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the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Contemporary English Version

Joshua 22:10

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan River valley and built a huge altar there beside the river. When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Altar;   Gad;   Haste;   Motive;   Prudence;   Reubenites;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Altars;   Gad, the Tribe of;   Reuben, the Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Phinehas;   Reuben;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Altar;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Manasseh;   Testimony;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ed;   Jordan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ed;   Geliloth;   Joshua;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Witness;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Altar;   Government of the Hebrews;   Stone;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ed;   Geliloth;   Joshua, Book of;   Manasseh (2);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jordan, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When they came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a large, impressive altar there by the Jordan.
Hebrew Names Version
When they came to the region about the Yarden, that is in the land of Kana`an, the children of Re'uven and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Menashsheh built there an altar by the Yarden, a great altar to look on.
King James Version
And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
Lexham English Bible
And they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, and the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar on the Jordan, a large and imposing altar.
English Standard Version
And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.
New Century Version
The people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh went to Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a beautiful altar.
New English Translation
The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built there, near the Jordan, an impressive altar.
Amplified Bible
When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, an altar that was great to behold.
New American Standard Bible
When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when they came vnto the borders of Iorden (which are in the land of Canaan) then the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh, built there an altar by Iorden, a great altar to see to.
Legacy Standard Bible
And they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.
Complete Jewish Bible
When the descendants of Re'uven, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe arrived in the area of the land of Kena‘an near the Yarden, they built an altar there by the Yarden, a large, impressive altar.
Darby Translation
And they came to the districts of the Jordan that are in the land of Canaan; and the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of grand appearance.
Easy-to-Read Version
They went to the place called Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a beautiful altar.
George Lamsa Translation
And when they came to Gilgal, which is by the side of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a large and remarkable altar.
Good News Translation
When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh arrived at Geliloth, still on the west side of the Jordan, they built a large, impressive altar there by the river.
Literal Translation
And when they came to the regions of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, then the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, an altar of grand appearance.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan they came vnto the heapes by Iordane, which lye in the londe of Canaan, the same Rubenites, Gaddites, and the halfe trybe of Manasses buylded there besyde Iordane, a fayre greate altare.
American Standard Version
And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.
Bible in Basic English
Now when they came to the country by Jordan in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh put up there, by Jordan, a great altar, seen from far.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when they came vnto the borders of Iordane that are in the land of Chanaan, there the children of Ruben, the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasses buylt there an aulter by Iordane, & that a great aulter to see to.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.
King James Version (1611)
And when they came vnto the borders of Iordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the halfe tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Iordan, a great altar to see to.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they came to Galaad of Jordan, which is in the land of Chanaan: and the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse built there an alter by Jordan, a great altar to look at.
English Revised Version
And when they came unto the region about Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
Berean Standard Bible
And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne thei hadden come to the litle hillis of Jordan, in to the lond of Canaan, thei bildiden bisidis Jordan an auter of greetnesse ouer comyn mesure.
Young's Literal Translation
and they come in unto the districts of the Jordan, which [are] in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, build there an altar by the Jordan -- a great altar for appearance.
Update Bible Version
And when they came to the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great altar to look at.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when they came to the borders of Jordan, that [are] in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to the sight.
World English Bible
When they came to the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look on.
New King James Version
And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan--a great, impressive altar.
New Living Translation
But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Geliloth near the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.
New Life Bible
The sons of Reuben and Gad and the half-family group of Manasseh came to the Jordan River. Before they crossed the Jordan, they built a very large altar on the Canaan side of the Jordan.
New Revised Standard
When they came to the region near the Jordan that lies in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of great size.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when they came into the circles of the Jordan, which were in the land of Canaan, - then did the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh build there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of large dimensions,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when they were come to banks of the Jordan, in the land of Chanaan, they built an altar immensely great near the Jordan.
Revised Standard Version
And when they came to the region about the Jordan, that lies in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manas'seh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of great size.
THE MESSAGE
They arrived at Geliloth on the Jordan (touching on Canaanite land). There the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar on the banks of the Jordan—a huge altar!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.

Contextual Overview

10The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan River valley and built a huge altar there beside the river. When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done, 12 the Israelite men met at Shiloh to get ready to attack the two and a half tribes. 13 But first they sent a priest, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, to talk with the two and a half tribes. 14 Each of the tribes at Shiloh sent the leader of one of its families along with Phinehas. 15 Phinehas and these leaders went to Gilead and met with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said: 16 All of the Lord 's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him? 17 Wasn't our people's sin at Peor terrible enough for you? The Lord punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin. 18 Now you are turning your backs on the Lord again. If you don't stop rebelling against the Lord right now, he will be angry at the whole nation. 19 If you don't think your land is a fit place to serve God, then move across the Jordan and live with us in the Lord 's own land, where his sacred tent is located. But don't rebel against the Lord our God or against us by building another altar besides the Lord 's own altar. 20 Don't you remember what happened when Achan was unfaithful and took some of the things that belonged to God? This made God angry with the entire nation. Achan died because he sinned, but he also caused the death of many others.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the children: This verse should probably be rendered, "And when they came to the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, Then built an altar by (or beyond, al) Jordan, a great altar to the view." It would appear, that when they came to the river, they formed the purpose of building the altar; and when they crossed it they put that purpose into execution. It is evident that they did not build it west of the Jordan, for that was not in their territories, and the next verse expressly says that it was built over against the land of Canaan.

built: Joshua 22:25-28, Joshua 4:5-9, Joshua 24:26, Joshua 24:27, Genesis 28:18, Genesis 31:46-52

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:27 - a witness Judges 6:24 - built Isaiah 19:19 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 22:6
Abraham put the wood on Isaac's shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along,
Genesis 22:12
"Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!" the angel said. "Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son."
Genesis 22:17
"I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live.
Genesis 22:19
Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham's home in Beersheba.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that [are] in the land of Canaan,.... To the banks of it, or the sand heaps, some take the word to signify, which were thrown up to restrain the waters from overflowing; some by Geliloth understand a place so called; and Jerom g says it was near Jordan in the tribe of Benjamin: but rather the word signifies the meanders, windings, and turnings, of the river h; and such circuits and compasses it fetched near Jericho, as the same writer i observes, where we may suppose these tribes went over, and at a place where the river jetted out into the land of Canaan:

the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, built there an altar by Jordan; or "then"; that is, when they had passed over the river into their own country, for which Josephus is express k; and certain it is, that the altar was built not on the Canaan side of Jordan, but on the opposite side, as is clear from Joshua 22:11: and indeed they had no right to build on any other ground than their own; and they pitched upon a spot where the river jetted out into the land of Canaan, as most proper to erect it on, to be a witness, that though separated from the rest of the Israelites by the river Jordan, yet were a part of them, and had a right to join them in the service of God, and bring their sacrifices to the altar of God in the tabernacle, as more fully appears in some after verses:

a great altar to see to; built up very high, so that it might be seen at a great distance.

g De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C. h Vid. Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 170, 573. Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 1. l. 1. c. 43. p. 274, 279. i Ut supra, (De loc. Heb. fol. 92.) G. k Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 26.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The two tribes and a half erected this altar in order to keep alive their claim to have the same interest as the other tribes had in the sanctuary of God, which was established on the west side of Jordan: and in order to forestall any assertion that the Jordan itself was a natural barrier of exclusion between them and the sanctuary, they built it on the west or Canaanite bank of the Jordan and not on the east.

The word rendered “borders” is noteworthy; it means circuits, arrondissements.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 22:10. The borders of Jordan, that are in - Canaan — This verse can never mean that they built the altar on the west side of Jordan, for this was not in their territories; nor could it be a place for the purpose of public worship to their own people, if built on the opposite side of Jordan; besides, the next verse says it was built over against the land of Canaan. It appears that when they came to the river they formed the purpose of building the altar; and when they had crossed it they executed their purpose.

A great altar to see to. — A vast mass of earth, stones, &c., elevated to a great height, to serve as a memorial of the transactions that had already taken place. Probably it was intended also to serve as a kind of watchtower, being of a stupendous height, altare infinitae magnitudinis, an altar of an immense size, as the Vulgate terms it.


 
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