Joshua 22

Joshua first said goodbye to the tribes east of the Jordan River when he sent them home. As usual, he urged them to remain loyal to God.

Israel completed the conquest and allotment of the land, but much of the hard work of actually settling it still lay ahead. However, all that remained for Joshua in his role as leader of Israel was to say goodbye.

Joshua commended the eastern tribes for their faithful obedience and the fulfillment of their promise to help the rest of Israel settle Canaan (see 1:12–18; Numbers 32:1–32).

Joshua's words remind us of God's words to him at the start of the conquest (1:1–9). To live in the land, Israel had to be true to God by carefully obeying all the commands and instructions given to Moses.

all your heart and with all your soul: See Deuteronomy 6:5.

Moses had given: The author takes great care to emphasize that the tribes east of the Jordan were part of Israel.

• The great wealth was the share of the trophies of war of these tribes from the cities Israel had captured.

• Divide with your brothers: While most of the fighting men helped the rest of Israel, some men remained to protect the women, children, and herds.

Geliloth: It is reasonable to assume that Geliloth and the altar were on the west side of the Jordan River.

Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built their own altar, which caused a conflict with the rest of Israel.

The Israelites (literally the sons of Israel): This refers to those given land west of the Jordan River, in Canaan. They already called themselves Israel, excluding the tribes east of the Jordan River.

The western tribes prepared for war because they believed the altar violated the rules in Leviticus 17:8–9 and Deuteronomy 13:12–15.

• Ten chiefs: See Deuteronomy 13:14.

• The ten tribes west of the Jordan River included Ephraim and the western half of Manasseh, but not the tribe of Levi.

The group of ten chiefs crossed the Jordan River to meet the leaders of the eastern tribes in Gilead, likely in southern Gad.

The direct statements and questions of the group of ten chiefs guaranteed that God's anger did not fall on the nation because of rebellion, like Achan's incident or the event at Peor (7:1–15; Numbers 25).

• The group of ten chiefs delivered the message that the ten tribes agreed upon at Shiloh.

• This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: The formula including the first two words in the Hebrew text, “This is what … says,” was a common way to start a messenger’s report (for example, Ezra 1:2; Isaiah 28:16).

The sin at Peor was the rebellion in Moab by Israel in worshiping false gods. This happened just before entering the promised land (Numbers 25). Phinehas, now the leader of this group of chiefs, had acted to save Israel from complete destruction at that time. He did not want to see any part of Israel rebel against God again.

• Becoming ceremonially unclean did not always result from rebellion or a moral mistake. But it did stop people or groups from joining regular worship activities, including offering sacrifices. If the eastern tribes had made the land ceremonially unclean, the Israelites could not offer sacrifices to the Lord there. This concern gives evidence that the eastern tribes had built their altar on the western bank of the Jordan River.

• The land west of the Jordan River was the LORD’s possession. The group of chiefs from the western tribes made a generous offer by inviting the eastern tribes to share their land. This showed their commitment to national unity and loyalty to God.

Achan: See chapter 7. The group of chiefs from the western tribes feared that Achan's sin and its consequences might happen again.

The eastern tribes explained why they acted as they did.

The LORD … is God!: Repeating this dramatic statement shows how surprised the eastern tribes were when accused of rebellion.

• The eastern tribes swore by the name of the LORD that they were not guilty.

• The instructions for sacrificing required burnt offerings, grain offerings, or peace offerings (Leviticus 1–3). At this time, Israel worshiped at the tabernacle in Shiloh. Offering sacrifices anywhere other than the central holy place violated God's covenant.

The eastern tribes worried they might become excluded from Israel later because the Jordan River separated them from the western tribes.

The altar near the Jordan River bank would serve as a witness for future generations that the eastern tribes were also part of Israel.

This altar was a copy, intended to be seen, not used.

you have delivered: In his reply to the eastern tribes, Phinehas used language similar to God's words when Phinehas turned God's anger from Israel at Peor (Numbers 25:11).

Both the eastern and western tribes felt relieved that they avoided the crisis. They joyfully praised God to renew their commitment to national unity and loyalty to him.

Witness: Hebrew texts that include this word interpret the last statement as an explanation of the name. Texts that do not include the word understand the last quotation to be the name of the altar.