Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 32:20-23
Their Going Forward Is Confirmed and Agreed (Numbers 32:20).
‘And Moses said to them, “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him,”
At these words Moses was satisfied that they were not avoiding entering the land. And he declared that if they would do what they had promised, and would arm themselves to go to war ‘before Yahweh', and every one of them would pass over the Jordan ‘before Yahweh', until He had driven out all His enemies from before Him, then all would be well.
Notice the phrase ‘before Yahweh'. They would be involved in holy war, in Yahweh's war, and they would be accomplishing God's will in driving out from the land those who had proved their unfitness to be there.
“ And the land is subdued before Yahweh, then afterwards you shall return, and be guiltless towards Yahweh, and towards Israel, and this land shall be to you for a possession before Yahweh.”
And once the land was subdued in Yahweh's sight, then they would be able to return to their families, and be guiltless towards Yahweh, and towards Israel. None would be able to lay any charge against them. And then this land in which they now were could be to them their own possession before Yahweh.
“ But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and be sure your sin will find you out.”
But if they did not do so, then let them be sure of this, that their sin would find them out, and they would find themselves enduring the same punishment as their fathers had done, dying in the wilderness.