Numbers 32
New English Translation
The Petition of the Reubenites and Gadites
32 [a] Now the Reubenites and the Gadites possessed a very large number of cattle. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for cattle,[b] 2 the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community. They said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam,[c] Nebo, and Beon,[d] 4 the land that the Lord subdued[e] before the community of Israel, is ideal for cattle, and your servants have cattle.” 5 So they said, “If we have found favor in your sight,[f] let this land be given to your servants for our inheritance. Do not have us cross[g] the Jordan River.”[h]
Moses’ Response
6 Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Must your brothers go to war while you[i] remain here? 7 Why do you frustrate the intent[j] of the Israelites to cross over into the land that the Lord has given them? 8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 When[k] they went up to the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they frustrated the intent of the Israelites so that they did not enter[l] the land that the Lord had given[m] them. 10 So the anger of the Lord was kindled that day, and he swore, 11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly,[n] not[o] one of the men twenty years old and upward[p] who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give[q] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ 13 So the Lord’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had done wickedly before[r] the Lord was finished.[s] 14 Now look, you are standing in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinners, to increase still further the fierce wrath of the Lord against the Israelites. 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon[t] them in the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.”[u]
The Offer of the Reubenites and Gadites
16 Then they came very close to him and said, “We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families,[v] 17 but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness[w] and go before the Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants will be living in fortified towns as a protection against[x] the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has his inheritance. 19 For we will not accept any inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River[y] and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
20 Then Moses replied,[z] “If you will do this thing, and if you will arm yourselves for battle before the Lord, 21 and if all your armed men cross the Jordan before the Lord until he drives out his enemies from his presence 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be free of your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. This land will then be your possession in the Lord’s sight.
23 “But if you do not do this, then look, you will have sinned[aa] against the Lord. And know that your sin will find you out. 24 So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you have said[ab] you would do.”
25 So the Gadites and the Reubenites replied to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, to do battle in the Lord’s presence, just as my lord says.”
28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes. 29 Moses said to them: “If the Gadites and the Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, each one equipped for battle in the Lord’s presence, and you conquer the land,[ac] then you must allot them the territory of Gilead as their possession. 30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must receive possessions among you in Canaan.” 31 Then the Gadites and the Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has spoken.[ad] 32 We will cross armed in the Lord’s presence into the land of Canaan, and then the possession of our inheritance that we inherit will be ours on this side of the Jordan River.”[ae]
Land Assignment
33 So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the realm of King Sihon of the Amorites, and the realm of King Og of Bashan, the entire land with its cities and the territory surrounding them.[af] 34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and constructed pens for their flocks. 37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon (with a change of name), and Sibmah. They renamed[ag] the cities they built.
39 The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, son of Manasseh, and he lived there.[ah] 41 Now Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their small towns and named them Havvoth Jair.[ai] 42 Then Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah after his own name.
Footnotes
- Numbers 32:1 sn While the tribes are on the other side of Jordan, the matter of which tribes would settle there has to be discussed. This chapter begins the settlement of Israel into the tribal territories, something to be continued in Joshua. The chapter has the petitions (vv. 1-5), the response by Moses (vv. 6-15), the proposal (vv. 16-27), and the conclusion of the matter (vv. 28-42). For literature on this subject, both critical and conservative, see S. E. Loewenstein, “The Relation of the Settlement of Gad and Reuben in Numbers 32:1-38, Its Background and Its Composition,” Tarbiz 42 (1972): 12-26; J. Mauchline, “Gilead and Gilgal, Some Reflections on the Israelite Occupation of Palestine,” VT 6 (1956): 19-33; and A. Bergmann, “The Israelite Tribe of Half-Manasseh,” JPOS 16 (1936): 224-54.
- Numbers 32:1 tn Heb “the place was a place of/for cattle.”
- Numbers 32:3 tc Smr and the LXX have Sibmah. Cf. v. 38.
- Numbers 32:3 tn Cf. Baal Meon in v. 38.
- Numbers 32:4 tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of נָכָה (nakhah), a term that can mean “smite, strike, attack, destroy.”
- Numbers 32:5 tn Heb “eyes.”
- Numbers 32:5 tn The verb is the Hiphil jussive from עָבַר (ʿavar, “to cross over”). The idea of “cause to cross” or “make us cross” might be too harsh, but “take across” with the rest of the nation is what they are trying to avoid.
- Numbers 32:5 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 32:6 tn The vav (ו) is a vav disjunctive prefixed to the pronoun; it fits best here as a circumstantial clause, “while you stay here.”
- Numbers 32:7 tn Heb “heart.” So also in v. 9.
- Numbers 32:9 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the parallel yet chronologically later verb in the next clause.
- Numbers 32:9 tn The infinitive construct here with ל (lamed) is functioning as a result clause.
- Numbers 32:9 tn The Lord had not given it yet, but was going to give it. Hence, the perfect should be classified as a perfect of resolve.
- Numbers 32:11 tn The clause is difficult; it means essentially that “they have not made full [their coming] after” the Lord.
- Numbers 32:11 tn The sentence begins with “if they see….” This is the normal way for Hebrew to express a negative oath—“they will by no means see….” The sentence is elliptical; it is saying something like “[May God do so to me] if they see,” meaning they won’t see. Of course here God is taking the oath, which is an anthropomorphic act. He does not need to take an oath, and certainly could not swear by anyone greater, but it communicates to people his resolve.
- Numbers 32:11 tc The LXX adds “those knowing bad and good.”
- Numbers 32:11 tn The words “to give” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 32:13 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
- Numbers 32:13 tn The verb is difficult to translate, since it has the idea of “complete, finish” (תָּמָם, tamam). It could be translated “consumed” in this passage (so KJV, ASV); NASB “was destroyed.”
- Numbers 32:15 tn The construction uses a verbal hendiadys with the verb “to add” serving to modify the main verb.
- Numbers 32:15 tn Heb “and you will destroy all this people.”
- Numbers 32:16 tn Heb “our little ones.”
- Numbers 32:17 tn The MT has חֻשִׁים (khushim); the verbal root is חוּשׁ (khush, “to make haste” or “hurry”). But in light of the Greek and Latin Vulgate the Hebrew should probably be emended to חֲמֻשִׁים (hamushim), a qal passive participle meaning “in battle array.” See further BDB 301 s.v. I חוּשׁ, BDB 332 s.v. חֲמֻשִׁים; HALOT 300 s.v. I חושׁ, חישׁ; HALOT 331 s.v. I חמשׁ.
- Numbers 32:17 tn Heb “from before.”
- Numbers 32:19 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 32:20 tn Heb “said to them.”
- Numbers 32:23 tn The nuance of the perfect tense here has to be the future perfect.
- Numbers 32:24 tn Heb “that which goes out/has gone out of your mouth.”
- Numbers 32:29 tn Heb “and the land is subdued before you.”
- Numbers 32:31 tn Heb “that which the Lord has spoken to your servants, thus we will do.”
- Numbers 32:32 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 32:33 tn Heb “the land with its cities in the borders of the cities of the land all around.”
- Numbers 32:38 tn Heb “called names.”
- Numbers 32:40 tn Heb “in it.”
- Numbers 32:41 sn Havvoth Jair. The Hebrew name means “villages of Jair.”
民数记 32
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
河东的支派求地业(A)
32 流本子孙和迦得子孙的牲畜极其众多；他们看见雅谢地和基列地都是可牧放牲畜的地方， 2 就来对摩西和以利亚撒祭司，以及会众的首领说： 3 “亚大录、底本、雅谢、宁拉、希实本、以利亚利、示班、尼波、比稳， 4 就是耶和华在以色列会众面前攻取的地，是可牧放牲畜的地，你仆人也有牲畜。” 5 他们又说：“如果我们在你眼前蒙恩，求你把这地给你的仆人作产业，不要叫我们过约旦河。”
6 摩西对迦得子孙和流本子孙说：“难道你们的兄弟去打仗，你们却坐在这里吗？ 7 你们为甚么使以色列人灰心，不过河到耶和华赐给他们的地那里去呢？ 8 我从前从加低斯．巴尼亚派你们的先祖去窥探那地的时候，他们也是这样行。 9 他们上到以实各谷，看了那地，就使以色列人灰心，不进耶和华赐给他们的地那里去。 10 当日耶和华的怒气发作，就起誓说： 11 ‘从埃及上来二十岁及以上的人，必不得看见我对亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许的地，因为他们没有专心跟从我。 12 唯独基尼洗人耶孚尼的儿子迦勒，和嫩的儿子约书亚可以看见，因为他们专心跟从耶和华。’ 13 耶和华的怒气向以色列人发作，使他们在旷野飘流了四十年，等到在耶和华眼前行恶的那一代都灭尽了。 14 现在，你们这些罪人的族类，也来接替你们的先祖，增添耶和华对以色列的烈怒！ 15 如果你们转离，不跟从他，他再要把以色列人撇在旷野，这样，你们就要把整个民族都毁灭了。”
16 两支派的人走到摩西跟前，对他说：“我们要在这里给我们的牲畜筑羊圈，给我们的孩子建城邑。 17 我们自己却要武装起来，行在以色列人前头上阵，直到把他们领到他们自己的地方，但我们的孩子因为这地居民的缘故，要住在坚固的城里。 18 我们决不回家，直等到以色列人各自承受了产业。 19 我们不与他们在约旦河西边之地同受产业，因为我们的产业是坐落在约旦河东边。”
20 摩西对他们说：“如果你们这样行，在耶和华面前武装起来去作战， 21 你们所有武装起来的人，都要在耶和华面前过约旦河，直到他把他的仇敌从自己面前赶出去， 22 直到那地在耶和华面前被征服了，然后才回家，这样你们对耶和华和对以色列就算无罪，这地也可以在耶和华面前归你们作产业。 23 如果你们不这样行，就得罪了耶和华；你们要知道你们的罪必追上你们。 24 现在你们只管照你们口中所出的话去行，为你们的孩子建城，为你们的羊群筑圈。” 25 迦得子孙和流本子孙告诉摩西：“你仆人必照着我主吩咐的去行。 26 我们的孩子、妻子、羊群和所有的牲畜，都要留在基列的各城； 27 但你的仆人，所有武装起来预备打仗的，都要照着我主所说的，在耶和华面前过去作战。”
28 于是，摩西为了他们，嘱咐以利亚撒祭司和嫩的儿子约书亚，以及以色列众支派的族长， 29 对他们说：“迦得的子孙和流本的子孙，所有武装起来，在耶和华面前预备去作战的人，如果与你们一同过约旦河，那地在你们面前被征服了，你们就要把基列地给他们作产业。 30 他们若是不武装起来，与你们一同过去，他们就要在迦南地在你们中间同得产业。” 31 迦得的子孙和流本的子孙回答，说：“耶和华怎样吩咐仆人，我们就怎样行。 32 我们要武装起来，在耶和华面前过河，到迦南地去；只是约旦河这边的地方，要归我们作产业。”
33 于是摩西把亚摩利王西宏的国，和巴珊王噩的国，连那地，和境内城市，以及那地周围的城市，都给了迦得的子孙、流本的子孙和约瑟的儿子玛拿西的半个支派。 34 迦得的子孙修筑了底本、亚他录、亚罗珥、 35 亚他录．朔反、雅谢、约比哈、 36 伯．宁拉、伯．哈兰这些坚固的城市和羊圈。 37 流本的子孙修筑了希实本、以利亚利、基列亭、 38 尼波、巴力．免（以上的名字是改了的）、西比玛；又为他们修筑的城市起了别的名字。 39 玛拿西的儿子玛吉的子孙到基列去，攻取了那地，把住在那里的亚摩利人赶走。 40 摩西把基列给了玛拿西的儿子玛吉，玛吉就住在那里。 41 玛拿西的儿子睚珥，去攻取了亚摩利人的村庄，就把这些村庄叫作哈倭特．睚珥。 42 挪巴去攻取了基纳和基纳的小村镇，就用自己的名字叫基纳为挪巴。
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