Jos 22:10-20 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Josh 22:10-20: 22:10-20 Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built their own altar, triggering a confrontation with the rest of Israel . 22:10 to a place called Geliloth: It is reasonable to presume that Geliloth and the altar were on the west bank of the Jordan.

Summary for Josh 22:10-20: 22:10-20 ^a Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built their own altar, triggering a confrontation with the rest of Israel. 22:10 ^b to a place called Geliloth: It is reasonable to presume that Geliloth and the altar were on the west bank of the Jordan.
22:11 ^c The tribes referred to here as the rest of Israel (literally the sons of Israel) consisted of the tribes given land west of the Jordan River, in Canaan proper. They already referred to themselves as Israel, excluding the tribes east of the Jordan.
22:12 ^d The western tribes were ready to go to war because they saw the altar as violating Lev 17:8-9 ^e and Deut 13:12-15 ^f.
Summary for Josh 22:13-14: 22:13-14 ^g delegation: See Deut 13:14 ^h.

• The ten tribes west of the Jordan included Ephraim and the western half of Manasseh but not the tribe of Levi.
Summary for Josh 22:15-20: 22:15-20 ⁱ The direct and hard-hitting statements and questions of the delegation made sure that God’s wrath would not come upon the nation because of rebellion like Achan’s (7:1-15 ^j) or the episode at Peor (Num 25 ^k). 22:15 ^l The delegation crossed the Jordan River to meet the leaders of the eastern tribes in the land of Gilead, probably in southern Gad.
22:16 ^m The delegation brought the message the ten tribes had agreed upon when they met at Shiloh.

• The whole community of the Lord demands to know (literally Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord): The formula using “thus says” was a typical introduction to a messenger’s report (e.g., Ezra 1:2 ⁿ; Isa 28:16 ^o).
22:17 ^p The sin at Peor was Israel’s idolatrous rebellion in Moab, just at the point of entering the Promised Land (Num 25 ^q). Phinehas, now the leader of this delegation, had acted to save Israel from complete destruction at that time. He did not want to see any part of Israel turn away from God again.
22:19 ^r Being defiled was not necessarily the result of rebellion or a moral lapse, but it did prevent persons or groups from participating in regular worship activities, including the offering of sacrifices. If the eastern tribes had defiled the land itself, the Israelites could not offer sacrifices to the Lord within it. This concern provides evidence that the eastern tribes had built their altar on the western bank of the Jordan.

• The land west of the Jordan was considered the Lord’s land. The delegation from the western tribes made a very generous offer, inviting the eastern tribes to share their land. This demonstrated their commitment to national unity in faithfulness to God.
22:20 ^s Achan: See ch 7 ^t. The delegation of western tribes feared that Achan’s sin and its consequences would be repeated.