Joshua 22:11
in Joshua 22Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel.
KJV
And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
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This verse in Joshua 22
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Behold, the children of Reuben
on Joshua 22:11-12
Israel hears a report and musters at Shiloh for war before anyone has asked a question. Deuteronomy 13:12-15 sets out the procedure for this exact charge, that a report of a city gone after other gods is to be inquired of, searched out and asked diligently before a sword is drawn. The inquiry does happen, and it happens in the next verse with the army already gathered.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the children of Israel heard say,....
It was no strained innuendo from the building of an altar to infer an intention to offer sacrifice upon it, and that might introduce idolatry and end in a total apostasy from the faith and worship of the God of Israel.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The quality of the deputies evinced the deep solicitude that was felt on the occasion to maintain the purity of the divine worship throughout Israel. In the presumptive belief that the two tribes and a half had really built an altar, the deputies expressed astonishment at their so soon falling into such a heinous crime as that of violating the unity of divine worship (Ex 20:24;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
26 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּ | vaiyishmeu | and they heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִנֵּ֣ה | hineh | there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| בָנ֣וּ | vanu | they have built | H1129 → | 376 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| רְאוּבֵ֣ן | reuven | Reuben | H7205 → | 72 times |
| וּבְנֵי־ | uvenei- | and [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| גָ֡ד | gad | Gad | H1410 → | 72 times |
| וַחֲצִי֩ | vachatzi | and [the] half of | H2677 → | 125 times |
| שֵׁ֨בֶט | shevet | [the] tribe of | H7626 → | 190 times |
| הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֜ה | hamnasheh | <the> Manasseh | H4519 → | 146 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַ | hamizbeach | the altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מוּל֙ | mul | opposite to | H4136 → | 36 times |
| אֶ֣רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| כְּנַ֔עַן | kenaan | Canaan | H3667 → | 94 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| גְּלִילוֹת֙ | gelilot | Geliloth of | H1552 → | 5 times |
| הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן | haiyarden | the Jordan | H3383 → | 182 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| עֵ֖בֶר | ʾever | [the] side of | H5676 → | 90 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּand they heard
vaiyishmeuH8085 →1159 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] people of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
הִנֵּ֣הthere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
בָנ֣וּthey have built
vanuH1129 →376 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] descendants of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
רְאוּבֵ֣ןReuben
reuvenH7205 →72 times
וּבְנֵי־and [the] descendants of
uvenei-H1121 →4930 times
גָ֡דGad
gadH1410 →72 times
וַחֲצִי֩and [the] half of
vachatziH2677 →125 times
שֵׁ֨בֶט[the] tribe of
shevetH7626 →190 times
הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֜ה<the> Manasseh
hamnashehH4519 →146 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַthe altar
hamizbeachH4196 →401 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מוּל֙opposite to
mulH4136 →36 times
אֶ֣רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
כְּנַ֔עַןCanaan
kenaanH3667 →94 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
גְּלִילוֹת֙Geliloth of
gelilotH1552 →5 times
הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ןthe Jordan
haiyardenH3383 →182 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
עֵ֖בֶר[the] side of
ʾeverH5676 →90 times
בְּנֵ֥י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
John 1:28All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
it leads to
- John 10:40
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
- John 3:23
Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
- Judges 7:24
Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men…
- John 3:26
So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
- John 10:40
Through
Joshua 2:7So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.
it leads to
- Judges 3:28
“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did…
- Acts 5:23
“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
- Joshua 2:5
At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!”
- Judges 12:5
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he…
- Judges 3:28
About Joshua

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonLate monarchyManassehJudah's longest-reigning and worst king, who filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; the book names his apostasy as the cause of 586…
- PlaceThe LevantCanaanThe land God promised to Abraham's seed, walked and marked with altars by the patriarchs and possessed under Joshua four centuries…
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
