Joshua 22:22, commentary and pictures

The verse belongs to the history of Gad and Reuben with half the tribe of Manasseh, who chose their inheritance before crossing the Jordan in the upland plains and rich forests of Gilead and Bashan because the grazing suited their flocks and herds. They pledged a proportion of armed men to go with their brethren across the Jordan and share their battles until Canaan was entered. That pledge was fulfilled when forty thousand prepared for war passed over to the plains of Jericho and fought bravely for years. They then returned with much cattle and silver and gold and brass and iron and much clothing to share with those who had stayed with the families and flocks. They then went to live at a distance from the sanctuary, where their isolated life brought danger of being tempted into the customs of the bordering heathen tribes.

The immediate setting is a dispute over an altar, when Israel feared its worship and interests might be divided. The prompt rebuke by the other tribes came from a desire to protect the honor of God and the religious purity of Israel, and their concern to guard against sin was right. But the suspected defection was a misunderstanding that could have had fatal results. Their suspicion led them to condemn their brethren before courteously asking what had happened.

The verse is the defense of the Reubenites and their associates against the accusation of rebellion against the Lord brought by Phinehas. Those accused let Phinehas finish his discourse before answering, showing courtesy and forbearance with no anger or resentment at his ungrounded suspicions and sharp rebukes, whereas their accusers had condemned them before courteously asking what had happened. In sincere and solemn words they declare their innocence and invoke the Lord who knows their hearts as witness to whether Gad and Reuben have rebelled, submitting their innocence or guilt to his knowledge and judgment. They agree that their lives would justly be forfeited if guilty of the sin charged against them. The episode shows that people honestly seeking to serve true religion can be misjudged, and that such accusations call for meekness and forbearance rather than anger or retaliation, making the answer of the accused an example of Christian forbearance.