22 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their homes and blessed them, he said to them, “Go back to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.” So the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had possessed themselves by command of the LORD through Moses.
And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size. And the people of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.” And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.
Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel. And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, “Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, ‘What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the LORD? Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the LORD, that you too must turn away this day from following the LORD? And if you too rebel against the LORD today then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the LORD’s land where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God. Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.’”
Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance. No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the LORD. Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the LORD.”’ And we thought, ‘If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, “Behold, the copy of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.”’ Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!”
When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the LORD. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the LORD.”
Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled. The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
(ESV)
In Joshua 22, Joshua gathered the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, commending them for their faithfulness to Moses’ commands and their unwavering support of their fellow Israelites. With their mission fulfilled and peace achieved, he blessed them and sent them home, reminding them to remain loyal to God by loving Him, walking in His ways, and obeying His commands wholeheartedly. As they returned with great wealth, they built a large altar by the Jordan, which alarmed the Israelites.
Note: If you are just dropping into the book of Joshua, there is some important context to know when interpreting Joshua 22. The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh lived in the land of Gilead, located east of the Jordan River. This territory was given to them by Moses as their inheritance because it was well-suited for their livestock and needs (Numbers 32). The other half of the tribe of Manasseh lived on the west side of the Jordan, within the land of Canaan.
When they requested this land east of the Jordan, Moses thought they were abandoning the mission to conquer the Promised Land of Canaan and falling short of God’s standard. He feared that by settling on the east side, they would discourage the other Israelites from continuing the conquest and cause them to lose heart.
However, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh clarified that they were not abandoning the people of Israel. They promised to help their brothers conquer the land of Canaan first, and then return to their inheritance east of the Jordan. Moses accepted their proposal, and God approved their request, as long as they fulfilled their commitment to help the nation in their battles. The agreement was that they could settle in the land east of the Jordan, but they would still be expected to fight alongside the rest of the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan.
Here in Joshua 22, those tribes are returning to their land east of the Jordan, and the altar they built caused quite an uproar. Mistaking it for rebellion, the Israelites to the west prepared for war. They decided to send Phinehas and tribal leaders to confront them first.
The eastern tribes explained that the altar was not for sacrifices but as a witness to their shared devotion to God, ensuring future generations would recognize their unity in worship despite geographical separation. Satisfied, Phinehas and the leaders reported back, averting a potential civil war. The Israelites praised God for the peaceful resolution, and the altar was named as a testimony that the Lord is God.
The one thing that really sticks out in Joshua 22 is how defensive the western tribes are over the altar. They are deadly serious about avoiding backsliding into sin. This had been something that has plagued Israel for years and something that would continue to plague them in the future.
“God had commanded Israel not to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices at any location except the tabernacle (Lev 17:8-9) and not to worship other gods (Deu 13:12-15). The punishment for violating both laws was death, and this is why Israel gathered … to go to war against their brethren.”
Nelson’s New Illustrated Commentary
A big reason why this altar would have raised so much suspicion among the other tribes is because their main altar was formed in Shiloh to serve everyone in unity. In their minds, the only reason why these tribes near the river would create a new altar is if it served other gods. So, to their credit, the western tribes were upset, not only because this could have been a false altar, but also because it would damage the unifying presence that was taking place through the Shiloh altar. Oh, and don’t forget these eastern tribes agreed to stay unified with the rest of Israel back in Numbers 32.
Fortunately, those who were challenging this altar construction investigated the situation before jumping to conclusions. This was a wise move. How many Christians today assume a position after only hearing a few details or reading a headline? Phinehas and 10 leaders went personally and recognized that God was among them. In fact, this altar was constructed as a preventative measure (a sign) for future generations who may be tempted to turn AWAY from God. It was truly a rare and pleasant surprise!
“The Transjordan tribes respond passionately that they are innocent of any rebellion or breach of faith. The section shows them innocent of anything malicious; they never intended to use this altar for sacrifices to God Himself, let alone to other gods. Rather, they intended it only as a memorial or witness for their children, and their concern is the same as that of the tribes west of the Jordan: that the unity of Israel be maintained.”
Nelson’s New Illustrated Commentary
Next time we are tempted to make a false accusation against someone, maybe we should try to investigate by going to that person one-on-one to get full clarity. The clarity gained in Joshua 22 saved many lives that day.