Joshua 22:14
in Joshua 22With him they sent ten chiefs—one family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family among the clans of Israel.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers’ house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were every one of them head of their fathers’ houses among the thousands of Israel.
KJV
And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
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This verse in Joshua 22
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince, throughout all the tribes of Israel,.... The nine tribes and a half, so that the half tribe of Manasseh sent a prince, as well as the whole tribes: and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel; that is, among the rulers of the thousands of Israel; and so the Greek version calls them Chiliarchs, rulers of thousands; for the people were divided into tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands, over whom there were distinct rulers, Exo 18:
This site's exposition
Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest
on Joshua 22:13-15
Phinehas is the man of Numbers 25:7-8 who took a spear at Peor and stopped the plague, earning a covenant of peace at 25:12-13. He is sent to men accused of a second Peor, and Peor is the first thing he raises at verse 17.
This site's exposition
With him they sent ten chiefs
The embassy follows the pattern of Numbers 1:4 and 13:2, one leader from each tribe. Every western tribe has a man in the room, so the answer given in Gilead binds the whole nation. Phinehas speaks for the sanctuary.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Thus was their zeal for God tempered, guided, and governed by the meekness of wisdom. He that knows all things, and hates all evil things, would not punish the worst of criminals but he would first go down and see, Gen. xviii. Many an unhappy strife would be prevented, or soon healed by an impartial and favourable enquiry into that which is the matter of the offence.
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
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַעֲשָׂרָ֤ה | vaasarah | and ten | H6235 → | 176 times |
| נְשִׂאִים֙ | nesiim | leaders | H5387 → | 134 times |
| עִמּ֔וֹ | imo | [were] with him | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| נָשִׂ֨יא | nasi' | a leader | H5387 → | 134 times |
| אֶחָ֜ד | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| נָשִׂ֤יא | nasi' | a leader | H5387 → | 134 times |
| אֶחָד֙ | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | to [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אָ֔ב | ʾav | a father | H1 → | 1212 times |
| לְכֹ֖ל | lekhol | to all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַטּ֣וֹת | matot | [the] tribes of | H4294 → | 252 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְאִ֨ישׁ | veish | and each | H376 → | 1663 times |
| רֹ֧אשׁ | rosh | [was] a leader of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| בֵּית־ | beit- | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אֲבוֹתָ֛ם | ʾavotam | fathers their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| הֵ֖מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| לְאַלְפֵ֥י | lealfei | [belong] to [the] families of | H505 → | 505 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַעֲשָׂרָ֤הand ten
vaasarahH6235 →176 times
נְשִׂאִים֙leaders
nesiimH5387 →134 times
עִמּ֔וֹ[were] with him
imoH5973 →1050 times
נָשִׂ֨יאa leader
nasi'H5387 →134 times
אֶחָ֜דone
ʾechadH259 →971 times
נָשִׂ֤יאa leader
nasi'H5387 →134 times
אֶחָד֙one
ʾechadH259 →971 times
לְבֵ֣יתto [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
אָ֔בa father
ʾavH1 →1212 times
לְכֹ֖לto all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
מַטּ֣וֹת[the] tribes of
matotH4294 →252 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְאִ֨ישׁand each
veishH376 →1663 times
רֹ֧אשׁ[was] a leader of
roshH7218 →599 times
בֵּית־[the] house of
beit-H1004 →2046 times
אֲבוֹתָ֛םfathers their
ʾavotamH1 →1212 times
הֵ֖מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
לְאַלְפֵ֥י[belong] to [the] families of
lealfeiH505 →505 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 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
Exodus 18:25So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
it leads to
- Exodus 18:21
Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 1:15
So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your…
- Acts 6:5
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to…
- Exodus 18:21
Through
Numbers 1:4And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.
it leads to
- Numbers 1:16
These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.
- Exodus 18:25
So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Numbers 2:3–31
On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard:
- Numbers 25:14
The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.
- Numbers 1:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Joshua

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; 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.
