1 Filii autem Ruben et Gad habebant pecora multa, et erat illis in iumentis infinita substantia. Cumque vidissent Iazer et Galaad aptas animalibus alendis terras, |
2 venerunt ad Moysen et ad Eleazarum sacerdotem et principes congregationis atque dixerunt: |
3 “ Ataroth et Dibon et Iazer et Nemra, Hesebon et Eleale et Sabam et Nabo et Beon, |
4 terra, quam percussit Dominus in conspectu congregationis Israel, regio uberrima est ad pastum animalium, et nos servi tui habemus iumenta plurima ”. |
5 Dixeruntque: “ Si invenimus gratiam coram te, detur haec terra famulis tuis in possessionem, nec facias nos transire Iordanem ”. |
6 Quibus respondit Moyses: “ Numquid fratres vestri ibunt ad pugnam, et vos hic sedebitis? |
7 Cur subvertitis mentes filiorum Israel, ne transire audeant in terram, quam eis daturus est Dominus? |
8 Nonne ita egerunt patres vestri, quando misi de Cadesbarne ad explorandam terram? |
9 Cumque venissent usque ad Nehelescol, lustrata omni regione, subverterunt cor filiorum Israel, ut non intrarent terram, quam eis Dominus dedit. |
10 Qui iratus iuravit dicens: |
11 "Non videbunt homines isti, qui ascenderunt ex Aegypto, a viginti annis et supra, terram, quam sub iuramento pollicitus sum Abraham, Isaac et Iacob; nam noluerunt sequi me, |
12 praeter Chaleb filium Iephonne Cenezaeum et Iosue filium Nun: isti secuti sunt Dominum!". |
13 Iratusque Dominus adversum Israel circumduxit eum per desertum quadraginta annis, donec consumeretur universa generatio, quae fecerat malum in conspectu eius. |
14 Et ecce, inquit, vos surrexistis pro patribus vestris progenies hominum peccatorum, ut augeretis furorem irae Domini contra Israel. |
15 Quod si nolueritis sequi eum, in solitudine iterum populum hunc circumducet, et vos causa eritis necis omnium ”. |
16 At illi prope accedentes dixerunt: “ Caulas ovium fabricabimus pro iumentis nostris, parvulis quoque nostris urbes; |
17 nos autem ipsi armati et accincti pergemus ad proelium ante filios Israel, donec introducamus eos ad loca sua. Parvuli nostri erunt in urbibus muratis propter habitatorum insidias. |
18 Non revertemur in domos nostras usque dum possideant filii Israel hereditatem suam; |
19 nec quidquam quaeremus trans Iordanem et ultra, quia iam habemus nostram hereditatem in orientali eius plaga ”. |
20 Quibus Moyses ait: “ Si feceritis quod promittitis, si expediti perrexeritis coram Domino ad pugnam, |
21 et omnis vir bellator armatus Iordanem transierit, donec expulerit Dominus inimicos suos ante se, |
22 et subiecta ei omni terra redieritis in terram hanc, tunc eritis inculpabiles apud Dominum et apud Israel et obtinebitis terram hanc in hereditatem coram Domino. |
23 Sin autem, quod dicitis, non feceritis, nulli dubium est quin peccetis in Dominum; et scitote quoniam peccatum vestrum apprehendet vos. |
24 Aedificate ergo urbes parvulis vestris et caulas ovibus et, quod polliciti estis, implete ”. |
25 Dixeruntque filii Gad et Ruben ad Moysen: “ Servi tui sumus, faciemus, quod iubet dominus noster: |
26 parvulos nostros, mulieres, pecora ac iumenta remanebunt ibi in urbibus Galaad; |
27 famuli autem tui, omnes expediti pergent coram Domino ad bellum, sicut tu, domine, loqueris ”. |
28 Praecepit ergo Moyses Eleazaro sacerdoti et Iosue filio Nun et principibus familiarum per tribus filiorum Israel et dixit ad eos: |
29 “ Si transierint filii Gad et filii Ruben vobiscum Iordanem omnes armati ad bellum coram Domino, et vobis fuerit terra subiecta, date eis Galaad in possessionem. |
30 Sin autem noluerint transire armati vobiscum in terram Chanaan, inter vos habitandi accipiant loca ”. |
31 Responderuntque filii Gad et filii Ruben: “ Sicut locutus est Dominus servis suis, ita faciemus. |
32 Ipsi armati pergemus coram Domino in terram Chanaan; et possidebimus hereditatem nostram trans Iordanem ”. |
33 Dedit itaque Moyses filiis Gad et Ruben et dimidiae tribui Manasse filii Ioseph regnum Sehon regis Amorraei et regnum Og regis Basan, terram cum urbibus suis et terminis, urbes terrae per circuitum. |
34 Igitur exstruxerunt filii Gad Dibon et Ataroth et Aroer |
35 et Atrothsophan et Iazer et Iegbaa |
36 et Bethnemra et Betharan, urbes munitas, et caulas pecoribus suis. |
37 Filii vero Ruben aedificaverunt Hesebon et Eleale et Cariathaim |
38 et Nabo et Baalmeon, versis nominibus, Sabama quoque, imponentes vocabula urbibus, quas exstruxerant. |
39 Porro filii Machir filii Manasse perrexerunt in Galaad et ceperunt eam, expulso Amorraeo habitatore eius. |
40 Dedit ergo Moyses terram Galaad Machir filio Manasse, qui habitavit in ea. |
41 Iair autem filius Manasse abiit et occupavit vicos eius, quos appellavit Havoth Iair (id est villas Iair). |
42 Nobe quoque perrexit et apprehendit Canath cum viculis suis vocavitque eam ex nomine suo Nobe.
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32 The request of Reuben and Gad for an inheritance on this side Jordan, Numeri 32:1-5.
Moses's misconstruction of it, Numeri 32:6-15.
Their explication of it, Numeri 32:16-19.
The grant of their petition, Numeri 32:20-42.
32:1 Jazer - A city and country of the Amorites; Gilead - A mountainous country, famous for pasturage
32:6 Ye sit here - In ease and peace, while your brethren are engaged in a bloody war.
32:12 The Kenezite - So called from Kenaz, his grand - father.
32:15 All this people - Who being moved by your counsel and example, will refuse to go over Jordan.
32:17 We ourselves - Either all, or as many as shall be thought necessary, leaving only so many as may be necessary to provide for the sustenance and defence of our wives and children here.
32:20 Before the Lord - Before the ark, which was the token of God's presence. He alludes either to the order of the tribes in their march, whereby Reuben and Gad marched immediately before the ark, or to the manner of their passage over Jordan, wherein the ark went first into Jordan, and stood there while all the tribes marched over Jordan by and before it, and these amongst the rest, as is expressly noted in these very words, that they passed over before the Lord, Iosue 4:13.
32:22 Before the Lord - By his presence and gracious and powerful assistance.
32:23 Your sin - The punishment of your sin. Sin will certainly find out the sinner sooner or later. It concerns us therefore to find our sins out, that we may repent of them and forsake them, lest our sins find us out, to our confusion and destruction.
32:30 They shall have possession - They shall forfeit their possessions in Gilead, and be constrained to go over Jordan, and to seek possessions there among their brethren.
32:31 As the Lord hath said - Either at this time by thy mouth: or formerly, where he commanded us, as well as our brethren to go into Canaan and possess it.
32:34 Built - Repaired and fortified. For they neither had need nor leisure as yet to do more, the old cities not being burnt and ruined, as divers in Canaan were.
32:38 Their names changed - Either because conquerers of places used to do so: or because the names of other Gods (which Nebo and Baal - meon unquestionably were) were not to be mentioned, Exodus 23:13.
32:40 Machir - Not to Machir himself, who doubtless was long since dead, but the family or posterity of Machir.
32:42 Nobah - Who, though not else where named, was doubtless an eminent person of the tribe of Manasseh. 'Tis observable, that these tribes, as they were placed before the other tribes, so they were displaced before them. They were carried captive by the king of Assyria, some years before the other tribes. Such a proportion does providence frequently observe, in balancing prosperity and adversity.