Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 22:24
And if we have not [rather] done it for fear of [this] thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
24. and if we have not ] More literally, and if not rather from anxiety, for a reason we have done this thing. The word rendered “fear” is translated “care” in Eze 4:16; “carefulness” Eze 12:18-19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 24. For fear of this thing] The motive that actuated us was directly the reverse of that of which we have been suspected.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
You have no relation to him, nor interest in him, or his worship.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And if we have not [rather] done it for fear of [this] thing,…. So far they suggest were they from doing this, in order to turn from the pure worship of God, and introduce idolatrous worship, that it was to guard against everything of that kind for the future; and through fear of it, and anxiety and distress of mind, lest some time or another there should be any temptation to it in their posterity, had they built this altar:
saying, in time to come your children might speak unto our children; or “tomorrow” m, in a short time after your heads, and ours, are laid in the grave, your posterity will accost us:
saying, what have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? you are aliens and strangers from the commonwealth of Israel, live in a foreign land, and not in the land, of Canaan; are separated from us by the river Jordan, are a different people from us, and have nothing to do with the tabernacle of the Lord, and the service of it, or with the altar of the Lord, to offer sacrifice on it. Now as they returned to their own country, or when got there, such anxious thoughts and fears rose up in their minds, which they communicated to one another, and thought of this expedient to prevent what would be so fatal to their posterity. The Targum is,
“you have no part in the Word of the Lord God of Israel;”
see Joh 13:8.
m “cras”, Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
24. For fear The Hebrew word indicates great and distressing solicitude. The motive of their action was just the opposite of that ascribed to them. It was their intense desire to preserve themselves and their children in the worship of Jehovah that had induced the erection of the memorial altar.
Our children The truly pious man will seek to place the safeguards of piety about the path of his offspring. These eastern tribes had received by far the best portion of the Holy Land, yet they are not satisfied with worldly good. Their broad acres and vast herds are worthless without a portion in the God of Israel.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“ And if we have not rather done this out of deep concern and with a purpose, saying, ‘In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, “What have you to do with YHWH, the God of Israel? For YHWH has made Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben, and you children of Gad. You have no portion in YHWH.” So will your children make our children cease from fearing YHWH.’ ”
The Transjordan tribes clearly saw the altar as a symbol of their right to a presence in the land of promise. Their altar there, as it were, represented them. Thus in the future they would not be able to be told that they had no part in the land or in YHWH, for they now had their part within the border. Previously their rights had been preserved because their contingents were in the land fighting on behalf of YHWH, but now that they were leaving they felt that they must leave behind some presence in the land as a symbol of their right to a place in the covenant.
This brings out how deep an issue their settlement outside the boundaries of the land as promised had become to some in Israel. There are always those who cannot cope with change. It helps to explain why in Joshua we constantly find the emphasis on the fact that their settlement there was under command from YHWH, was their inheritance from Him, and was in accordance with the words of Moses (Jos 1:14-15; Jos 12:6; Jos 13:8; Jos 13:15; Jos 13:24; Jos 13:29; Jos 13:32; Jos 18:7). It was also seen as confirmed by the fact that they had Levites, whose inheritance was YHWH, living among them, which is specifically brought out by contrasting the inheritance in Transjordan with the inheritance of the Levites three times to bring out its genuineness (Jos 13:14; Jos 13:33; Jos 14:3).
So the purpose of the altar, rather than being with the intention of breaking the tribal covenant, was in fact in order to ensure its continuation and to guarantee that they would not be excluded from it.
“Out of deep concern.” Consider the same word in Pro 12:25; Eze 4:16; Eze 12:18-19.
“In time to come” is literally ‘tomorrow’ (see also Jos 22:27-28; Jos 4:6; Jos 4:21; Exo 13:14; (Deu 6:20). ‘A border between us and you.’ Some Israelites would see this as emphasised by the importance YHWH Himself placed on the crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3 and Joshua 4), forgetting that representatives of the Transjordan tribes had crossed over with them (Jos 1:14; Jos 4:12) and had placed the memorial stones (Jos 4:4).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jos 22:24 And if we have not [rather] done it for fear of [this] thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
Ver. 24. And if we have not rather done it. ] In communionis symbolum: to a quite contrary purpose. The ten tribes therefore were to blame for misconstruing them. Quid minus est non dico Oratoris sed hominis, quam id obiecere adversario quod si ille verbo negarit, ulterius progredi non possis? a Say the best of things.
a Cicero.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
What have ye. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-8.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
for fear: Gen 18:19
In time to come: Heb. To-morrow, Jos 4:6, Gen 30:33, Exo 13:14, Deu 6:20, *marg.
Reciprocal: Psa 78:6 – who