Numbers 32: Reuben and Gad ask for land east of the Jordan
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What happens?
The tribes of Reuben and Gad have large herds, and they ask Moses to give them the grazing land of Jazer and Gilead, east of the Jordan, instead of land across the river. Moses is angry and reminds them of the spies whose report turned Israel back, and they promise that their armed men will cross the Jordan and fight with the other tribes until the land is won. Moses agrees and gives them, with half the tribe of Manasseh, the kingdoms of Sihon and Og, and they build up the towns there.
Who is speaking?
The narrator, Moses, and the men of Reuben and Gad. No verse in this chapter has God's own words in gold. In verses 10 to 12 Moses tells what Yahweh swore after the spies' report: those are Moses' words. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead. Behold, the place was a place for livestock.
In plain English: The tribes of Reuben and Gad (literally: the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad) had very large herds of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and saw that it was a place for livestock.
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2Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,
In plain English: So the men of Gad and the men of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the community, saying,
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3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
In plain English: "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
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4the land which Yahweh struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; and your servants have livestock.”
In plain English: the land that Yahweh struck down before the community of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock."
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5They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Don’t bring us over the Jordan.”
In plain English: They said, "If we have found favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as our own. Do not take us across the Jordan."
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6Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
In plain English: Moses said to the men of Gad and Reuben, "Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?
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7Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them?
In plain English: Why are you discouraging the Israelites (literally: the heart of the Israelites) from crossing into the land Yahweh has given them?
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8Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.
In plain English: That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.
Good to know: Moses is speaking of the twelve men he sent to look at the land, in chapters 13 and 14. The valley of Eshcol () is where they cut the cluster of grapes, in and . The oath Moses repeats in verses 11 and 12 is in and .
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9For when they went up to 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 Yahweh had given them.
In plain English: When they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from going into the land Yahweh had given them.
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10Yahweh’s anger burned in that day, and he swore, saying,
In plain English: Yahweh's anger burned that day, and he swore, saying,
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11‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me,
In plain English: 'Not one of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and up, will see the land I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed me completely (literally: have not filled after me),
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12except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Yahweh completely.’
In plain English: except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Yahweh completely.'
The Hebrew word: "Kenizzite" is Qenizzi, which the dictionary gives as "a Kenizzite or descendant of Kenaz".
Good to know: This is the only verse in Numbers that calls Caleb a Kenizzite. names him for the tribe of Judah, and lists the Kenizzites among the peoples of the land. The text does not say how these fit together, and readers explain it in different ways.
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13Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation who had done evil in Yahweh’s sight was consumed.
In plain English: Yahweh's anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the whole generation that had done evil in Yahweh's sight was gone.
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14“Behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, an increase of sinful men, to increase the fierce anger of Yahweh toward Israel.
In plain English: "And now look: you have risen up in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to add even more to Yahweh's fierce anger against Israel.
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15For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all these people.”
In plain English: If you turn away from following him, he will leave them in the wilderness again, and you will bring ruin on all these people."
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16They came near to him, and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones;
In plain English: They came up to him and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and towns for our little ones.
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17but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
In plain English: But we ourselves will arm and be ready (or: hurry) to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones will live in the fortified towns, safe from the people of the land.
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18We will not return to our houses until the children of Israel have all received their inheritance.
In plain English: We will not go back to our homes until every one of the Israelites has received his inheritance.
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19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.”
In plain English: We will not take an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan, to the east."
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20Moses said to them: “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war,
In plain English: Moses said to them, "If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war,
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21and every one of your armed men will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him,
In plain English: and every armed man of you crosses the Jordan before Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him,
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22and the land is subdued before Yahweh; then afterward you shall return, and be clear of obligation to Yahweh and to Israel. Then this land shall be your possession before Yahweh.
In plain English: and the land is brought under control before Yahweh, then after that you may come back, and you will be free of your duty (or: innocent) toward Yahweh and toward Israel. And this land will be yours to own before Yahweh.
The Hebrew word: "Clear of obligation" is naqi, which the dictionary gives as "innocent".
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23“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.
In plain English: "But if you do not do this, look, you will have sinned against Yahweh, and be sure that your sin will find you.
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24Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth.”
In plain English: Build towns for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised (literally: what has come out of your mouth)."
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25The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.
In plain English: The men of Gad and Reuben said to Moses, "Your servants will do as my lord commands.
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26Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock shall be there in the cities of Gilead;
In plain English: Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will stay there in the towns of Gilead,
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27but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord says.”
In plain English: but your servants, every man armed for war, will cross over before Yahweh to battle, as my lord says."
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28So Moses commanded concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the children of Israel.
In plain English: So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel.
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29Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle before Yahweh, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;
In plain English: Moses said to them, "If the men of Gad and Reuben, every man armed for battle, cross the Jordan with you before Yahweh, and the land is brought under control before you, then give them the land of Gilead to own.
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30but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
In plain English: But if they do not cross over with you armed, they are to receive their land among you in the land of Canaan."
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31The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.
In plain English: The men of Gad and Reuben answered, "What Yahweh has said to your servants, we will do.
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32We will pass over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”
In plain English: We will cross over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and the land we inherit will stay ours on the other side of the Jordan."
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33Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan; the land, according to its cities and borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.
In plain English: Moses gave to the tribes of Gad and Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan: the land with its towns and their borders, the towns of the land all around.
Good to know: Half the tribe of Manasseh is not named in the request of verses 1 to 32. It is first named here, and the text does not say how it came to be included. Sihon and Og are the two kings defeated in and . tells that the three tribes did cross the Jordan armed, as Moses had told them.
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34The children of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
In plain English: The men of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
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35Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
In plain English: Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
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36Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities and folds for sheep.
In plain English: Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified towns, and folds for sheep.
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37The children of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
In plain English: The men of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
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38Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities which they built.
In plain English: Nebo and Baal Meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. They gave other names to the towns they built.
Good to know: The text does not say why the names were changed. The dictionary gives Nebo as "the name of a Babylonian deity, also of a mountain in Moab, and of a place in Palestine".
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39The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein.
In plain English: The descendants of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and drove out the Amorites who lived there.
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40Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein.
In plain English: Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he lived there.
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41Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its villages, and called them Havvoth Jair.
In plain English: Jair the son of Manasseh went and took their villages and called them Havvoth Jair.
The Hebrew words: The dictionary gives "Havvoth Jair" as "hamlets of Jair": the villages (or: encampments) of Jair. The name comes again in and .
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42Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
In plain English: Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages (literally: its daughters), and called it Nobah, after his own name.
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