Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 13:24
And Moses gave [inheritance] unto the tribe of Gad, [even] unto the children of Gad according to their families.
And Moses gave [inheritance] unto the tribe of Gad,…. On the other side Jordan, as he did to Reuben:
[even] unto the children of Gad, according to their families: according to the number and largeness of them, dividing to each their part and portion.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Inheritance of the tribe of Gad. – This tribe received Jazer (probably es Szyr: see at Num 21:32) and “ all the towns of Gilead,” i.e., of the southern half of Gilead, which belonged to the kingdom of Sihon; for the northern half, which belonged to the kingdom of Og, was given to the Manassites (Jos 13:31), “ and the half of the land of the sons of Ammon, to Aror before Rabbah,” i.e., that portion of the land of the Ammonites between the Arnon and the Jabbok, which the Amorites under Sihon had taken from the Ammonites, namely, the land on the east of Gilead, on the western side of the upper Jabbok (Nahr Ammn: Deu 2:37; Deu 3:16; cf. Jdg 11:13); for the land of the Ammonites, i.e., the land which they still held in the time of Moses, on the eastern side of Nahr Ammn, the Israelites were not allowed to attack (Deu 2:19). Aror before Rabbah, i.e., Ammn (see Deu 3:11), is Aror of Gad, and must be distinguished from Aror of Reuben on the Arnon (Jos 13:16). It is only mentioned again in Jdg 11:33 and 2Sa 24:5, and was situated, according to 2 Sam., in the valley of Gad, that is to say, in a wady or valley through which Gesenius supposes an arm of the Jabbok to have flowed, and Thenius the Jabbok itself, though neither of them has sufficient ground for his conjecture. It is also not to be identified with the ruin of Ayra to the south-west of Szalt, as this is not in a wady at all; but in all probability it is to be sought for to the north-east of Rabbah, in the Wady Nahr Ammn, on the side of the Kalat Zerka Gadda, the situation of which suits this verse and Jdg 11:33. – In Jos 13:26 the extent of the territory of Gad is first of all described from north to south: viz., from Heshbon (see Jos 13:17) to Ramath-mizpeh, or Ramoth in Gilead (Jos 20:8), probably on the site of the present Szalt (see at Deu 4:43), “ and Betonim,” probably the ruin of Batneh, on the mountains which bound the Ghor towards the east between the Wady Shaib and Wady Ajlun, in the same latitude as Szalt ( V. de Velde, Mem. p. 298); and then, secondly, the northern boundary is described from west to east, “ from Mahanaim to the territory of Lidbir.” Mahanaim (double-camp: Gen 32:2), which was given up by Gad to the Levites (Jos 21:30), in which Ishbosheth was proclaimed king (2Sa 2:8-9), and to which David fled from Absalom (2Sa 17:24, 2Sa 17:27; 1Ki 2:8), is not to be sought for, as Knobel supposes, in the ruins of Meysera, to the south of Jabbok, four hours and a half from Szalt, but was on the north of the Jabbok, since Jacob did not cross the ford of the Jabbok till after the angel had appeared to him at Mahanaim (Gen 32:3, Gen 32:23). It was in or by the valley of the Jordan (according to 2Sa 18:23-24), and has probably been preserved in the ruins of Mahneh, the situation of which, however, has not yet been determined (see at Gen 32:3). Lidbir is quite unknown; the lamed, however, is not to be taken as a prefix, but forms part of the word. J. D. Michaelis and Knobel suppose it to be the same as Lo-debar in 2Sa 9:4-5; 2Sa 17:27, a place from which provisions were brought to David at Mahanaim on his flight from Absalom, and which is to be sought for on the east of Mahanaim.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Gad’s Lot, vs. 24-28
Gad’s allotment was the central portion of the eastern lands. The east border seems to be indefinite, with Jazer being definitely within the tribe, and having a kind of uncertain claim to lands further east to Aroer (different from the city on the Arnon) to the vicinity of Rabbah, chief city of the Ammonites. The south border skirted the Reubenite cities of Heshbon and Beth-peor. Moving northward one came to Betonim, then Jazer, then Mahanaim, where Jacob met the angel host (Gen 32:2) and where David found refuge from Absalom (2Sa 17:27-29). Nearby was Debir, probably the same place as Lo-debar, where Mephibosheth was found (2Sa 9:4).
On the west, along the Jordan valley was Beth-nimrah, and moving north from here one came to Succoth and Zaphon. The latter vicinity is called the “edge of Chinnereth”, though it does not seem Gad’s inheritance reached to the sea itself.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
24. And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, etc The observation made above applies also to the tribe of Gad, namely, that their legitimate boundaries were carefully defined in order to prevent disputes as to their possession. Meanwhile God is extolled for his liberality in having expelled nations of great celebrity, and substituted them in their stead. This is expressed more clearly in regard to the half tribe of Manasseh, when sixty cities are enumerated as included in their inheritance. Hence, too, it is manifest that Moses was not munificent through mistake, because it was well known to God how many cities he was giving them out of his boundless liberality. In a short clause the tribe of Levi is again excluded, that the Levites might not be able at some future period to pretend that the grant which the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh had obtained without the casting of lots, belonged in common to them also; for they are expressly forbidden to share with their brethren. This made it easy for them to interpret shrewdly for their advantage, that they were entitled to share with others. Here, however, it is not the sacrifices, as a little before, but God Himself that is said to be their inheritance; if they are not satisfied with it, they only convict themselves of excessive pride and insufferable fastidiousness. (140)
(140) The thirty-third verse is entirely omitted by the Septuagint. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
The Territory of Gad Jos. 13:24-28
24 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.
25 And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;
26 And from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim: and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;
27 And in the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Baphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.
28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.
11.
What were the borders of the tribe of Gad? Jos. 13:24-28
The men of Gad inhabited the center of the land east of the Jordan River. On the south, their border was Reuben; on the east, the Arabian desert, on the west, the Jordan River; and on the north, the land of the half-tribe of Manasseh. The territory is designated especially as centering around Mahanaim. Mahanaim itself figures into later Israelite history with a great deal of regularity and importance.
12.
Where was the Sea of Chinnereth? Jos. 13:27
The Sea of Chinnereth is best known as the Sea of Galilee. It is also sometimes called the Sea of Tiberias, or Lake Gennesaret (Mat. 17:27; Luk. 5:1; Joh. 21:6). This body of water was very outstanding and important to those people who lived in Canaan. It made a good point for a boundary line, and the tribe of Gad evidently settled in the territory which had a border running from Mahanaim in a northwest direction to the south tip of the Sea of Galilee.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
GAD’S LOT, Jos 13:24-28.
24. The tribe of Gad had their inheritance in the central district of eastern Palestine, between Reuben and Manasseh, so that the mountains of Gilead fell largely to them. Mr. Buckingham describes this elevated region as having “its plains covered with a fertile soil, its hills clothed with forests, and at every new turn presenting the most magnificent landscapes that could be imagined. Every new direction of our path opened up to us views which surprised and charmed us by their grandeur and beauty. Deep valleys, filled with murmuring streams and verdant meadows, offered all the luxuriance of cultivation, and herds and flocks gave life and animation to the scene.” Mr. E. Smith travelled through Gilead in 1834. and found the ground clothed with luxuriant grass a foot or more in height, and decked with a rich variety of wild flowers.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Portion of Gad ( Jos 13:24-28 ).
Jos 13:24
‘ And Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad according to their families.’
“The tribe of Gad” indicates Gad as a unity under its leaders. ‘The children of Gad’ sees them as inheriting from YHWH as ‘children’ of Gad. They too received ‘according to their families’ (see Jos 13:15).
The southern border of Gad was indicated as north of Heshbon (Jos 13:26), its eastern border as ‘half the land of the children of Ammon to Aroer east of Rabbah’, a different Aroer from that on Reuben’s southern border. It also incorporated in it the Jazir towns and ‘all the cities of Gilead’ which was probably a technical term similar to ‘the cities of the tableland’ in Reuben.
“All the land of Gilead” was used of the whole of Transjordanian territory from the northern border of Bashan to the Arnon (2Ki 10:33), then distinguished as comprising Bashan and ‘Gilead’, the latter specifically stated as including territory in Manasseh, Gad and Reuben . So ‘Gilead’ could refer to both. But each Transjordanian tribe also applied it to their own section of Gilead.
More confusingly ‘half the hill country of Gilead’ could be applied to the combined territory of Reuben and Gad (Deu 3:12) with ‘the rest of Gilead’ being applied to the territory of Manasseh (Jos 3:13). However ‘half Gilead’ could refer separately to the part of Gilead that was in Reuben (Jos 12:2), as compared with the part that was in Gad (Jos 12:5).
Here then it represents part of the northern ‘half Gilead’ (Jos 12:5) in contrast with the southern ‘half Gilead’ (Jos 12:2) of ‘all Gilead’ (Deu 3:10) which included both, as in Num 32:29. The term ‘Gilead’ was also used elsewhere of the portion of Machir (Manasseh) – Num 32:39-40. (Deu 3:13 describes this as ‘the rest of Gilead’). Compare Judges 11.
The reference to cities in Num 32:34-36 in respect of ‘building’ activities possibly included cities that Gad fortified in Reubenite territory, while Reuben were fortifying others, and would not then refer to cities they inherited. Gad did not fear invasion from Reuben but did fear the Moabites and so assisted in rapidly building defence points in Reuben before they dared cross the Jordan with Joshua. Alternately they may have included cities of a similar name.
Jos 13:25
‘ And their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is east of (‘before’) ‘Rabbah.’
Strictly this was indicating the border by the cities and towns contained within it. Jazer was a group of towns as well as a city and was frequently mentioned (see Jos 21:39; Num 21:32; Num 32:1; Num 32:3; Num 32:35). It fell on the border between the Amorites and the Ammonites. During David’s time it furnished ‘mighty men of valour’ (1Ch 26:31) and was one of the towns on the route of the census taking (2Sa 24:5). In Isa 16:6-12 and Jer 48:28-34 it was once more regained by Moab, and even later by Ammon ( 1Ma 5:4 ). It may possibly be identified with Khirbet Gazzir on the Wadi Sza‘ib near es-Salt.
“All the cites of Gilead” was an identifiable area consisting of an area within Gad. ‘Half the land of the children of Ammon’ was a third area on the western side of the north-south extension of the Jabbok, stretching to Aroer east of Rabbah, originally taken from Ammon by the Amorites. Rabbath was the capital of Ammon (Rabbath-ammon – Jdg 11:33 – now called Amman)
Jos 13:26
‘ And from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Lidebir.’
Heshbon in Reuben indicated the southern border of Gad as commencing north of Heshbon. Ramath-mizpeh (the watchtower Ramath) was clearly the northern border. It was possibly the same as Ramoth-gilead (Ramoth in Gilead – Jos 21:38). This was a walled city that featured regularly in wars with Syria. It provided residence for the Merarite Levites (Jos 21:38; 1Ch 6:80). Betonim means ‘pistachio nuts’. It has not been identified directly but Batneh, three miles west of es-Salt, recalls the name. Mahanaim means ‘two camps’. It was on the border of Gad with Manasseh (see Jos 13:30), probably close to the northern bank of the River Jabbok. (Gad extended some kilometres north of the Jabbok). It was where Jacob met the angels of God before meeting Esau (Gen 32:2). It was a Merarite Levite city in the territory of Gath (Jos 21:38). Lidebir may have been Lo-debar (2Sa 9:4), probably not far from Mahanaim.
Jos 13:27
‘ And in the valley, Beth-haram and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, Jordan and a border to the uttermost part of the Sea of Chinnereth Beyond Jordan eastward.’
“The valley” is the Jordan Rift valley from the Sea of Chinnereth (later the Sea of Galilee) to the Dead Sea. These cities were in the Jordan valley with Jordan as the border. Beth-haram (Beth-haran – Num 32:36) is probably to be identified with Tell Iktanu, twelve kilometres north east of the mouth of the Jordan. It was probably a border strongpoint to protect their cattle. Beth-nimrah (Nimrah – Num 32:3; Nimrim – Isa 15:6; Jer 48:34) is possibly Tell Nimrin beside the Wadi Shaib. Succoth (see Psa 60:6) was not far from a water passage (Jos 8:5; Jos 8:16) and from Zarethan (1Ki 7:46) in the Jordan Rift valley. It refused sustenance to the men of Gideon (Jdg 8:5-6) and its leaders were severely punished for it (Jdg 8:14-16). Zaphon was near Succoth and is mentioned in Jdg 12:1.
These formed the remainder of the kingdom of Sihon, with Jordan up to the Sea of Chinnereth as the border.
Jos 13:28
‘ This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and the villages of it.’
The children of Gad inherited all these towns and cities and their surrounding countryside, both on the Transjordan tableland and in the Jordan Rift valley.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jos 13:24 And Moses gave [inheritance] unto the tribe of Gad, [even] unto the children of Gad according to their families.
Ver. 24. See Trapp on “ Jos 13:18 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED TEXT): Jos 13:24-28
24Moses also gave an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, to the sons of Gad, according to their families. 25Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the sons of Ammon, as far as Aroer which is before Rabbah; 26and from Heshbon as far as Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim as far as the border of Debir; 27and in the valley, Beth-haram and Beth-nimrah and Succoth and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as a border, as far as the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan to the east. 28This is the inheritance of the sons of Gad according to their families, the cities and their villages.
Jos 13:24-28 This is the tribal allocation of Gad.
Jos 13:25 as far as Aroer which is before Rabbah There are two different towns by this name, Aroer (BDB 792 II).
A. Aroer
1. Jos 13:25 and Jdg 11:33 (in allotment of Gad)
2. Jos 13:16 (in allotment of Reuben)
B. Rabbah (BDB 913, great or populous) is also two different towns.
1. Rabbah – Ammon, Deu 3:11; 2Sa 11:1; 2Sa 12:26-27; Amo 1:14 (capital of Ammon)
2. Rabbah – in Judah, Jos 15:60
Jos 13:26
NASBas far as the border of Debir
NRSVthe territory of Debir
TEVto the border of Lodebar
NJBas far as the territory of Lo-Debar
The revocalization of the MT (lodebar) in the dynamic equivalent translations (TEV, NJB) is an attempt to relate this text to the place in 2Sa 9:4-5; 2Sa 17:27; Amo 6:13.
Jos 13:27 the sea of Chinnereth This body of water has several different names in the Bible: (1) the Sea of Genesseret; (2) the Sea of Tiberias; and (3) the Sea of Galilee.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Num 32:34-36
Reciprocal: Deu 4:48 – Aroer Deu 33:20 – Blessed 1Sa 13:7 – Gad 1Ch 5:11 – Gad Jer 49:2 – Rabbah Eze 48:27 – Gad
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The allotment of Gad lay in the middle of Israel’s territory east of the Jordan roughly between the Jabbok River and the northern end of the Dead Sea.