Numbers 32

King James Version

Full text for Numbers Chapter 32

1¶ Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place [was] a place for cattle;

2The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

3Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

4[Even] the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, [is] a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:

5Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, [and] bring us not over Jordan.

6And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

7And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?

8Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

9For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

10And the LORD'S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,

11Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

12Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.

13And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.

14And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.

15For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

16¶ And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:

17But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

18We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

19For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.

20And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war,

21And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,

22And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.

23But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

24Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.

25And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.

26Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:

27But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.

28¶ So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:

29And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:

30But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.

31And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.

32We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan [may be] ours.

33And Moses gave unto them, [even] to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, [even] the cities of the country round about.

34And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

35And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah,

36And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep.

37And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,

38And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.

39And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which [was] in it.

40And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.

41And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair.

42And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The tribes of Reuben and Gad, possessing vast herds, requested to settle in the fertile lands east of the Jordan River, suitable for their cattle. Moses initially rebuked them, fearing they would discourage the other Israelites from entering Canaan, reminiscent of the past rebellion at Kadeshbarnea. However, the tribes proposed a compromise: they would build cities for their families and folds for their cattle, but then arm themselves and fight alongside the other tribes until all of Canaan was subdued. Moses agreed to this condition, warning that if they failed to fulfill their promise, their sin would find them out, and subsequently allotted the land to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

Medium Summary

Numbers chapter 32 recounts how the tribes of Reuben and Gad, possessing a great multitude of cattle, observed the lands of Jazer and Gilead east of the Jordan River and found them suitable for their livestock. They approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the princes, requesting this land as their inheritance rather than crossing the Jordan. Moses sternly rebuked them, comparing their desire to settle prematurely to the actions of their fathers who discouraged Israel from entering the promised land, leading to God's wrath and forty years of wandering. The tribes responded by pledging to build secure cities for their families and folds for their cattle, but then promised to arm themselves and go before the children of Israel to war until all the land of Canaan was subdued. Moses accepted their proposal, stipulating that if they fulfilled their commitment, they would be guiltless before the Lord and Israel, and the land would be their possession; otherwise, they would have sinned. Upon their agreement, Moses commanded Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders to grant Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh the lands of Sihon and Og east of the Jordan, provided they upheld their vow to fight.

Long Summary

Numbers chapter 32 begins with the children of Reuben and Gad, who possessed a very great multitude of cattle, observing the lands of Jazer and Gilead east of the Jordan River. Recognizing these areas as ideal for their livestock, they approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the congregation, requesting to inherit this land and not cross over Jordan. Moses vehemently rebuked them, questioning if they intended to sit idly while their brethren went to war, and accusing them of discouraging the hearts of the children of Israel, just as their fathers had done from Kadeshbarnea. He reminded them that the previous generation's lack of faith led to God's anger, a divine oath that none aged twenty or older would see the promised land (save Caleb and Joshua), and forty years of wandering until that generation was consumed. Moses warned that their actions were an increase of sinful men, threatening to augment God's fierce anger and potentially destroy all the people by causing God to abandon them in the wilderness again. In response, the children of Gad and Reuben came near, proposing a detailed compromise: they would build sheepfolds for their cattle and fenced cities for their little ones in the requested land, but they themselves would go ready armed before the children of Israel and not return to their houses until every man had inherited his inheritance in Canaan. They affirmed their intention not to inherit land on the west side of Jordan, as their inheritance would be on the east. Moses accepted their terms, reiterating that if they went armed before the Lord to war and helped subdue the land, they would be guiltless and the land would be theirs; but if not, they would have sinned, and their sin would surely find them out. The tribes affirmed their commitment to do as Moses commanded. Consequently, Moses commanded Eleazar, Joshua, and the chief fathers of Israel that if Reuben and Gad passed over Jordan armed to battle and helped subdue the land, they should be given Gilead as a possession. However, if they refused, they would have to take their possession among the other tribes in Canaan. The tribes of Gad and Reuben reaffirmed their promise. Moses then granted the kingdom of Sihon and Og, including their cities, to the children of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh. The chapter concludes with the tribes of Gad and Reuben building and renaming cities in their allotted territory, and the children of Machir (of Manasseh) taking Gilead, while Jair and Nobah (also of Manasseh) took small towns and villages, naming them after themselves.

Core Concepts

  • Transjordanian Land RequestThe tribes of Reuben and Gad, possessing large herds, requested to settle in the fertile lands east of the Jordan River, which they deemed suitable for their cattle, rather than crossing into Canaan with the other tribes.
  • Moses' Rebuke and WarningMoses initially condemned their request, fearing it would discourage the rest of Israel from entering the promised land, drawing a parallel to the previous generation's rebellion at Kadeshbarnea which resulted in forty years of wilderness wandering and divine judgment.
  • Conditional InheritanceMoses agreed to their request for land east of the Jordan only on the strict condition that they would arm themselves and fight alongside the other tribes until all of Canaan was subdued and every tribe had received its inheritance.
  • Unity in ConquestThe agreement emphasized the necessity of tribal unity and shared responsibility in the conquest of Canaan, ensuring that Reuben and Gad would not abandon their brethren but would actively participate in the war before claiming their own settled inheritance.
  • Sin Will Find You OutMoses issued a stern warning that if the tribes failed to fulfill their solemn promise to fight, they would be guilty before the Lord, and their sin would inevitably have consequences and be revealed.
  • Allocation and SettlementUpon the tribes' renewed commitment, Moses formally allotted the conquered lands of Sihon and Og east of the Jordan to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, who then proceeded to build and rename cities within their designated territories.