Joshua 22:24

“This is the reason that we built that altar: We were afraid/worried that some day your descendants would say that our descendants are not true Israelis. We were afraid that then they would say, ‘You are not allowed to worship Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?

In Context

23If we have disobeyed one of Yahweh’s laws, we request that he should punish us. We did not build that new altar to completely burn animals as sacrifices to Yahweh, or to offer on it sacrifices of grain or sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.

25Yahweh caused the Jordan River to be a boundary between us and you people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad. So you are not allowed to worship Yahweh.’ We were worried that your descendants would force our descendants to stop worshiping Yahweh.

Read all of Joshua 22

Cross References

Genesis 18:19I have chosen him in order that he will teach his children and their families to obey me and do what is right and fair, and then I will do for Abraham what I promised.”

Exodus 13:14In the future, when one of your children asks, ‘What does this mean?’, you must say to him, ‘Yahweh brought our ancestors out of Egypt with his great power [MTY], and freed us from being slaves there.

Joshua 4:6Then pile them up to be a memorial for you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’,

Matthew Henry on Joshua 22:22-30

21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22 The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the Lord , (save us not this day,) 23 That we have built us an altar to turn from following the Lord , or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the Lord himself require it;… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Joshua 22:24