The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible

Joshua22:1–8

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

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Joshua 22:1–8 — The Eastern Tribes Return Home. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1“Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-t…”+

1Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’āz yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ yiq·rā lā·r·’ū·ḇê·nî wə·lag·gā·ḏî wə·la·ḥă·ṣî maṭ·ṭêh mə·naš·šeh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“Then Joshua called to-the-Reubenite, and-to-the-Gadite, and-to-the-half-of the-tribe-of Manasseh —”

Where the English smooths the original

  • אָ֚ז The opening particle is ’āz (H227), “then / at that time,” not a plain narrative and. It loosely marks sequence without pinning the exact moment — the Pulpit Commentary notes it “is not the usual word for chronological sequence, though it does not preclude it.” The English “Then” is fair but firmer than the Hebrew.
  • לָרֽאוּבֵנִ֖י The Hebrew names the tribes in the singular: lā·r·’ū·ḇê·nî = “to the Reubenite,” “to the Gadite” — one collective man standing for the whole tribe. The Pulpit Commentary flags this “Hebrew idiom… in the original in the singular.” BSB’s plural “the Reubenites, the Gadites” reads naturally but dissolves the corporate-person figure.
  • יִקְרָ֣א yiq·rā (H7121) is “called out to / summoned,” a verb of the voice. The same root names what Joshua does and what God does to His servants. “Summoned” is good; the bare “called” underneath it is the act of naming a name aloud.
Word by word8 · parsed+
אָ֚ז’āzThenH227
√ ʼâz — at that time or placeAdverb
’āz places the scene “After that the Israelites enjoyed the land of Canaan” (Geneva). It opens the chapter that ends the war and disbands the army.
יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַyə·hō·wō·šu·a‘JoshuaH3091
√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular
יִקְרָ֣אyiq·rāsummonedH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לָרֽאוּבֵנִ֖יlā·r·’ū·ḇê·nîthe ReubenitesH7206
√ Rᵉʼûwbênîy — a Reubenite or descendant of ReubenPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
The gentilic Rᵉʼûwbênîy (H7206) is a rare word — only 17 verses in the whole Hebrew Bible. Paired with Gâdîy (Gadite, 16 verses), it makes Joshua 22:1 verbally fingerprint Joshua 1:12, where these same two tribes were first commissioned. The book opens and closes on the same three names.
וְלַגָּדִ֑יwə·lag·gā·ḏîthe GaditesH1425
√ Gâdîy — a Gadite (collectively) or descendants of GadConjunctive waw, Preposition-l, ArticleNounpropermasculine singular
וְלַחֲצִ֖יwə·la·ḥă·ṣîand the half-tribeH2677
√ chêtsîy — the half or middleConjunctive waw, Preposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular construct
מַטֵּ֥הmaṭ·ṭêh. . .H4294
√ maṭṭeh — a branch (as extending)Nounmasculine singular construct
maṭṭêh (H4294), “tribe,” is literally a branch / staff — the rod that came to stand for the clan it led. The Pulpit Commentary notes some manuscripts read šê·ḇeṭ (sceptre-tribe) here instead; the two words shade between genealogy and government.
מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃mə·naš·šehof ManassehH4519
√ Mᵉnashsheh — Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryNounpropermasculine singular
Mᵉnashsheh (H4519), “Manasseh,” means “making to forget” (Genesis 41:51). Ellicott will play on this at v. 7 — the tribe whose very name is forgetting.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scripturec. 1905
A picturesque historian, of the modern ‘special correspondent’ sort, would have overlaid the narrative with sentiment and description; but how quietly the writer tells it, so that we have to bethink ourselves before we apprehend that we are reading the account of an epoch-making event!
Maclaren on the restraint of the prose: the war ends not with a triumph-song but with a roll-call.
✦Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834
The events of this chap. are no doubt recorded in their proper historical order. The auxiliary forces of the trans-Jordanic tribes were not sent away immediately after the campaigns against the Canaanites were over. They set forth from Shiloh, Joshua 22:9 , to which place the sanctuary had been removed Joshua 18:1 after the conquest and the settlement of the children of Judah and of Joseph in their possessions, and after the appointment of the Levitical cities.
Barnes pins the setting the chapter assumes but does not state: the dismissal happens later, from Shiloh (v. 9), once the sanctuary and the Levitical cities are settled — not on the battlefield the moment fighting ceased.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
The general war of invasion being ended and the enemy being in so dispirited and isolated a condition that each tribe, by its own resources or with the aid of its neighboring tribe, was able to repress any renewed hostilities, the auxiliary Israelites from the eastern side of the Jordan were now discharged from service. Joshua dismissed them with high commendations for their fidelity and earnest admonitions to cultivate perpetual piety in life.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
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 frequently as a single individual
On the corporate singular underlying BSB’s plural “Reubenites.”
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
The war being ended, and ended gloriously, Joshua, as a prudent general, disbands his army, and sends them home to enjoy what they had conquered; and particularly the forces of those separate tribes, which had received their inheritance on the other side Jordan, from Moses, upon this condition, that their men of war should assist the other tribes in the conquest of Canaan
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
As the summons to these tribes to go with their brethren into Canaan, to assist them in the war, formed the commencement of Joshua's plans for the conquest of Canaan ( Joshua 1:12 .), their dismission to their home very properly forms the conclusion to the history of the conquest of this land by the Israelites.
Keil names the very inclusio the rare gentilics confirm: 1:12 commissions, 22:1 dismisses.
2“and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the …”+

2and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·yō·mer ’ă·lê·hem ’at·tem šə·mar·tem ’êṯ kāl- ’ă·šer mō·šeh ‘e·ḇeḏ Yah·weh ṣiw·wāh ’eṯ·ḵem wat·tiš·mə·‘ū ḇə·qō·w·lî lə·ḵōl ’ă·šer- ṣiw·wî·ṯî ’eṯ·ḵem

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“and-he-said to-them: You — you-have-kept all that Moses servant-of YHWH commanded you, and-you-obeyed my-voice to-all that I commanded you.”

Where the English smooths the original

  • שְׁמַרְתֶּ֔ם BSB renders šə·mar·tem (H8104) “have done,” but the verb is šāmar, “to keep / guard / watch over” — the same root used three more times in this charge (v. 3 “kept,” v. 5 “be careful,” “to keep”). Keil glosses it “observed what had to be observed.” The repeated guarding word is the spine of the speech, and “done” hides it.
  • וַתִּשְׁמְע֣וּ wat·tiš·mə·‘ū (H8085), “and you heard,” is the verb šāmaʿ — “to hear intelligently… with implication of attention, obedience.” BSB’s “you have obeyed” is the right sense, but the Hebrew word is simply hearing that acts; obedience is hearing taken to its end.
  • בְקוֹלִ֔י Literally “to my qōl” (H6963), “my voice.” Joshua does not say they obeyed his orders or his authority but his voice — the living, spoken word. The idiom “hear the voice of” runs from Eden through Sinai; obedience is response to a Person speaking.
Word by word18 · parsed+
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרway·yō·merand told themH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
way·yō·mer, the workhorse narrative “and he said,” opens a speech whose density Jamieson called remarkable: “The redundancy of the language is remarkable… It shows how important… a steadfast observance of the divine law was.”
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם’ă·lê·hem. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine plural
אַתֶּ֣ם’at·temYouH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine plural
שְׁמַרְתֶּ֔םšə·mar·temhave doneH8104
√ shâmar — properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), iVerbQalPerfectsecond person masculine plural
The doubled emphatic — pronoun ’at·tem (“you”) before the verb “you-have-kept” — is a foregrounding stress: you, you yourselves kept it. Joshua presses the commendation onto them personally.
אֵ֚ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
כָּל־kāl-allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
מֹשֶׁ֖הmō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
עֶ֣בֶד‘e·ḇeḏthe servantH5650
√ ʻebed — a servantNounmasculine singular construct
ʿe·ḇeḏ (H5650), “servant,” is the title Moses bears six times across this unit. He is never “Moses the lawgiver” here but “Moses the servant of YHWH” — the law’s authority is borrowed, not owned.
יְהוָ֑הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
צִוָּ֣הṣiw·wāhcommandedH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
ṣiw·wāh (H6680, Piel), “commanded,” links Moses’ command and Joshua’s command in one breath: what Moses commanded (v. 2a) and what I commanded (v. 2b) are kept together. The same verb anchors the thread to Joshua 1:16.
אֶתְכֶ֔ם’eṯ·ḵemyouH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markersecond person masculine plural
וַתִּשְׁמְע֣וּwat·tiš·mə·‘ūand you have obeyedH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectsecond person masculine plural
בְקוֹלִ֔יḇə·qō·w·lîmy voiceH6963
√ qôwl — a voice or soundPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
לְכֹ֥לlə·ḵōlin allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-lNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-thatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
צִוִּ֖יתִיṣiw·wî·ṯîI commandedH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectfirst person common singular
אֶתְכֶֽם׃’eṯ·ḵemyouH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markersecond person masculine plural
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
Joshua acknowledged that they had done all that they were under any obligation to do towards Moses and himself ( Numbers 32:20 .; Joshua 1:16-17 ). "Kept the charge of the commandment," i.e., observed what had to be observed in relation to the commandment of the Lord
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
wherever he ordered them to go, they went; and upon whatsoever and wheresoever he sent them, they readily and cheerfully obeyed, as they promised, Joshua 1:16 ; and approved themselves as good soldiers under him; for all which he commends them, and gives them military honour.
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD {b} commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you: (b) Which was to go armed before their brethren, Nu 32:29.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
The redundancy of the language is remarkable [Jos 22:2-5]. It shows how important, in the judgment of the venerable leader, a steadfast observance of the divine law was to personal happiness, as well as national prosperity.
Names the piled-up verbs of vv. 2–5 — the rhetorical weight the literal layer keeps surfacing.
3“All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this ve…”+

3All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

yā·mîm rab·bîm zeh lō- ‘ă·zaḇ·tem ’eṯ- ’ă·ḥê·ḵem ‘aḏ hay·yō·wm haz·zeh ū·šə·mar·tem ’eṯ- miš·me·reṯ miṣ·waṯ Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“Days many — this — you-have-not deserted your-brothers up-to the-day the-this, and-you-have-kept the-charge-of the-commandment-of YHWH your-God.”

Where the English smooths the original

  • עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ם ʿă·zaḇ·tem (H5800) is the strong verb “to forsake / abandon / loosen one’s hold on.” BSB’s “deserted” is military and apt, but the same root is the loaded word for forsaking God (and, in Joshua 22:5’s opposite, “cleaving” to Him). They did not let go of their brothers — the antonym of the cleaving they are now charged to keep toward the Lord.
  • יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים Literally “days many” — yā·mîm rab·bîm. The Pulpit Commentary notes the phrase “implies more, a great many days, the usual expression for a period of considerable length.” BSB’s smooth “All this time” loses the deliberate weight of the Hebrew measure of long, costly waiting.
  • מִשְׁמֶ֕רֶת מִצְוַ֖ת Two construct nouns stacked: miš·me·reṯ miṣ·waṯ, “the keeping/charge of the commandment of YHWH.” Mišmereth is a guard-duty word — the same family as the verb šāmar. BSB’s “the charge given you by the LORD” is accurate, but the Hebrew binds watch-keeping and command into one priestly-sounding phrase Keil ties to Leviticus 8:35.
Word by word16 · parsed+
יָמִ֣יםyā·mîmAll this timeH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Nounmasculine plural
רַבִּ֔יםrab·bîm. . .H7227
√ rab — abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)Adjectivemasculine plural
זֶ֚הzeh. . .H2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatPronounmasculine singular
zeh (“this”) attaches to the long span of days — “these many days, this [long time]” — heightening the sense of an endured stretch now reaching its end.
לֹֽא־lō-you have notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ם‘ă·zaḇ·temdesertedH5800
√ ʻâzab — to loosen, iVerbQalPerfectsecond person masculine plural
On ʿā·zab: their not-forsaking of their brothers is held up as the proof of their faithfulness, immediately before they are warned never to forsake their God. The human loyalty is the visible token of the deeper one.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲחֵיכֶ֗ם’ă·ḥê·ḵemyour brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
עַ֖ד‘aḏup toH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
הַיּ֣וֹםhay·yō·wmthis very dayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)ArticleNounmasculine singular
הַזֶּ֑הhaz·zeh. . .H2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatArticlePronounmasculine singular
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֕םū·šə·mar·tembut have keptH8104
√ shâmar — properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural
ū·šə·mar·tem — “but have kept” — is again šāmar, the guarding verb. Across vv. 2–5 the root recurs like a refrain: keep, keep, keep, be careful, keep.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
מִשְׁמֶ֕רֶתmiš·me·reṯthe chargeH4931
√ mishmereth — watch, iNounfeminine singular construct
miš·me·reṯ (H4931), “charge,” is the term for an appointed watch or sacred duty; Keil cross-references its use of priestly service (Leviticus 8:35). Their soldiering is reframed as something almost liturgical — a watch kept before the LORD.
מִצְוַ֖תmiṣ·waṯgiven youH4687
√ mitsvâh — a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)Nounfeminine singular construct
יְהוָ֥הYah·wehby the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemyour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
Many days (see note on ver. 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 circumstances have been a prolonged and arduous one, and they well deserved the encomiums which Joshua here lavishes upon them.
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
These many days, i.e. for divers years together, so long as the war lasted. See Joshua 11:18 14:10 .
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
the charge of the commandment ] They had kept their obligations to Moses, to Joshua, and to Jehovah.
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
all this time they stayed close by their brethren, and assisted them in their wars, and never offered to return to their wives and children, until they had an order from their general
4“And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as H…”+

4And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘at·tāh Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem la·’ă·ḥê·ḵem hê·nî·aḥ ka·’ă·šer dib·ber lā·hem wə·‘at·tāh pə·nū ū·lə·ḵū lā·ḵem lə·’ā·ho·lê·ḵem ’el- ’e·reṣ ’ă·ḥuz·zaṯ·ḵem ’ă·šer mō·šeh ‘e·ḇeḏ Yah·weh nā·ṯan lā·ḵem bə·‘ê·ḇer hay·yar·dên

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“And-now YHWH your-God has-given-rest to-your-brothers as He-spoke to-them; and-now turn and-go for-yourselves to-your-tents, to the-land-of your-possession that Moses servant-of YHWH gave you across the-Jordan.”

Where the English smooths the original

  • הֵנִ֨יחַ hê·nî·aḥ (H5117, Hifil of nûaḥ) is “caused to rest / gave rest” — the great Deuteronomic keyword for the settled peace God grants after conquest. The Pulpit Commentary notes the LXX renders the underlying idea with κατέπαυσε, “the word used in Hebrews 4:8.” This single Hebrew verb is the seed of the New Testament’s whole theology of God’s rest.
  • פְּנוּ֩ וּלְכ֨וּ Two imperatives, pə·nū ū·lə·ḵū — literally “turn and walk/go.” BSB’s gentle “you may return” softens a direct command; the Hebrew sends them: face about, and go.
  • לְאָהֳלֵיכֶ֗ם Literally “to your ’ohel,” your tents — not “homes.” Keil calls it “an antiquated form of expression.” Poole notes these settled towns “are oft called tents.” The wilderness word for dwelling has fossilized into the word for home; the BSB modernizes it away.
Word by word24 · parsed+
וְעַתָּ֗הwə·‘at·tāhAnd now thatH6258
√ ʻattâh — at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletiveConjunctive wawAdverb
יְהוָ֤הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemyour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
לַֽאֲחֵיכֶ֔םla·’ă·ḥê·ḵemhas given your brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Preposition-lNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
הֵנִ֨יחַhê·nî·aḥrestH5117
√ nûwach — to rest, iVerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singular
hê·nî·aḥ, “gave rest,” deliberately echoes Joshua 21:44 (“the LORD gave them rest”) and 1:15 — the promise now declared fulfilled. Rest is the conquest’s whole point, and the hinge on which Hebrews 3–4 will turn the conquest into a figure of a rest still to come.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֖רka·’ă·šerasH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPreposition-kPronounrelative
דִּבֶּ֣רdib·berHe promisedH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
לָהֶ֑םlā·hemthem
Prepositionthird person masculine plural
וְעַתָּ֡הwə·‘at·tāh. . .H6258
√ ʻattâh — at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletiveConjunctive wawAdverb
The phrase wə·‘at·tāh (“and now”) is repeated — once before the verb of rest, once before the verb of going. The doubled “now” marks the turn from past faithfulness (vv. 2–3) to present release: now God has acted, now you may go.
פְּנוּ֩pə·nūyou may returnH6437
√ pânâh — to turnVerbQalImperativemasculine plural
וּלְכ֨וּū·lə·ḵū. . .H1980
√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalImperativemasculine plural
לָכֶ֜םlā·ḵemto
Prepositionsecond person masculine plural
לְאָהֳלֵיכֶ֗םlə·’ā·ho·lê·ḵemyour homesH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Preposition-lNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
On ’ohel (tent): Benson reads it spiritually — “though we desire to be at home with Christ ever so much, yet we must stay here till our warfare is accomplished.” The earthly tent is both the destination and a figure of the body left behind for a better dwelling.
אֶל־’el-inH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אֶ֙רֶץ֙’e·reṣthe landH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Nounfeminine singular construct
אֲחֻזַּתְכֶ֔ם’ă·ḥuz·zaṯ·ḵem. . .H272
√ ʼăchuzzâh — something seized, iNounfeminine singular constructsecond person masculine plural
אֲשֶׁ֣ר׀’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
מֹשֶׁה֙mō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
עֶ֣בֶד‘e·ḇeḏthe servantH5650
√ ʻebed — a servantNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
נָתַ֣ןnā·ṯangaveH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
לָכֶ֗םlā·ḵemyou
Prepositionsecond person masculine plural
בְּעֵ֖בֶרbə·‘ê·ḇeracrossH5676
√ ʻêber — properly, a region acrossPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
bə·‘ê·ḇer (“across / the region across,” H5676) names the trans-Jordan — the “other side.” Their inheritance lies beyond the river that the rest of Israel had to cross to reach theirs; the geography stages the tension the whole chapter will probe.
הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃hay·yar·dênthe JordanH3383
√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
Given rest. LXX. κατέπαυσε , the word used in Hebrews 4:8 .
The lexical bridge from Joshua’s “rest” to the Sabbath-rest of Hebrews 4 — though the Greek link is the LXX translators’, not a Hebrew one.
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
So, though we desire to be at home with Christ ever so much, yet we must stay here till our warfare is accomplished, wait for a due discharge, and not anticipate the time of our removal.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
Joshua 22:4 points back to Joshua 1:15 . "Unto your tents," for to your homes, - an antiquated form of expression, as in Deuteronomy 16:7 ; Judges 7:8 , etc.
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
not their military tents in the army, from which they now came to Joshua, but their houses, as the Greek version, and their cities, as the Targum; they having been so long used to tents in the wilderness, and during the wars in Canaan, this was a familiar word for their dwellings
5“But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that …”+

5But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

raq mə·’ōḏ šim·rū la·‘ă·śō·wṯ ’eṯ- ham·miṣ·wāh wə·’eṯ- hat·tō·w·rāh ’ă·šer mō·šeh ‘e·ḇeḏ- Yah·weh ṣiw·wāh ’eṯ·ḵem lə·’a·hă·ḇāh ’eṯ- Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem wə·lā·le·ḵeṯ bə·ḵāl də·rā·ḵāw wə·liš·mōr miṣ·wō·ṯāw ū·lə·ḏā·ḇə·qāh- ḇōw ū·lə·‘ā·ḇə·ḏōw bə·ḵāl lə·ḇaḇ·ḵem ū·ḇə·ḵāl nap̄·šə·ḵem

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“Only be-very-careful to-do the-commandment and-the-law that Moses servant-of YHWH commanded you: to-love YHWH your-God, and-to-walk in-all His-ways, and-to-keep His-commandments, and-to-cleave to-Him, and-to-serve-Him with-all your-heart and-with-all your-soul.”

Where the English smooths the original

  • רַ֣ק מְאֹ֗ד שִׁמְר֣וּ Three words pile up the urgency: raq (“only / nothing but”), mə·’ōḏ (“exceedingly”), šim·rū (imperative “keep / guard”). Literally “Only — exceedingly — keep!” BSB’s “But be very careful to observe” is faithful in sense, but the Hebrew front-loads an almost breathless intensity Keil names: the expressions are “crowded together, so that obedience to God's commands may be the more deeply impressed on their hearts.”
  • וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ ū·lə·ḏā·ḇə·qāh ḇōw (H1692), “and to cleave to Him” — the verb dābaq of Genesis 2:24 (a man cleaves to his wife). The Pulpit Commentary presses it: “The Hebrew is stronger, cleave into Him… regarding not so much isolated actions as principles of life.” This is the positive twin of the “forsake” (ʿāzab) of v. 3.
  • בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם “With all your lēbāb (heart) and with all your nephesh (soul).” This is the Shema’s own language (Deuteronomy 6:5). Nephesh is not an immaterial soul but the whole breathing life. BSB is right, but the phrase is a deliberate quotation — Joshua hands the eastern tribes Moses’ first commandment as their travelling rule.
Word by word30 · parsed+
רַ֣ק׀raqButH7535
√ raq — properly, leanness, iAdverb
raq (“only”) narrows everything to one thing. The whole future of these isolated tribes is funneled into a single charge: keep the law by loving God. Gill saw the pastoral point — they go “where they would be at a distance from the tabernacle, altar, and service of God, and might be under temptation.”
מְאֹ֗דmə·’ōḏbe veryH3966
√ mᵉʼôd — properly, vehemence, iAdverb
שִׁמְר֣וּšim·rūcarefulH8104
√ shâmar — properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), iVerbQalImperativemasculine plural
לַעֲשׂ֨וֹתla·‘ă·śō·wṯto observeH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַמִּצְוָ֣הham·miṣ·wāhthe commandmentH4687
√ mitsvâh — a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)ArticleNounfeminine singular
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-andH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
הַתּוֹרָה֮hat·tō·w·rāhthe lawH8451
√ tôwrâh — a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or PentateuchArticleNounfeminine singular
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
מֹשֶׁ֣הmō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
עֶֽבֶד־‘e·ḇeḏ-the servantH5650
√ ʻebed — a servantNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָה֒Yah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
צִוָּ֣הṣiw·wāhgave youH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
אֶתְכֶם֮’eṯ·ḵemH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markersecond person masculine plural
לְ֠אַהֲבָהlə·’a·hă·ḇāhto loveH157
√ ʼâhab — to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
lə·’a·hă·ḇāh (H157), “to love,” is the first of five infinitives that define covenant faithfulness: love, walk, keep, cleave, serve. Obedience here begins not with duty but with affection — Matthew Henry: “to love the Lord our God, as the best of beings, and the best of friends.”
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
יְהוָ֨הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֜ם’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵemyour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
וְלָלֶ֧כֶתwə·lā·le·ḵeṯto walkH1980
√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
בְּכָל־bə·ḵālin allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
דְּרָכָ֛יוdə·rā·ḵāwHis waysH1870
√ derek — a road (as trodden)Nouncommon plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְלִשְׁמֹ֥רwə·liš·mōrto keepH8104
√ shâmar — properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), iConjunctive waw, Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
מִצְוֺתָ֖יוmiṣ·wō·ṯāwHis commandmentsH4687
√ mitsvâh — a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)Nounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וּלְדָבְקָה־ū·lə·ḏā·ḇə·qāh-to hold fastH1692
√ dâbaq — properly, to impinge, iConjunctive waw, Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
On dābaq (cleave): the same verb names Israel’s required posture toward God all through Deuteronomy (10:20; 11:22; 30:20), always paired with love. The shared pair dābaq + ’āhab is the verified basis for the thread to Deuteronomy 30:20.
ב֑וֹḇōwto Him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
וּלְעָבְד֕וֹū·lə·‘ā·ḇə·ḏōwand to serve HimH5647
√ ʻâbad — to work (in any sense)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person masculine singular
ū·lə·‘ā·ḇə·ḏōw (H5647), “and to serve Him,” closes the chain. The same root ʿabad underlies ʿebed, “servant” — the title given Moses throughout this unit. To serve the LORD is to take Moses’ own name: servant.
בְּכָל־bə·ḵālwith allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
לְבַבְכֶ֖םlə·ḇaḇ·ḵemyour heartH3824
√ lêbâb — the heart (as the most interior organ)Nounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine plural
וּבְכָל־ū·ḇə·ḵāland with allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive waw, Preposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃nap̄·šə·ḵemyour soulH5315
√ nephesh — properly, a breathing creature, iNounfeminine singular constructsecond person masculine plural
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
Cleave unto Him. The Hebrew is stronger, cleave into Him, as though regarding not so much isolated actions as principles of life. Our life was to be "rooted and grounded," to use an apostolic phrase, in His. But the full significance of these words could not be understood till One had come who enabled us by faith to "eat His flesh and drink His blood," and so be united to Him as the branch to its root.
✦Matthew HenryConcise Commentary on the Whole Bible1706
In particular to love the Lord our God, as the best of beings, and the best of friends; and as far as that principle rules in the heart, there will be constant care and endeavour to walk in his ways, even those that are narrow and up-hill.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
Joshua appends to the acknowledgment of their fidelity in the performance of their duty the pressing admonition, to continue still to observe the law of Moses faithfully, to walk in the ways of the Lord and serve Him with the whole heart, which was simply a repetition of what Moses had impressed in a fatherly way upon the hearts of the people (see Deuteronomy 4:4 , Deuteronomy 4:29 ; Deuteronomy 6:5 ; Deuteronomy 10:12 ; Deuteronomy 11:13 , etc.).
Keil lists the Deuteronomy parents of this charge — the same verses the Shema-language and the dābaq/’āhab thread point back to.
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
This advice Joshua thought proper to give them, and inculcate into them, now they were about to leave their brethren, and go on the other side Jordan; where they would be at a distance from the tabernacle, altar, and service of God, and might be under temptation to relinquish it, and set up another form of worship elsewhere.
Gill reads the charge as foresight: the warning anticipates the altar-crisis of vv. 10–34.
6“So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went…”+

6So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ way·ḇā·rə·ḵêm way·šal·lə·ḥêm way·yê·lə·ḵū ’el- ’ā·ho·lê·hem

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“And-blessed-them Joshua, and-sent-them-away; and-they-went to their-tents.”

Where the English smooths the original

  • וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖ם way·ḇā·rə·ḵêm (H1288, Piel), “and he blessed them” — the root bārak, whose primitive sense is “to kneel.” A blessing is not a wish but an act of bending the knee on another’s behalf. Geneva: “He commended them to God, and prayed for them.” BSB’s plain “blessed them” is right, but the gesture buried in the word is intercession.
  • וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֔ם way·šal·lə·ḥêm (H7971, Piel), “and he sent them away.” The intensive stem is a formal discharge / dismissal, the same verb used to release a servant or send away an army. BSB’s “sent them on their way” is gentle; the Hebrew is the authoritative act of a commander granting leave.
Word by word6 · parsed+
יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַyə·hō·wō·šu·a‘So JoshuaH3091
√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular
וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖םway·ḇā·rə·ḵêmblessed themH1288
√ bârak — to kneelConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine plural
The blessing and the dismissal are paired Piel verbs — Joshua does not merely permit departure, he consecrates it. Cambridge links this to “the blessing of the workers of the Tabernacle (Exodus 39:43)” and “the blessing of Caleb by Joshua (Joshua 14:13)”: completed faithful work draws a blessing.
וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֔םway·šal·lə·ḥêmand sent them on their wayH7971
√ shâlach — to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine plural
וַיֵּלְכ֖וּway·yê·lə·ḵūand they wentH1980
√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine plural
way·yê·lə·ḵū (“and they went”) is the quiet narrative close — Maclaren marvels how “quietly the writer tells it.” After seven years of war, the disbanding gets a single verb of walking home.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אָהֳלֵיהֶֽם׃ס’ā·ho·lê·hemtheir homesH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
’ā·ho·lê·hem, “their tents,” repeats v. 4’s antiquated word for home. The Pulpit Commentary, quoting Bishop Hall: “If heaven be never so sweet to us, yet may wee not runne from this earthen warfare till our great Captaine shall please to discharge us.”
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
So Joshua {d} blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents. (d) He commended them to God, and prayed for them.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
"Those that were first in the assignment of the land were last in the enjoyment of it; so 'the last shall be first and the first last,' that there may be something of equality" (Matthew Henry). The first part of the quotation is due to Bishop Hall, who also says, "If heaven be never so sweet to us, yet may wee not runne from this earthen warfare till our great Captaine shall please to discharge us."
Carries two earlier voices — Henry and Bishop Hall — on the discharge as a figure of being summoned home.
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
So Joshua blessed them ] Comp. ( a ) the blessing of the workers of the Tabernacle ( Exodus 39:43 ), and ( b ) the blessing of Caleb by Joshua ( Joshua 14:13 ).
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
Dismissed them from his presence with a blessing, in order to go to their own country; this he did by wishing them well, praying to God for a blessing on them, their persons, and families, who had been so useful in assisting their brethren to get possession of the land of Canaan.
7“(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, a…”+

7(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he blessed them,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·la·ḥă·ṣî šê·ḇeṭ ham·naš·šeh mō·šeh nā·ṯan bab·bā·šān ū·lə·ḥeṣ·yōw yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ nā·ṯan yām·māh wə·ḡam mē·ʿē·ḇɛr hay·yar·dên ‘im- ’ă·ḥê·hem kî yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘ šil·lə·ḥām ’el- ’ā·ho·lê·hem way·ḇā·ră·ḵêm

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“And-to-the-half-of the-tribe-of Manasseh Moses had-given in-the-Bashan, and-to-its-other-half Joshua gave with their-brothers on-the-west, across-the-Jordan. And-also, when Joshua sent-them to their-tents, then-he-blessed-them,”

Where the English smooths the original

  • נָתַ֣ן The verb nā·ṯan (H5414), “gave,” stands twice — Moses gave (in Bashan), Joshua gave (in the west) — but Keil notes its object is left unstated: “The verb nāṯan (gave) wants its object… which may easily be supplied from the context.” BSB helpfully inserts “land”; the Hebrew leaves the gift hanging on the bare verb, two givers under one act.
  • יָ֑מָּה yām·māh (H3220), literally “seaward.” The word for west in Hebrew is simply “toward the [Mediterranean] sea” — direction named by geography. BSB’s “on the west side” is correct but flattens the idiom: in Israel’s mental map, west is the sea.
  • וַיְבָרֲכֵֽם Again way·ḇā·ră·ḵêm (H1288), “he blessed them” — repeated from v. 6. Benson reads the repetition as pointed: this blessing “was peculiarly and separately given to the half-tribe of Manasseh,” Joshua’s own near kin. The doubling is not redundancy but a second, more personal benediction.
Word by word21 · parsed+
וְלַחֲצִ֣י׀wə·la·ḥă·ṣîTo the half-tribeH2677
√ chêtsîy — the half or middleConjunctive waw, Preposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular construct
The whole verse is a parenthetical recap — the Hebrew narrator’s habit. The line “The Jewish historian scarcely ever quotes or reminds, but repeats so much as may be necessary to make his account of the transaction in hand fully intelligible by itself” is the Speaker’s Commentary’s (quoted in the Cambridge Bible and carried verbatim by Albert Barnes); Keil states the same point in his own words — “the copious breadth of the early historical style of the Hebrews, which abounded in repetitions.” The half-tribe split sits on both sides of the Jordan, and the writer pauses to say so a fourth time.
שֵׁ֣בֶטšê·ḇeṭ. . .H7626
√ shêbeṭ — a scion, iNounmasculine singular construct
הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֗הham·naš·šehof ManassehH4519
√ Mᵉnashsheh — Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryArticleNounpropermasculine singular
Mᵉnashsheh — Ellicott’s wordplay turns the geography theological: the tribe whose name means “forgetting” (Genesis 41:51) becomes a figure for those who, in his own gloss, “Forgetting (Heb., M ’ nâsheh — i.e., Manasseh) the things that were behind, and reaching forth unto the things before” (echoing Philippians 3:13), “would take nothing but what He gave.” The pun is Ellicott’s, not the Hebrew author’s — a homiletical flourish, marked as such.
מֹשֶׁה֮mō·šehMosesH4872
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
נָתַ֣ןnā·ṯanhad given landH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
בַּבָּשָׁן֒bab·bā·šānin BashanH1316
√ Bâshân — Bashan (often with the article), a region East of the JordanPreposition-b, ArticleNounproperfeminine singular
bab·bā·šān, “in Bashan” (H1316) — the fertile uplands of Og’s former kingdom, east of Jordan. Half of Manasseh inherits there from Moses; half inherits west from Joshua. One tribe, two givers, two sides of the river.
וּלְחֶצְי֗וֹū·lə·ḥeṣ·yōwand to the other halfH2677
√ chêtsîy — the half or middleConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙yə·hō·wō·šu·a‘JoshuaH3091
√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular
נָתַ֤ןnā·ṯangave landH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
יָ֑מָּהyām·māhon the westH3220
√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular
וְ֠גַםwə·ḡamH1571
√ gam — properly, assemblageConjunction
מֵעֵבֶרmē·ʿē·ḇɛrsideH5676
√ ʻêber — properly, a region acrossPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ןhay·yar·dênof the JordanH3383
√ Yardên — Jarden, the principal river of PalestineArticleNounproperfeminine singular
עִם־‘im-amongH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition
אֲחֵיהֶ֔ם’ă·ḥê·hemtheir brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
כִּ֣יkîWhenH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַyə·hō·wō·šu·a‘JoshuaH3091
√ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — Jehoshua (iNounpropermasculine singular
שִׁלְּחָ֧םšil·lə·ḥāmsent themH7971
√ shâlach — to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)VerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine plural
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אָהֳלֵיהֶ֖ם’ā·ho·lê·hemtheir homesH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
וַיְבָרֲכֵֽם׃way·ḇā·ră·ḵêmhe blessed themH1288
√ bârak — to kneelConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine plural
The closing way·ḇā·ră·ḵêm repeats the verb of v. 6 precisely; the chapter folds the blessing back on itself so that the last word over the departing tribes is, twice, blessed.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
In the spiritual world these two and a half tribes answer to the people who received their inheritance from Moses (i.e., from the law); the others are those who received nothing until they followed Joshua, i.e., the Captain of salvation, Jesus Christ, who gives rest to all. When He came, His own people were divided, like the tribe of Manasseh. Some could not forsake Moses, a sacrifice which they thought He required of them; some gave up all, and followed Him.
Ellicott’s figural reading of the divided tribe — and of Joshua as type of Jesus, “the Captain of salvation.”
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
Then he blessed them — Not only prayed for them as a friend, but blessed them as a father, in the name of the Lord, recommending them, their families, and affairs to the grace of God. It seems probable, from the manner in which this is stated, that this his blessing was peculiarly and separately given to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
To us such repetitions appear superfluous; but they are closely connected with the copious breadth of the early historical style of the Hebrews, which abounded in repetitions. The verb נתן (gave) wants its object, אחזּתו or נחלתו, which may easily be supplied from the context.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
Yet this, to which critics of the analytical school have objected as a sign of spuriousness, is in fact one of those peculiarities of style which mark the individuality of the writer.
On the fourfold repetition of Manasseh’s divided inheritance — style, not spuriousness.
✦Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834
The Jewish historian scarcely ever quotes or reminds, but repeats so much as may be necessary to make his account of the transaction in hand fully intelligible by itself.
The exact words the note above cites — Barnes carries the Speaker’s Commentary’s formulation (the Cambridge Bible quotes the same line and credits “The Speaker’s Commentary, in loc.”). Corrects an earlier draft that ascribed the phrasing to Keil, who in fact states the point in his own wording.
8“saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immen…”+

8saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·yō·mer šū·ḇū ’el- ’ă·lê·hem lê·mōr ’ā·ho·lê·ḵem rab·bîm bin·ḵā·sîm raḇ- mə·’ōḏ ū·ḇə·miq·neh bə·ḵe·sep̄ ū·ḇə·zā·hāḇ ū·ḇin·ḥō·šeṯ ū·ḇə·ḇar·zel har·bêh mə·’ōḏ ū·ḇiś·lā·mō·wṯ ḥil·qū ‘im- ’ă·ḥê·ḵem šə·lal- ’ō·yə·ḇê·ḵem

Literal — word-for-word from the original

“and-he-said to-them, saying: With-much wealth return to your-tents, and-with very-much livestock, with-silver and-with-gold and-with-bronze and-with-iron and-with-garments very-many; divide the-spoil-of your-enemies with your-brothers.”

Where the English smooths the original

  • בִּנְכָסִ֨ים bin·ḵā·sîm (H5233), “with wealth / treasure.” The Pulpit Commentary notes “The word here used is an uncommon one, and occurs only here and in the later Hebrew.” It is genuinely rare — only five verses in the whole Bible — which is exactly why it verbally fingerprints Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 1:11–12. BSB’s “great wealth” is right; the rarity is invisible in English.
  • חִלְק֥וּ ḥil·qū (H2505), imperative “divide / apportion” — from a root meaning “to be smooth,” then “to allot / share out.” It is the same verb family used for dividing the land by lot. The booty is to be parceled like an inheritance: BSB’s “Divide” is exact, but the word ties the spoil to the law of shared possession.
  • שְׁלַל־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֖ם “The šālāl (spoil, H7998) of your ’ōyēḇ (enemies).” ’Ōyēḇ is a participle — “the ones hating you.” The wealth is named for its source: it is plunder taken from haters, now to be shared in peace with brothers. Benson and Poole both tie the command to the Mosaic law of Numbers 31:27 — those who stayed to guard share with those who fought.
Word by word23 · parsed+
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרway·yō·mersayingH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
שׁ֤וּבוּšū·ḇūReturnH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbQalImperativemasculine plural
šū·ḇū (H7725), “return,” opens the final word — the great verb šûb, “turn back,” used everywhere of repentance and homecoming. Here it is literal: turn back to your land. They go home not empty but laden.
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם’ă·lê·hemtoH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine plural
לֵאמֹ֗רlê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אָֽהֳלֵיכֶם֙’ā·ho·lê·ḵemyour homesH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
רַבִּ֜יםrab·bîmwith your greatH7227
√ rab — abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)Adjectivemasculine plural
בִּנְכָסִ֨יםbin·ḵā·sîmwealthH5233
√ nekeç — treasurePreposition-bNounmasculine plural
On nᵉkeç (wealth): its rarity is the whole point of the thread to 2 Chronicles 1. The same uncommon word for amassed wealth links the faithful tribes’ homeward riches to Solomon, who is told he may have nᵉkeç only because he did not ask for it. Wealth received as gift, not grasped.
רַב־raḇ-with immenseH7227
√ rab — abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)Adjectivemasculine singular
מְאֹ֔דmə·’ōḏ. . .H3966
√ mᵉʼôd — properly, vehemence, iAdverb
וּבְמִקְנֶ֣הū·ḇə·miq·nehherds of livestockH4735
√ miqneh — something bought, iConjunctive waw, Preposition-bNounmasculine singular
בְּכֶ֨סֶףbə·ḵe·sep̄with silverH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular
וּבְזָהָ֜בū·ḇə·zā·hāḇgoldH2091
√ zâhâb — gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (iConjunctive waw, Preposition-bNounmasculine singular
וּבִנְחֹ֧שֶׁתū·ḇin·ḥō·šeṯbronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iConjunctive waw, Preposition-bNounfeminine singular
וּבְבַרְזֶ֛לū·ḇə·ḇar·zelironH1270
√ barzel — iron (as cutting)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-bNounmasculine singular
הַרְבֵּ֣הhar·bêhand very manyH7235
√ râbâh — to increase (in whatever respect)VerbHifilInfinitive absolute
מְאֹ֑דmə·’ōḏ. . .H3966
√ mᵉʼôd — properly, vehemence, iAdverb
וּבִשְׂלָמ֖וֹתū·ḇiś·lā·mō·wṯclothesH8008
√ salmâh — a dressConjunctive waw, Preposition-bNounfeminine plural
חִלְק֥וּḥil·qūDivideH2505
√ châlaq — to be smooth (figuratively)VerbQalImperativemasculine plural
ḥil·qū, “divide,” enacts brotherhood. Those who guarded the home front share equally in the plunder of the war — the principle Benson traces from Numbers 31 through to David’s statute in 1 Samuel 30:24–25. The unit that began with brothers helping brothers (vv. 2–3) ends with brothers sharing spoil.
עִם־‘im-withH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition
אֲחֵיכֶֽם׃פ’ă·ḥê·ḵemyour brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
’ă·ḥê·ḵem (“your brothers,” H251) is the unit’s closing word in the Hebrew clause — the same word that named the kinsmen they refused to forsake (v. 3). The charge ends where the commendation began: on the bond of brothers.
שְׁלַל־šə·lal-the spoilH7998
√ shâlâl — bootyNounmasculine singular construct
אֹיְבֵיכֶ֖ם’ō·yə·ḇê·ḵemof your enemiesH341
√ ʼôyêb — hatingVerbQalParticiplemasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
Divide the spoil with your brethren — That is, with them who stayed beyond Jordan for the defence of their land, and wives, and children, who therefore were to have a share, though not an equal share with these.
Benson (citing Dodd) traces the spoil-sharing custom from Numbers 31 to David’s law in 1 Samuel 30:24–25.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
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 observe the strict and scrupulous integrity of Joshua.
Notes the rarity of nᵉkeç (“wealth”) — the lexeme that grounds the 2 Chronicles 1:11 thread.
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
With them who staid beyond Jordan for the defence of their land, and wives, and children, who therefore were to have a share, though not an equal share, with these. See Numbers 31:27 . But for them, 1 Samuel 30:24 , their share was equal, because their danger was equal.
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
divide the spoil of your enemies with your {e} brethren. (e) Who remained at home and did not go to the war, Nu 31:27 1Sa 30:24.
✣

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙Grand Commentary — the unit, read wholesynthesis · verify+

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The end of the war, told quietly — 1–3

The chapter opens on a seam. Alexander Maclaren caught its restraint exactly: “how quietly the writer tells it, so that we have to bethink ourselves before we apprehend that we are reading the account of an epoch-making event!” Seven years of fighting close not with a triumph-song but with a roll-call — “to-the-Reubenite, to-the-Gadite, to-the-half-of Manasseh” (v. 1). The Hebrew names the tribes in the singular, the Pulpit Commentary notes, “in the original in the singular,” each tribe a single corporate man. And those two gentilic names — Rᵉʼûwbênîy and Gâdîy — are rare enough (17 and 16 verses in the whole Bible) that Keil & Delitzsch can name what they do: “the summons to these tribes… formed the commencement of Joshua's plans for the conquest of Canaan ( Joshua 1:12 .), their dismission to their home very properly forms the conclusion to the history of the conquest of this land by the Israelites.” The book is framed; 1:12 commissioned them, 22:1 sends them home. Joshua’s commendation rests on the verb šāmar, “keep / guard” (v. 2 “you have kept,” v. 3 “you have kept”), the watch-word that Jamieson found piled up to remarkable “redundancy.” They had not “forsaken” (ʿāzab, v. 3) their brothers “these many days” — a phrase the Pulpit Commentary weights as “a great many days, the usual expression for a period of considerable length.”

ii. Rest given, and the one charge — 4–5

“And-now YHWH your-God has-given rest to-your-brothers” (v. 4). The verb is hēnîaḥ, the Deuteronomic keyword for settled peace after conquest — and the Pulpit Commentary records the bridge that the Greek translators built across it: “LXX. κατέπαυσε , the word used in Hebrews 4:8 .” Rest given becomes rest promised; the conquest becomes a figure. Then comes the whole speech narrowed to a point — “Only — exceedingly — keep!” (v. 5). Keil describes the crowding: the admonition “to continue still to observe the law of Moses faithfully… was simply a repetition of what Moses had impressed in a fatherly way” (Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; 11:13). Five infinitives chain together — love, walk, keep, cleave, serve — and they are the Shema’s own words, “with all your heart and with all your soul.” The pivot is dābaq, “cleave” (the verb of Genesis 2:24); the Pulpit Commentary presses it past duty into union: “cleave into Him… But the full significance of these words could not be understood till One had come who enabled us… to be united to Him as the branch to its root.” Gill sees the pastoral urgency: they go “at a distance from the tabernacle, altar, and service of God, and might be under temptation” — a warning the next twenty-six verses will prove well aimed.

iii. Blessed, sent, and laden home — 6–8

Twice Joshua “blessed them” (vv. 6, 7) — the verb bārak, whose root is “to kneel.” Geneva reads the gesture plainly: “He commended them to God, and prayed for them.” Benson hears the second blessing as personal: it “was peculiarly and separately given to the half-tribe of Manasseh,” Joshua’s own near kin. The narrator pauses (v. 7) to recall, a fourth time, that Manasseh sits on both sides of Jordan — a repetition the Pulpit Commentary defends as “one of those peculiarities of style which mark the individuality of the writer,” not a seam of forgery. And Ellicott turns the divided tribe into a parable: the name Manasseh means “forgetting,” and these are they who, “reaching forth unto the things before,” “would take nothing but what He gave.” The last word (v. 8) is wealth and brotherhood together: they return “with much wealth” — nᵉkeç, a word the Pulpit Commentary flags as “uncommon… occurs only here and in the later Hebrew” — and are told to “Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies” (BSB), the law Poole roots in Numbers 31:27 and David’s statute, 1 Samuel 30:24. The unit that opened on brothers not forsaken closes on brothers given their share.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Scripture alone, this passage is the Bible’s own commentary on what counts as a finished work. The war is not declared over by a victory but by a discharge: the soldiers are kept under the banner — the Pulpit Commentary reckons it possibly fourteen years — until their Commander releases them, and not a day before. Their faithfulness is measured in two directions at once: they did not forsake (ʿāzab) their brothers (v. 3), and they are charged not to forsake their God but to cleave (dābaq) to Him (v. 5) — the same covenant antonym Deuteronomy uses, so that loyalty to brothers and loyalty to the LORD are made one fabric. The whole dense charge collapses into a single rare word repeated through the unit, šāmar, “keep”: keep the commandment, keep the charge, be careful, keep. And the reward is not rest earned but rest given — “YHWH your-God has-given rest” — handed down, like the plunder, to be shared. Where the text presses hardest is the seam between possession and obedience: these tribes already have their land (v. 4), yet the only thing Joshua urges on them is to keep loving and serving, “for then” the inheritance is enjoyed and not lost. This is a fallible reading, to be tested: the passage seems to say that arriving at the inheritance is not the danger; forgetting the Giver once you arrive is — which is precisely the crisis the altar at the Jordan (vv. 10–34) will dramatize before the chapter ends.

Rest is given, not earned — and the only charge over those who have arrived is not to forget the One who gave it.

⚙Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripturecross-refs · verify+

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Commissioned at the start, dismissed at the end (the book’s frame) verbal / quotation — confirmed

The same three groups Joshua summons home — Reuben, Gad, half-Manasseh — are the ones he commissioned in Joshua 1:12 at the war’s opening. Keil & Delitzsch name the inclusio outright: the summons “formed the commencement of Joshua's plans,” the dismission “the conclusion to the history of the conquest.” The link is verbally hard, not merely thematic: the gentilics Gâdîy (16 vv) and Rᵉʼûwbênîy (17 vv) are rare, and they recur together with chêtsîy (half) and Mᵉnashsheh.

Joshua 1:12

basis: shared rare lexemes H1425 Gâdîy (16 vv) + H7206 Rᵉʼûwbênîy (17 vv) + H2677 chêtsîy + H4519 Mᵉnashsheh + H3091 Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ — the low-frequency gentilics make this a verbal fingerprint, not a generic theme

Kept all that Moses commanded — the promise redeemed structural / thematic — confirmed

Joshua’s commendation in v. 2 (“you have kept all that Moses… commanded you, and you obeyed my voice”) cashes the eastern tribes’ own pledge from Joshua 1:16, “Everything you have commanded us we will do” (BSB). Ellicott notes that “The words of Joshua 22:2-3 recall the promise of Joshua 1:16.” The shared verb ṣāvāh (“command”) binds the pledge to its fulfillment.

Joshua 1:16 · Numbers 32:20

basis: shared lexeme H6680 tsâvâh (command, 474 vv) with Joshua 1:16; the Numbers 32:20 tie (the original Mosaic condition) shares H2088 zeh but rests on narrative dependence, named by Keil

The LORD gave rest — and rest still remains typological

“YHWH your-God has-given rest” (v. 4) declares fulfilled the rest promised in Joshua 1:15 and announced in Joshua 21:44 (“the LORD gave them rest”). The Hebrew verb nûaḥ carries it. Reaching across the Testaments, the Pulpit Commentary records that the LXX rendered the idea with κατέπαυσε — “the word used in Hebrews 4:8,” where this very conquest-rest becomes a figure of the Sabbath-rest still open to God’s people. Because Hebrews is Greek and Joshua Hebrew, no shared Strong’s number can join them; the link is the translators’ word and the typology, argued not asserted.

Joshua 21:44 · Joshua 1:15 · Hebrews 4:8-9

basis: Hebrew↔Hebrew: shared H5117 nûwach (rest, 139 vv) joins 22:4 to 21:44 and 1:15. The cross-Testament tie to Hebrews 4:8 is Greek↔Hebrew — no shared Strong’s; it rests on the LXX κατέπαυσε (noted in the Pulpit Commentary) and the figural reading of conquest-rest. Widely held; marked typological, never verbal.

Love and cleave with all your heart — the Shema carried east structural / thematic — confirmed

The five infinitives of v. 5 — love, walk, keep, cleave, serve “with all your heart and with all your soul” — are Moses’ first commandment handed to the departing tribes. Keil lists the parents: Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; 11:13. The tightest verbal tie is to Deuteronomy 30:20, which pairs the same two verbs Joshua uses, ’āhab (love) and dābaq (cleave) — the covenant posture Israel owes the LORD.

Deuteronomy 30:20 · Deuteronomy 6:5

basis: shared lexemes H1692 dâbaq (cleave, 52 vv) + H157 ʼâhab (love, 197 vv) with Deuteronomy 30:20; neither lexeme is rare enough to be a verbal fingerprint (the Verifier returns structural, not verbal), so this is the recurring Deuteronomic covenant-pair, not a quotation. The Shema tie (Deut 6:5) adds H3824 lêbâb + H5315 nephesh + H3966 mᵉʼôd — Joshua reuses Moses’ covenant vocabulary, but it is shared idiom, downgraded from verbal accordingly

Wealth you did not ask for — the rare word nᵉkeç verbal / quotation — confirmed

The eastern tribes go home “with much wealth” (v. 8); the Pulpit Commentary flags the word as “uncommon… occurs only here and in the later Hebrew.” That rare noun nᵉkeç appears in only five verses of the whole Bible — and two of them are 2 Chronicles 1:11–12, where Solomon is granted nᵉkeç precisely because he did not ask for it. The verbal echo sets a quiet theology of wealth: riches received as gift after faithful service, not grasped.

2 Chronicles 1:11 · Ecclesiastes 5:19

basis: shared rare lexeme H5233 nekeç (wealth — only 5 vv in the whole canon) with 2 Chronicles 1:11 (also sharing H7227 rab + H5973 ʻim); the rarity makes this a true verbal fingerprint rather than a generic wealth-motif

Divide the spoil with your brothers — the law of shared plunder structural / thematic — confirmed

The closing command (v. 8), “Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies” (BSB), applies the Mosaic statute of Numbers 31:27 — those who guarded the home share with those who fought — which David later fixed as permanent law in 1 Samuel 30:24–25. Benson and Poole both trace the chain. The verb ḥālaq (“divide / apportion”) is the verbal tie to David’s ruling.

1 Samuel 30:24 · Numbers 31:27

basis: shared lexeme H2505 châlaq (divide/apportion, 64 vv) with 1 Samuel 30:24. The Numbers 31:27 tie shares no indexed lexeme (flagged by the Verifier) and rests on legal dependence named by Benson and Poole — included as the cited source, not asserted as verbal

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify+

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

Joshua, the Captain who gives rest ancient/widely-held

The figure is ancient and Joshua bears the name. Ellicott draws it explicitly: the tribes who “received nothing until they followed Joshua” answer to those who follow “the Captain of salvation, Jesus Christ, who gives rest to all.” The Hebrew Yᵉhôwshûwaʿ is the name rendered Ἰησοῦς, Jesus, in Greek; and the “rest” he announces in v. 4 (hēnîaḥ / LXX κατέπαυσε) is the very word Hebrews 4:8 takes up to argue that Joshua’s rest was not the final one — “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day” (BSB). The conquest-rest is a down-payment; the true Joshua leads into the Sabbath-rest that remains.

Hebrews 4:8-9 · Matthew 11:28-29 · Joshua 22:4

Discharged from the war, summoned home laden with spoil novel

Maclaren reads the dismissal as a parable of the believer’s end: “these departing soldiers, leaving the battlefield with their commander’s praise and benediction, laden with much wealth, the spoil of their enemies… may be taken… as symbols of the faithful servants and soldiers of the true Joshua, at the end of their long warfare passing to the ‘kingdom prepared for them before the foundation of the world.’” They are not driven off but called home — blessed, sent, given their share. The figure is a permissible play of fancy (Maclaren says as much), an application rather than a fixed type — read here as edifying, not as a claim that the text encodes it.

Matthew 25:34 · 2 Timothy 4:7-8 · Joshua 22:6 · Joshua 22:8

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

This unit is a Hebrew narrative; every parse, gloss, and Strong’s number comes from the Berean/Strong’s data and the literal layer is built up from it, not back-translated from the BSB. Four honesty flags. (1) The Hebrews 4:8 “rest” link is cross-Testament. Joshua is Hebrew, Hebrews is Greek, so no shared Strong’s number can join them; the connection runs through the LXX’s κατέπαυσε (noted by the Pulpit Commentary at v. 4) and a figural reading. It is tiered typological, not verbal, and is ancient and widely held — but it is the translators’ word, not the Hebrew author’s, so we do not overclaim. (2) The Numbers 31:27 tie at v. 8 shares no indexed lexeme. The Verifier returns “no shared original-language lexeme,” so it is included only because Benson, Poole, and Keil name it as the legal source of Joshua’s spoil-sharing command — cited provenance, not asserted verbal dependence. (3) The Deuteronomy 30:20 “love / cleave” tie is structural, not verbal. An earlier draft tiered it verbal / quotation, but the shared lexemes — H1692 dābaq (cleave, 52 vv) and H157 ’āhab (love, 197 vv) — are not rare enough to be a fingerprint, and the Verifier returns structural. It is the recurring Deuteronomic covenant-pair (Deut 10:20; 11:22; 30:20), genuine but not a quotation; the badge has been downgraded accordingly. (4) Two attributions corrected. The line “The Jewish historian scarcely ever quotes or reminds, but repeats so much as may be necessary…” is the Speaker’s Commentary’s (quoted in the Cambridge Bible, carried verbatim by Albert Barnes), not Keil’s, who states the same point in his own words; and Ellicott’s “Manasseh = forgetting” pun (Gen 41:51; echoing Phil 3:13) is a homiletical flourish of his, not a claim about the Hebrew author’s intent, and is marked as such. Where the literal layer differs from the BSB (e.g. “tents” for “homes,” the singular gentilics, the rare word nᵉkeç), the difference is documented from the named public-domain commentators, not invented. The Christ section distinguishes the ancient, widely held Joshua-as-Jesus / rest typology (attested in Hebrews itself) from Maclaren’s explicitly fanciful application of the discharge scene, which is marked novel. All commentary here is fallible synthesis (⚙) over verbatim public-domain voices (✦) and the Word (BSB); weigh it against Scripture.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)