Joshua 22

Chapters 13–21 of the book of Joshua deal with the distribution of the land. Joshua 21 completes the allotment of cities to the Levites and closes by stating that the LORD gave Israel rest round about. Chapter 22 continues by telling how the tribes from east of the Jordan, who had joined in the wars to conquer Canaan, are sent back to their homes.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Joshua summons the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He commends them for not leaving their brethren and for keeping the commandments, urges them to do the law and to love the LORD, and then blesses them and sends them away.
• Verses 7–9 Joshua tells them to divide their great riches and spoil with their brethren. They depart from Shiloh and go to Gilead.
• Verses 10–12 They build "a great altar to see to" by the borders of the Jordan. When the whole congregation hears of it, they gather at Shiloh to go up to war against them.
• Verses 13–20 Phinehas and ten princes, one from each tribe, go to Gilead. Citing the iniquity of Peor and the trespass of Achan, they rebuke the eastern tribes, declaring that building another altar is rebellion against the LORD.
• Verses 21–29 The three tribes explain that the altar is not for offering sacrifices. It is a witness, erected so that their descendants will not be told, "Ye have no part in the LORD."
• Verses 30–34 The delegation accepts the explanation and returns to report. Israel blesses God and abandons the plan for war. The altar is called Ed.

Key Verses

• Joshua 22:5 "to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways" — Joshua's charge, which condenses the demands of Deuteronomy.
• Joshua 22:31 "now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD" — the turning point at which the conflict is resolved.
• Joshua 22:34 "for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God" — the verse that preserves the purpose of the altar in its name.

People and Places

• Joshua: The leader of Israel, who blesses the eastern tribes and sends them home.
• The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh: The tribes that received their inheritance east of the Jordan in the time of Moses (Numbers 32).
• Phinehas: The son of the priest Eleazar; he leads the delegation.
• Achan: The man who trespassed in the accursed thing, mentioned in verse 20 as a warning example.
• Shiloh: The site of the tabernacle, where the congregation assembles.
• Gilead and Bashan: Regions east of the Jordan. Bashan is the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
• Jordan River: The boundary dividing the two groups.

Points for Reflection

• The regulation in Deuteronomy 12 that sacrifices be offered only at the altar in the place the LORD chooses is commonly cited as the background to the congregation's strong reaction. The "iniquity of Peor" in verse 17 refers to the incident in Numbers 25.
• Interpretations differ on the location of the altar. Some read "the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan" in verses 10–11 as referring to the west bank of the Jordan, while others place the altar on the east bank.
• "Ed" is understood as a Hebrew word meaning "witness." Some translations do not render it as a proper name but translate only its meaning.
• The question of the proper place of worship is also addressed in the New Testament in John 4:20–23.

In the Korean Church

Verse 5 is used as a sermon text exhorting believers to the fundamentals of the life of faith. Verses 10–34, which tell how Israel did not go to war on the strength of rumor alone but sent representatives to investigate and listened to an explanation, are often cited in sermons on misunderstanding and reconciliation within the community.