Numbers 32

Moses' Concern Numbers 32:6–15

⁶Verse 6. Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here? ⁷Verse 7. Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them? ⁸Verse 8. Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. ⁹Verse 9. For 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. ¹⁰Verse 10. Yahweh’s anger burned in that day, and he swore, saying,

¹¹Verse 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, ¹²Verse 12. except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have followed Yahweh completely.’ ¹³Verse 13. Yahweh’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. ¹⁴Verse 14. “Behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, an increase of sinful men, to increase the fierce anger of Yahweh toward Israel.

¹⁵Verse 15. For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all these people.”

The Assurance of Support Numbers 32:16–24

¹⁶Verse 16. They came near to him, and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones; ¹⁷Verse 17. but 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. ¹⁸Verse 18. We will not return to our houses, until the children of Israel have each inherited their inheritance. ¹⁹Verse 19. For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.”

²⁰Verse 20. Moses said to them, “If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war, ²¹Verse 21. and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him, ²²Verse 22. and the land is subdued before Yahweh; then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless towards Yahweh, and towards Israel; and this land shall be to you for a possession before Yahweh. ²³Verse 23. “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out. ²⁴Verse 24. Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth.”

Moses' Conditions Numbers 32:25–32

²⁵Verse 25. The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. ²⁶Verse 26. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock, shall be there in the cities of Gilead; ²⁷Verse 27. but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord says.” ²⁸Verse 28. So 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. ²⁹Verse 29. Moses 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;

³⁰Verse 30. but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.” ³¹Verse 31. The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do. ³²Verse 32. We will pass over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.”

The Inheritance Granted Numbers 32:33–42

³³Verse 33. Moses 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. ³⁴Verse 34. The children of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵Verse 35. Atrothshophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶Verse 36. Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep. ³⁷Verse 37. The children of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸Verse 38. Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities which they built.

³⁹Verse 39. The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein. ⁴⁰Verse 40. Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein. ⁴¹Verse 41. Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its villages, and called them Havvoth Jair. ⁴²Verse 42. Nobah went and took Kenath, and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.