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Joshua 22:10

in Joshua 22

And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.

KJV

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

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This verse in Joshua 22

Commentary

8 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The borders of Jordan, that are in - Canaan - This verse can never mean that they built the altar on the west side of Jordan, for this was not in their territories; nor could it be a place for the purpose of public worship to their own people, if built on the opposite side of Jordan; besides, the next verse says it was built over against the land of Canaan. It appears that when they came to the river they formed the purpose of building the altar; and when they had crossed it they executed their purpose.

This site's exposition

and departed from the children

on Joshua 22:9-10

They leave from Shiloh, where the tabernacle had been set up at Joshua 18:1 and where it stays until the ark is taken in 1 Samuel 4. Where the altar stood is disputed, because verse 10 places it in the land of Canaan while verse 11 says over against the land of Canaan, and readers have taken it for the western bank and for the eastern without the text settling either. It is called a great altar to see to, which says it was built to be visible at a distance, and that detail turns out to be the argument of verse 28.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Origen of Alexandria

HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 3.2 · Written before 253.

proposed

Do you still wish that I prove more clearly to you that all things among that prior people, whom Moses foreshadowed in the two and a half tribes, were neither complete nor perfect? Even the history written in this little book itself, Jesus [Joshua], son of Nun, also declares it when it says that the true altar was in the land that Jesus [Joshua] was distributing. But those who were across the Jordan, that is, Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, made an altar for themselves, but it was not a true altar.

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

They built it, no doubt, on their own side of the water: for how could they build on other men's land, without their consent? And it is said, in the following verse, to be over against the land of Jordan. Nor would there have been cause to suspect that it was designed for sacrifice, if they had not built it among themselves.
And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Their zeal was commendable, but it ought to have been guided with discretion. There was no need to hasten the building of an altar for the purpose for which they intended this, but they might have taken time to consider and take advice; yet, when their sincerity was made to appear, we do not find that they were blamed for their rashness.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben . . . built there an altar by Jordan--This altar was probably an immense pile of stones and earth. The generality of our translators supposes that it was reared on the banks of the Jordan, within the limits of Canaan proper.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

The two tribes and a half erected this altar in order to keep alive their claim to have the same interest as the other tribes had in the sanctuary of God, which was established on the west side of Jordan: and in order to forestall any assertion that the Jordan itself was a natural barrier of exclusion between them and the sanctuary, they built it on the west or Canaanite bank of the Jordan and not on the east. The word rendered “borders” is noteworthy; it means circuits, arrondissements.

The words behind it

22 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙and they came

    vaiyavouH935 →2568 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • גְּלִיל֣וֹתGeliloth of

    gelilotH1552 →5 times

  • הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ןthe Jordan

    haiyardenH3383 →182 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בְּאֶ֣רֶץ[is] in [the] land of

    beeretzH776 →2504 times

  • כְּנָ֑עַןCanaan

    kenaanH3667 →94 times

  • וַיִּבְנ֣וּand they built

    vaiyivnuH1129 →376 times

  • בְנֵי־[the] descendants of

    venei-H1121 →4930 times

  • רְאוּבֵ֣ןReuben

    reuvenH7205 →72 times

  • וּבְנֵי־and [the] descendants of

    uvenei-H1121 →4930 times

  • גָ֡דGad

    gadH1410 →72 times

  • וַחֲצִ֣יand [the] half of

    vachatziH2677 →125 times

  • שֵׁבֶט֩[the] tribe of

    shevetH7626 →190 times

  • הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֨ה<the> Manasseh

    hamnashehH4519 →146 times

  • שָׁ֤םthere

    shamH8033 →834 times

  • מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙an altar

    mizbeachH4196 →401 times

  • עַל־at

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ןthe Jordan

    haiyardenH3383 →182 times

  • מִזְבֵּ֥חַan altar

    mizbeachH4196 →401 times

  • גָּד֖וֹלlarge

    gadolH1419 →526 times

  • לְמַרְאֶֽה׃of appearance

    lemarehH4758 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

8 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Isaiah 19:19In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near her border.4 worksJudges 6:24So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.4 worksJoshua 24:26–27Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was near the sanctuary of the LORD.2 worksGenesis 28:18Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it,2 worksGenesis 31:46–52and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate.2 worksJoshua 4:5–9and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,2 works
The other 2 cross-references, with their words ▾
Joshua 22:25–28For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.2 worksJoshua 22:27Rather, let it be a witness between us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD!’2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Genesis 28:18

    Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it,

    it leads to

    • Genesis 35:14

      So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.

    • Genesis 31:45

      So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar,

    • Genesis 31:13

      I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

    • Leviticus 8:10–12

      Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them.

    • Numbers 7:1

      On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils.

About Joshua

The Walls of Jericho Fall Down, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Walls of Jericho Fall Down, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Joshua: the study guide →Read Joshua 22 →
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 3.2.

Read on in Joshua 22 →