Numbers 32:17

_BUT WE OURSELVES WILL GO READY ARMED BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, UNTIL WE HAVE BROUGHT THEM UNTO THEIR PLACE: AND OUR LITTLE ONES SHALL DWELL IN THE FENCED CITIES BECAUSE OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND._ Because of the inhabitants of the land. There was good policy in leaving a sufficient force to protect the conquered region, lest the enemy should attempt reprisals; and as only 40,000 of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and a half of Manasseh, passed over the Jordan (Joshua 4:13), there was left for the security of the new possessions 70,580 men, besides women and children under twenty years (cf. Numbers 26:17)....

16-27 Here is the good effect of plain dealing. Moses, by showing their sin, and the danger of it, brought them to their duty, without murmuring or disputing. All men ought to consider the interests of others as well as their own; the law of love requires us to labour, venture, or suffer for each other as there may be occasion. They propose that their men of war should go ready armed before the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, and that they should not return till the conquest of Canaan was ended. Moses grants their request, but he warns them of the danger of breaking their word. If you fail, you sin against the Lord, and not against your brethren only; God will certainly reckon with you for it. Be sure your sin will find you out. Sin will surely find out the sinner sooner or later. It concerns us now to find our sins out, that we may repent of them, and forsake them, lest they...

Verse Numbers 32:17. _BECAUSE OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND._] These were the Ammonites, Moabites, Idumeans, and the remains of the Midianites and Amorites. But could the women and children even keep the defenced cities, when placed in them? This certainly cannot be supposed possible. Many of the men of war must of course stay behind. In the last census, Numbers 26, the tribe of Reuben consisted of 43,730 men; the tribe of Gad, 40,500; the tribe of Manasseh, 52,700; the half of whichis 26,350. Add this to the sum of the other two tribes, and the amount is 110,580. Now from Joshua 4:13 we learn that of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, only 40,000 armed men passed over Jordan to assist t...

EXPOSITION THE TWO AND A HALF TRIBES BEYOND JORDAN (Numbers 32:1). NUMBERS 32:1 THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN AND THE CHILDREN OF GAD. Reuben and Gad had both been camped on the same (southern) side of the tabernacle, but had not apparently been neighbours, since Simeon intervened on the march (see on Numbers 2:10-4). Simeon, however, was at this time enfeebled and disgraced, and was not likely to assert himself in any way. The "great multitude of cattle" belonging to the two tribes probably point to pastoral habits of long standing, since the cattle o

BUT WE OURSELVES WILL GO READY ARMED BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... This they said to free themselves from the charge of cowardice, and that they did not mean to sit still while their brethren went to war; they were willing to put on their armour, and be ready to meet the enemy upon the borders of the land, and engage with them, and to expose their lives in favour of their brethren: UNTIL WE HAVE BROUGHT THEM UNTO THEIR PLACE; to the land of Canaan, the place designed for them, and given unto them, to the possession of it, and a settlement in it: AND OUR LITTLE ONES SHALL DWELL IN THE FENCED CITIES, BECAUSE OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND; where they might be safe from them, which they proposed to repair and refortify for the security of them, while they went with their brethren into the land of Canaan, to put them into possession of that, of which they made not the least doubt; and...

8. THE TRIBES OF REUBEN, GAD, HALF-MANASSEH AND THEIR PORTION CHAPTER 32 _ 1. The petition of Reuben and Gad (Numbers 32:1)_ 2. The rebuke by Moses (Numbers 32:6) 3. Their answer (Numbers 32:16) 4. Moses' reply (Numbers 32:20) 5. The final agreement (Numbers 32:25) Failure is now again manifested. Reuben and Gad looked upon the beautiful territory which had been taken from the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og. As Reuben and Gad were especially rich in cattle and the territory was one of great

A REQUEST BY REUBEN AND GAD FOR PERMISSION TO SETTLE ON THE E. OF JORDAN. The character of the high moorland S. of the Jabbok still bears out the description of it as suitable for pasturage (Numbers 32:1; Numbers 32:4); and a traveller declares, We should never have believed the amount of (the) flocks, had we not seen and attempted to count them. The pastoral associations of Reuben are alluded to in Judges 5:16. NUMBERS 32:1. GILEAD: the term here denotes the country S. of the Jabbok, for the towns enumerated in Numbers 32:3 are all thus situated.

_will be ready armed_ Heb. has lit. -will arm ourselves hastening." But the expression is awkward, and the last word (חֻשִׁים) is doubtful. חֲמֻשִׁים should probably be read: _will_ ARM OURSELVES IN BATTLE ARRAY; cf. Exodus 13:18; Joshua 1:14; Joshua 4:12. _our little ones_ Including, of course, the wives and all members of the family who were not fighting men. God would take care of them while all the soldiers were fulfilling the sacred duty of conquering the land of Canaan (cf. Exodus 34:24). An historical basis underlying the passage probably was that some portion of Gad took part in the battles on the west of Jordan. This s

WE—WILL GO READY ARMED BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL— Having taken into consideration what Moses had said, the two tribes apply to him again, and offer, in a very reasonable manner, _to go ready armed before the children of Israel;_ as much as to say, "though we desired to settle here with our families, we wish not to decline the fatigues of war, but are ready to furnish such quota of troops as shall be required of us." The LXX render it, _we will put ourselves at the head of the troops of Israel;_ and accordingly we find, that forty thousand of them, _ready armed for war,_ accompanied their brethren, Deuteronomy 3:18. Joshua 4:12. By _the inhabitants of the land_ we are to understand the Moabites, the Idumaeans, and the rest of the conquered people, against whose attempts it was natur

G. THE TRIBES-' PLEDGE vv. 16-19 TEXT Numbers 32:16. And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: 17. But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities, because of the inhabitants of the land. 18. We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance: 19. For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. PARAPHRASE Numbers 32:16. Then they came near him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17. but we o