How do Ruben and Gad obtain eastern land without leaving the rest of Israel to fight alone?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

They promise to cross the Jordan armed and remain until the other Israelites receive their inheritance. Moses makes the grant conditional on that service, warns them to keep their word, and gives the conditions to Eleazar, Josue, and the tribal leaders.

Chapter breakdown

The sons of Ruben and Gad have very many cattle. Seeing that Jazer and Galaad are suitable for feeding them, they come to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the people. They name Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nemra, Hesebon, Eleale, Saban, Nebo, and Beon. They say the land the Lord conquered before Israel is fertile for feeding beasts and that they have much cattle. They ask that, if they have found favor, this land be given to them as a possession and that they not be made to cross the Jordan.

Moses asks whether their brothers are to go and fight while they sit there. He asks why they are discouraging Israel from entering the place the Lord has given them. He compares this with what their fathers did when he sent them from Cadesbarne to view the land. They went as far as the valley of the cluster and viewed the whole country, but turned the people’s hearts against entering the land the Lord gave them. Moses recalls the Lord’s angry oath: the men who came out of Egypt aged twenty and upward would not see the land promised by oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they would not follow him. Caleb, son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue, son of Nun, were the exceptions because they fulfilled his will. The Lord led Israel through the desert forty years until the whole generation that had done evil in his sight was consumed.

Moses says they have risen in their fathers’ place as the offspring of sinful men, adding to the Lord’s anger against Israel. He warns that if they will not follow the Lord, he will leave the people in the wilderness and they will cause the destruction of all. This is Moses’ warning about their proposed course, not a report that this consequence has happened.

They come closer and offer to make sheepfolds and stalls for their cattle, and strong cities for their children. They themselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel until they bring them to their places. Their little ones and all they have will remain in walled cities for fear of the inhabitants’ ambushes. They will not return home until Israel possesses its inheritance. They will not seek anything beyond the Jordan, because they already have their possession on its east side.

Moses tells them that if they do what they promise, they must go prepared for war before the Lord. Every fighting man must cross the Jordan until the Lord overthrows his enemies and all the land is brought under him. Then they will be blameless before the Lord and Israel, and receive the countries they desire before the Lord. If they do not do what they say, they sin against God, and their sin will overtake them. Moses tells them to build cities for their children and folds and stalls for their sheep and beasts, and to fulfill their promise.

Gad and Ruben call themselves Moses’ servants and say they will do what he commands. Their children, wives, sheep, and cattle will stay in the cities of Galaad; the men will march prepared for war as Moses says. Moses then gives the conditions to Eleazar the priest, Josue son of Nun, and the princes of the families of all Israel’s tribes. If Gad and Ruben cross armed with them before the Lord and the land is made subject to them, the leaders must give them Galaad. If they will not cross armed into Chanaan, they are to receive places to live among the others. Gad and Ruben reply that they will do as the Lord has spoken. They will go armed before the Lord into Chanaan, and acknowledge that they have already received their possession beyond the Jordan.

Moses gives Gad, Ruben, and half the tribe of Manasses, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of Sehon king of the Amorrhites and Og king of Basan, with their lands and surrounding cities. The sons of Gad build Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Etroth, Sophan, Jazer, Jegbaa, Bethnemra, and Betharan: fenced cities and folds for their cattle.

The children of Ruben build Hesebon, Eleale, Cariathaim, Nabo, Baalmeon, and Sabama. The text says the names of Nabo and Baalmeon were changed and that they gave names to the cities they built; it does not give a reason for the changes. The children of Machir, son of Manasses, go into Galaad and lay it waste, cutting off its Amorrhite inhabitants. Moses gives Galaad to Machir, who lives there.

Jair, son of Manasses, takes the villages and calls them Havoth Jair, meaning the villages of Jair. Nobe takes Canath with its villages and calls it by his own name, Nobe.

The story inside

The request changes during the exchange with Moses. Ruben and Gad first ask for the cattle lands and not to cross the Jordan. Moses answers by asking who will fight and recalling how earlier discouragement kept Israel from entering the land. They then propose a different arrangement: their children and possessions can stay in walled cities while they go ahead armed, and they will remain until Israel receives its inheritance. Moses responds with conditions for service before the Lord and a warning about failure to keep their word. He also passes two alternatives to Eleazar, Josue, and the family princes: give Galaad if the tribes cross armed and the land is made subject, or give places among the others if they do not cross armed. The chapter records their repeated commitment and Moses’ eastern grant, but it does not record the later completion of their promised western service.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Keep the original request distinct from the later promise. Ruben and Gad initially ask not to cross; after Moses’ warning, they promise armed service until the other Israelites receive their inheritance.
2
The land arrangement has stated conditions. Moses requires every fighting man to cross before the Lord until the enemies are overthrown and the land is brought under him, and warns that failure to perform is sin against God.
3
A promise and its fulfillment are different stages. The chapter records the commitment, the leaders’ instructions, the grant, and eastern settlements. It does not yet narrate completion of the service across the Jordan.

Test your recall

Why does Moses object to the first request not to cross the Jordan, and how does the tribes’ later proposal address his objection?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 17947–17969
Numbers Chapter 32 The tribes of Ruben and Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasses, receive their inheritance on the east side of Jordan, upon conditions approved of by Moses. 32:1. And the sons of Ruben and Gad had many flocks of cattle, and their substance in beasts was infinite. And when they saw the lands of Jazer and Galaad fit for feeding cattle, 32:2. They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the multitude, and said: 32:3. Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nemra, Hesebon, and Eleale, and Saban, and Nebo, and Beon, 32:4. The land, which the Lord hath conquered in the sight of the children of Israel, is a very fertile soil for the feeding of beasts: and we thy servants have very much cattle: 32:5. And we pray thee, if we have found favour in thy sight, that thou give it to us thy servants in possession, and make us not pass over the Jordan.
Lines 17971–17996
32:6. And Moses answered them: What, shall your brethren go to fight, and will you sit here? 32:7. Why do ye overturn the minds of the children of Israel, that they may not dare to pass into the place which the Lord hath given them? 32:8. Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to view the land? 32:9. And when they were come as far as the valley of the cluster, having viewed all the country, they overturned the hearts of the children of Israel, that they should not enter into the coasts, which the Lord gave them. 32:10. And he swore in his anger, saying: 32:11. If these men, that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land, which I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: because they would not follow me, 32:12. Except Caleb the son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue the son of Nun: these have fulfilled my will. 32:13. And the Lord being angry against Israel, led them about through the desert forty years, until the whole generation, that had done evil in his sight, was consumed.
Lines 17998–18003
32:14. And behold, said he, you are risen up instead of your fathers, the increase and offspring of sinful men, to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel. 32:15. For if you will not follow him, he will leave the people in the wilderness, and you shall be the cause of the destruction of all.
Lines 18005–18017
32:16. But they coming near, said: We will make sheepfolds, and stalls for our cattle, and strong cities for our children: 32:17. And we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the children of Israel, until we bring them in unto their places. Our little ones, and all we have, shall be in walled cities, for fear of the ambushes of the inhabitants. 32:18. We will not return into our houses until the children of Israel possess their inheritance: 32:19. Neither will we seek any thing beyond the Jordan, because we have already our possession on the east side thereof,
Lines 18019–18033
32:20. And Moses said to them: If you do what you promise, go on well appointed for war before the Lord: 32:21. And let every fighting man pass over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrow his enemies: 32:22. And all the land be brought under him, then shall you be blameless before the Lord and before Israel, and you shall obtain the countries that you desire, before the Lord. 32:23. But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin against God: and know ye, that your sin shall overtake you. 32:24. Build therefore cities for your children, and folds and stalls for your sheep and beasts, and accomplish what you have promised.
Lines 18035–18060
32:25. And the children of Gad and Ruben said to Moses: We are thy servants, we will do what my lord commandeth. 32:26. We will leave our children, and our wives and sheep and cattle, in the cities of Galaad: 32:27. And we thy servants all well appointed will march on to the war, as thou, my lord, speakest. 32:28. Moses therefore commanded Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun, and the princes of the families of all the tribes of Israel, and said to them: 32:29. If the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben pass with you over the Jordan, all armed for war before the Lord, and the land be made subject to you: give them Galaad in possession. 32:30. But if they will not pass armed with you into the land of Chanaan, let them receive places to dwell in among you. 32:31. And the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben answered: As the Lord hath spoken to his servants, so will we do: 32:32. We will go armed before the Lord into the land of Chanaan, and we confess that we have already received our possession beyond the Jordan.
Lines 18062–18072
32:33. Moses therefore gave to the children of Gad and of Ruben, and to the half tribe of Manasses the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and the kingdom of Og king of Basan, and their land and the cities thereof round about. 32:34. And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, 32:35. And Etroth, and Sophan, and Jazer, and Jegbaa, 32:36. And Bethnemra, and Betharan, fenced cities, and folds for their cattle.
Lines 18074–18085
32:37. But the children of Ruben built Hesebon, and Eleale, and Cariathaim, 32:38. And Nabo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Sabama: giving names to the cities which they had built. 32:39. Moreover the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, went into Galaad, and wasted it, cutting off the Amorrhites, the inhabitants thereof. 32:40. And Moses gave the land of Galaad to Machir the son of Manasses, and he dwelt in it.
Lines 18087–18094
32:41. And Jair the son of Manasses went, and took the villages thereof, and he called them Havoth Jair, that is to say, the villages of Jair. 32:42. Nobe also went, and took Canath with the villages thereof: and he called it by his own name, Nobe.