Deuteronomy 3:19, commentary and pictures

The wives and little ones and cattle of Reuben and Gad and half-Manasseh were to remain in their given cities east of the Jordan while their armed men crossed over to fight with their brethren until they also gained their possession, after which each would return to his own inheritance. Those eastern tribes remained behind because they had much cattle and abundant livestock suited to that land. The rest promised to their brethren meant being established securely in the land God had given and possessing it peaceably, which is the equivalent of inheritance. That rest was given in the peaceful possession of Canaan under Joshua, and the rest spoken of in Hebrews 4 is that possession of the land, not the seventh-day Sabbath. Israel's inheritance of the land as a rest granted by God is a type of the inheritance and final rest promised to Abraham's faithful seed.

Context and Arrangement

Deuteronomy 3:19 belongs to Moses's first of three addresses given just before his death, covering Deuteronomy 1 to 3 and rehearsing God's goodness to Israel, in the fifth and last book of the Pentateuch meaning second law or duplicate of the law. The wives and little ones and cattle of Reuben and Gad and half-Manasseh were to abide in the cities east of the Jordan already given to them as their possession and inheritance, while their armed men fit for war crossed over before their brethren to help them take Canaan. Those fighting men were to remain until the Lord had given rest and possession of the land beyond Jordan to their brethren as well, and only then was each man to return to his own possession and home. In that arrangement rest meant being established securely in the land God had given and possessing it peaceably.

The instruction left families and livestock in the towns already given while the men went elsewhere with Israel. It expressly notes that those eastern tribes had much cattle and abundant livestock. The two and a half tribes settling east of the Jordan thus kept their settlement while their fighting for their brethren continued until those tribes also received their land and rest. The verse stands as part of Moses's record of commands concerning nations wholly given over to evil, where preserving such people alive could bring only corruption and evil.

Meaning of Promised Rest

In Deuteronomy 3:19 rest means being established securely in the land God had given and possessing it peaceably, the equivalent of inheritance and not a reference to the Sabbath. The wives and little ones and cattle of Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh were to abide in the cities already given them east of the Jordan while their men fit for war crossed over armed before their brethren to help them take possession. That arrangement was to last until the Lord had given rest and possession of the land beyond Jordan to their brethren as well, after which each man would return to his own possession and home. Their families and livestock could remain there because the Lord had given those towns to them, and those eastern tribes had much cattle and abundant livestock.

The promise to Israel included rest as well as possession of land, so that rest from enemies was as much a part of the promise as inheritance of the land. This carried out the promise that the seed would possess the gate of his enemies, with the armed men remaining until the Lord had given rest to their brethren as well as to them. This rest and inheritance was given in the peaceful possession of the promised land under Joshua, and the rest spoken of in Hebrews 4 is that possession of the land, not the seventh-day or weekly Sabbath. This promised rest was the peaceable possession of Canaan, not rest from Egyptian bondage itself. Israel's inheritance of the land as a rest granted by God is a type of the inheritance and final rest promised to Abraham's faithful seed.