Jos 22:19 | NETfull | STEP | But if your own land is impure, cross over to the Lord ’s own land, where the Lord himself lives, and settle down among us. But don’t rebel against the Lord or us by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God.

Joshua 22:19

19 But if your own land ^{▼▼ Heb “the land of your possession.”} is impure, ^{▼▼ The western tribes here imagine a possible motive for the action of the eastern tribes. T. C. Butler explains the significance of the land’s “impurity”: “East Jordan is impure because it is not Yahweh’s possession. Rather it is simply ‘your possession.’ That means it is land where Yahweh does not live, land which his presence has not sanctified and purified” (Joshua [WBC], 247).} cross over to the Lord’s own land, ^{▼▼ Heb “the land of the possession of the Lord.”} where the Lord himself lives, ^{▼▼ Heb “where the dwelling place of the Lord resides.”} ^{▼▼ The phrase where the Lord himself lives refers to the tabernacle.} and settle down among us. ^{▼▼ Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”} But don’t rebel against the Lord or us ^{▼▼ Heb “and us to you rebel.” The reading of the MT, the accusative sign with suffix (וְאֹתָנוּ, v^e’otanu), is problematic with the verb “rebel” (מָרַד, marad). Many Hebrew mss correctly read the negative particle אַל (’al) for the preposition אֶל (’el, “to”).} by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God.