Numbers 32:1-42
1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,
3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah,a and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
4 Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:
5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.
6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?
8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.
9 For when they went up unto 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 the LORD had given them.
10 And the LORD'S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,
11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not whollyb followed me:
12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.
13 And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.
14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.
15 For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
18 We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.
20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war,
21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
22 And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
24 Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:
27 But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.
28 So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:
29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
30 But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
31 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
32 We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.
33 And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto 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 the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.
34 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35 And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer,c and Jogbehah,
36 And Bethnimrah,d and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep.
37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,
38 And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gavee other names unto the cities which they builded.
39 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
40 And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair.
42 And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Numbers 32:12. Save Caleb the Kenezite. Kenaz was probably Caleb's grandfather. This solves all the difficulty in this passage. Raguel is called the father of Moses' wife, and he was evidently her grandfather. So Othniel, Caleb's brother, was evidently his kinsman; for the Israelites could not marry a niece. Leviticus 18:14; Joshua 15:17.
Numbers 32:14. An increase of sinful men. It is the glory of a prince and a magistrate to address the wicked in becoming language. Moses well knew that every new generation of men were liable to so strong a charge.
Numbers 32:38. Baal-Meon; a city on the borders of Moab, afterward called Menes, from Misor, the Mitzraim of Egypt, the Zeus of the Greeks, and the Jupiter of the Romans. Men before the flood had begun to call themselves by the name of God. Menes is thought to be the title of Misor. Peor (Priapus) was a name of abhorrence, because of the immodesty of the place. Zebub, or flies, is added by way of contempt. See on 2 Kings 1:2.
Numbers 32:40. Unto Machir; that is, to the posterity of Machir.
REFLECTIONS.
Whether the tribe of Reuben and of Gad had contributed more than the other tribes in the conquest of the countries of Zihon and Og, we are not told; but they fixed their heart upon the fertile banks of Arnon and Jordan; and they urge no plea but the abundance of their cattle. How many are the glosses and fair pleas which covetousness assumes. To make an advantageous purchase, how artfully will that dealer plead that he is seeking your interest. He dazzles, he captivates you by a show of disinterestedness, and by a plausible display of seeking your advantage. Time wears off the tinsel, and then you perceive that all those fine speeches proceeded from avarice and self-love. Ah, how contrary to the childlike simplicity of the gospel.
Moses, knowing their character of old, was bold to avow his suspicions, and to urge the consequences of their sin; that a base and cowardly repose, while their brethren were in arms, would discourage the tribes, who certainly had a right to ballot for those districts, if they had chosen to urge their claims. It was this bold speech which brought forward the overture to go over the Jordan armed, with their brethren; and the proposal would have come with a much better grace, had it been mentioned when they asked for the inheritance. Let all christian ministers learn of Moses to use plainness of speech, when tracing the depravity of the human heart. The man who fears to speak the whole truth, when occasions so require, cannot be called a servant of Jesus Christ.
Moses not only cautioned them, but pointedly averred, that their sin would certainly find them out. Moses could assert this with more authority than any other man. He had lived to a great age, he had a large acquaintance with providence, and had compared the works of the Lord in Egypt, and in the desert, with all that antiquity had recounted of the patriarchs. Here we see is a pursuing hand of providence, to discover and punish the sins of men. What are the leading crimes of which a wicked man has been guilty. Is it theft, robbery, adultery, or perjury? Has he wronged the widow, or defrauded the orphan; and what are the measures he has adopted to cover his crime? Has he dipped the coat in the blood of a kid? Has he caused Uriah to be slain, that no witness may survive against him? Has he committed a multitude of crimes to cover one? Does he daily tell one side of the story, and conceal the other? Vain are all his cares, for the two principal witnesses, God and his conscience yet live. The labourings of his mind appear in the gloom and anxiety of his countenance; society has lost its charms; he sighs when he ought to be cheerful; the bloody ghost of Uriah, the image of ruined innocence, the tears of defrauded orphans, or the heaps of wealth unjustly acquired, accompany him wherever he goes. As the seeds sown in the earth discover themselves by their growth, so vice is unfolded by its fruits. The sins covered with the thick gloom of midnight darkness all come to light by their consequences and connections. The same in fact may be said of every other sin. Besides, the hand of justice very often repays the wicked in kind. The sword does not depart from the murderer's house; the leprosy of Naaman cleaves to Gehazi; and those who have shed the blood of the saints, are made to drink the same cup in return. The measure they have meted to others is meted to them again. Let all men therefore, troubled in conscience, and afflicted with the load of sin, no longer conceal, but open their case to God, and even to those who are able to afford them help. By so doing the heart will be relieved, and the consequences of such sins much diminished by the fruits of repentance. Moses, after cautioning those men in a singular boldness of language, and receiving promises of their fidelity, grants their request, and takes measures for the confirmation of the grant. He was about to die, but he charged Eleazar and Joshua to carry it into effect. When rulers set a fine example of fidelity to the people, it is often a powerful means of their fidelity in return. This covenant was an act of faith on both sides; for no man any longer doubted of God's giving them a speedy possession of the promised land.