Numbers32
English Standard Version
1Now the of and the of had a of . And they the of and the of , and , the was a for .
2So the of and the of and to and to the and to the of the ,
3 , , , , , , , , and ,
4the the Lord the of , is a for , and your have .
5And they , we have in your , let this be to your for a . Do us across the .
6But to the of and to the of , Shall your to the while you ?
7 will you the of the of going into the the Lord has them?
8Your , when I them from to the .
9For when they the of and the , they the of the of going the the Lord had them.
10And the Lord ’s was on that , and he , ,
11 none of the who out of , from and , shall the I to give to , to , and to , they have me,
12none the of the and the of , they have the Lord.
13And the Lord ’s was against , and he made them in the , the that had in the of the Lord was .
14And , you have in your ’ , a of , to still more the of the Lord !
15For you from him, he will them in the , and you will this .
16Then they came to him and , We will for our , and for our ,
17but will take up , to go the of , we have them to their . And our shall in the of the of the .
18We will to our of the of has his .
19 we will with them on the other of the and , our has to us on this of the to the .
20So to them, you will , you will take up to go the Lord for the ,
21and armed man of will pass the the Lord, he has his him
22and the is the Lord; then after you shall and be to the Lord and to , and shall be your the Lord.
23But you will , , you have against the Lord, and be your will .
24 for your and for your , and what you have .
25And the of and the of to , Your will my .
26Our , our , our , and our shall there in the of ,
27but your will , man who is for , the Lord to , as my .
28So gave concerning them to the and to the of and to the of the ’ houses of the of the of .
29And to them, the of and the of , man who is to the Lord, will the and the shall be you, then you shall them the of for a .
30However, they will pass with you , they shall have you in the of .
31And the of and the of , the Lord has to your , we will .
32 will the Lord into the of , and the of our shall remain with us the .
33And to them, to the of and to the of and to the of the of , the of of the and the of of , the and its with their , the of the land the .
34And the of , , ,
35 , , ,
36 and , , and for .
37And the of , , ,
38 , and ( their were ), and . And they other to the that they .
39And the of the of to and it, and the were in it.
40And to the of , and he in it.
41And the of and their , and them .
42And and and its , and it , after his own .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Numbers 32.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The tribes of Reuben and Gad request an inheritance on the east of Jordan. (1–5). Moses reproves the Reubenites and Gadites. (6–15). They explain their views, Moses consents. (16–27). They take possession of the land to the east of Jordan. (28–42).
vv1-5
Here is a proposal made by the Reubenites and Gadites, that the land lately conquered might be allotted to them. Two things common in the world might lead these tribes to make this choice; the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. There was much amiss in the principle they went upon; they consulted their own private convenience more than the public good. Thus to the present time, many seek their own things more than the things of Jesus Christ; and are led by worldly interests and advantages to take up short of the heavenly Canaan.
vv6-15
The proposal showed disregard to the land of Canaan, distrust of the Lord's promise, and unwillingness to encounter the difficulties and dangers of conquering and driving out the inhabitants of that land. Moses is wroth with them. It will becomes any of God's Israel to sit down unconcerned about the difficult and perilous concerns of their brethren, whether public or personal. He reminds them of the fatal consequences of the unbelief and faint-heartedness of their fathers, when they were, as themselves, just ready to enter Canaan. If men considered as they ought what would be the end of sin, they would be afraid of the beginning of it.
vv16-27
Here is the good effect of plain dealing. Moses, by showing their sin, and the danger of it, brought them to their duty, without murmuring or disputing. All men ought to consider the interests of others as well as their own; the law of love requires us to labour, venture, or suffer for each other as there may be occasion. They propose that their men of war should go ready armed before the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, and that they should not return till the conquest of Canaan was ended. Moses grants their request, but he warns them of the danger of breaking their word. If you fail, you sin against the Lord, and not against your brethren only; God will certainly reckon with you for it. Be sure your sin will find you out. Sin will surely find out the sinner sooner or later. It concerns us now to find our sins out, that we may repent of them, and forsake them, lest they find us out to our ruin.
Key Words
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
רְאוּבֵן: Reuben, a son of Jacob
גָּד: Gad, a son of Jacob, including his tribe and its territory; also a prophet
מְאֹד: properly, vehemence, i.e. (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated)
עָצוּם: powerful (specifically, a paw); by implication, numerous
רַב: abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)
מִקְנֶה: something bought, i.e. property, but only livestock; abstractly, acquisition
רָאָה: to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
אֶרֶץ: the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
יַעֲזֵיר: Jaazer or Jazer, a place East of the Jordan
Cross References
Numbers 32Explicit fulfillment of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh crossing over armed before Israel to war.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Moses reiterates the command for trans-Jordanic tribes to go armed before their brethren.
Supported by JFB
Joshua reminds Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh of their oath to assist in Canaan.
Supported by JFB
Parallel account of Moses distributing the conquered eastern lands to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.
Supported by JFB
Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh depart Shiloh to possess the land of Gilead.
Supported by JFB
The oath of God concerning the exclusion of the murmuring generation, referenced here.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Gilead and Bashan are prophesied as restored rich pastures for Israel's flocks.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Historical account of the spies exploring Eshcol and discouraging Israel's heart.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Parallel detail of Jair, son of Manasseh, taking the region and naming Havoth-jair.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic call for Israel to feed in Bashan and Gilead as in old times.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Joshua reviews the eastern inheritance given by Moses to the trans-Jordanic tribes.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The land is formally subdued before the Lord and Israel at Shiloh.
Supported by JFB