Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 22:14
And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one [was] a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
14. ten princes ] Representing the nine and a half tribes west of the Jordan.
head of the house ] Each of them was prince of a fathers’ house among the thousands of Israel. Comp. Jdg 6:15; 1Sa 10:19 ; 1Sa 10:21. “They were thus persons of great weight of character and approved discretion, entitled by their position to demand an explanation, and less likely than younger men to have their judgments warped or compromised by the hasty impulses of passion.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And 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, Ex 18:25. Now these were among the chief of them, of the highest rank and authority; they were the chief princes, heads of several tribes; a very honourable deputation this! the son of the high priest, and ten princes, the heads of the tribes; these were chosen and sent, partly in honour to their brethren beyond Jordan, and partly that they might carry the greater authority with them, and prevail upon them to hearken to them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
14. Ten princes Who these princes were is so obscurely told in the rest of the verse that it is difficult to decide as to the precise meaning. The rest of the verse is, literally: One prince, one prince to the house of a father to all the tribes of Israel, and a chief man of the house of their fathers were they to all the thousands of Israel. It could not be that one was chosen from each chief house in all Israel, for then must more than ten have been chosen. Keil probably explains correctly when he says that this delegation, called in Jos 22:30 princes of the congregation, “was composed partly of princes of tribes and partly of heads of families, some tribes being represented in one way and others in the other; and that the latter were sent in cases in which the heads of the tribes were either too old, or otherwise unfitted to take part in the deputation. This supposition is strongly confirmed by the fact that the tribe of Levi was not represented by the chief of the tribe, the high priest Eleazar, but by his son and presumptive successor, Phinehas, who was chosen instead.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jos 22:14 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.
Ver. 14. Of each chief house. ] Of the half tribe of Manasseh for one; which is here reckoned for a tribe, because they had a stomach for God against those of their own flesh and blood.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
chief house: Heb. house of the father
an head: Exo 18:25, Num 1:4
Reciprocal: Exo 18:21 – rulers of thousands