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The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 21:43-45
"The Lord is not a man that He should lie, or the Son of Man that He should repent." His promises are "yea and amen." This is the great truth brought home to us by the beautiful conclusion of the partition of the land o…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 21:44
And the Lord gave them rest. LXX. 觀慣?琯??慣??琯館. The student of Scripture will not fail to recall the passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Joshua 4:8) in which reference is made to this passage, and especially to the LX…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 21:45
Ought of any good thing. Literally, a word from all the good word. This Keil regards as the "sum of all the gracious promises that God had made." But he should have added that ?寧?寧淚, beside signifying, as it does, "word…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 21:45
The record of God's faithfulness. A beautiful little word, recording a nation's experience, and one adopted as the correct statement of the experience of multitudes that none can number! Look at it, and observe first??…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 21:45
God's faithfulness. This cannot mean that the Divine plan in reference to Israel's possession of the land was now in all respects completely fulfilled. The Canaanite still dwelt in certain parts of it, and was never rea…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:1-34
Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh at home. Three points are especially noticeable in this chapter. First, the reward of those who have laboured on behalf of their brethren; next, the duty of claiming our pri…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:1-34
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:1
The Reubenites and the Gadites. According to the Hebrew idiom, these are in the original in the singular, as in Genesis 12:6. Thus a tribe, as has been before remarked, or even a family (Joshua 6:25), is spoken of frequ…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:1-9
We have seen the Reubenites and Gadites generously taking their part in the war for the conquest of Canaan, though they had already come into possession themselves of their assigned share on the other side of Jordan. In…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:1-4
Service and reward. I. THE SERVICE. This is characterised by the following points of merit: 1. Obedience to discipline. The two tribes and the half tribe are commended for obedience to their supreme commanders. Soldiers…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:3
Many days (see note on Joshua 22:1). The expression in the original implies more, a great many days, the usual expression for a period of considerable length. Thus the military service of these tribes must under any cir…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:4
Given rest. LXX. κατέπαυσε, the word used in Hebrews 4:8.
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:5
Loyalty to God in separation from the Church. I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF TRIAL. 1. Isolation. The Reubenites and their associates had chosen an inheritance which would separate them from their brethren. There was danger le…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:5
But take diligent heed. This passage is a quotation from the Book of Deuteronomy (Joshua 6:5; Joshua 10:12; Joshua 11:13, Joshua 11:22; 30:6, 16, 20, etc) The expressions, as Keil well remarks, are "crowded together, so…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:6
To their tents. It would seem that, during the whole of these "many days," the conquered cities had remained tenantless, waiting for the return of the warriors from their long expedition. "Those that were first in the a…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:7
Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh. We have here, as Keil remarks, a specimen of our author's habit of repetition. Four times do we read (Joshua 13:14, Joshua 13:33; Joshua 14:3; Joshua 18:7) that the Levites…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:8
Riches. The word here used is an uncommon one, and occurs only here and in the later Hebrew. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. This was the just reward for their toils. And here, as elsewhere, we may…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:9
Out of Shiloh. See note on Joshua 22:1. In the land of Canaan. To distinguish it from Gilead, the land of their possession, on the other side of Jordan. Whereof they were possessed. Another instance of that repetition w…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:9-21
The Cause of this Outbreak of Wrath The feeling excited in the people of Israel by the news that the Reubenites and Gadites had set up an altar beyond Jordan is a proof that the religious condition of the nation after t…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:10
The borders of Jordan. Literally, the circles (cf. notes on Joshua 13:2; Joshua 18:17; Joshua 20:7; Joshua 21:32). Conder suggests downs, and it is most probable that the word refers to curved outlines, such as we frequ…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:10
Trespass. The Hebrew word signifies to act deceitfully or faithlessly. It was an act of ingratitude towards the God who had established them in the good land in which they now found themselves. Such ingratitude and dese…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:10-34
Misunderstandings among good people. Bitter contention often arises from simple misunderstanding. The Israelites were on the verge of a civil war as a result of a simple mistake of judgment. Much unhappiness might be av…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:11
Half tribe of Manasseh. Throughout this part of the narrative, when the body politic, rather than the descent of the tribe, is to be indicated, we have, not מַטֶּה, but שֶׁבֶט. See above, Joshua 13:29. An altar. The ori…
The Pulpit Commentary on Joshua 22:12
Gathered themselves together at Shiloh. The commentators refer here to Le Joshua 17:8, Joshua 17:9, and Deuteronomy 12:4-14. See also Le Deuteronomy 17:4. The punishment for the sin is to be found in Deuteronomy 13:12-1…