surely.
    
13. Strong's Number: H4196
    There are 338 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מִזְבֵּחַ
    Transliteration: mizbêach
    Pronunciation: miz-bay'-akh
    Description: from זָבַח; an altar; altar.
    
14. Strong's Number: H1419
    There are 499 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: גָּדוֹל
    Transliteration: gâdôwl
    Pronunciation: gaw-dole'
    Description: or גָּדֹל; (shortened) from גָּדַל; great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent; [phrase] aloud, elder(-est), [phrase] exceeding(-ly), [phrase] far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, [idiom] sore, ([idiom]) very.
    
15. Strong's Number: H4758
    There are 82 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מַרְאֶה
    Transliteration: marʼeh
    Pronunciation: mar-eh'
    Description: from רָאָה; a view (the act of seeing); also an appearance (the thing seen), whether (real) a shape (especially if handsome, comeliness; often plural the looks), or (mental) a vision; [idiom] apparently, appearance(-reth), [idiom] as soon as beautiful(-ly), countenance, fair, favoured, form, goodly, to look (up) on (to), look(-eth), pattern, to see, seem, sight, visage, vision.