Deuteronomy 3:18-20

9. WARNING AGAINST SETTLING DOWN PREMATURELY (Deuteronomy 3:18-20)

18 And I commanded you at that time, saying, Jehovah your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all the men of valor. 19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you, 20 until Jehovah give rest unto your brethren, as unto you, and they also possess the land which Jehovah your God giveth them beyond the Jordan: then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 3:18-20

60.

How sad to possess so little when we could conquer so much. Did the 2½ tribes fulfill their part of the agreement? Cf. Joshua 4:12-13. What about the 9½tribes? Cf. Joshua 13:1.

61.

Besides the lack of faith, what one thing contributed most to the failure to conquer?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 3:18-20

18 And I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it; you [Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh] shall go over [the Jordan] armed before your brethren the other Israelites, all that are able for war.
19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle (I know that you have many cattle) shall remain in your cities which I have given you,
20 Until the Lord has given rest to your brethren, as to you, and until they also possess the land which the Lord your God has given them beyond Jordan; then shall you return every man to his possession, which I have given you.

COMMENT 3:18-20

This is the command to the east-side tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. See also Numbers 32:16-27. They were to go over the Jordan and assist their brethren in exterminating the Canaanite tribes before returning to their families on the east. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah; and be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23). These men complied with the order (Joshua 4:12-13) but Israel did not fully expel the native people before these men returned. When Joshua was old and well stricken in years, there still remaineth yet very much land to be possessed (Joshua 13:1).