Joshua 22 · Verse 11

Joshua 22:11

And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
Joshua 22:11, King James Version

Joshua 22:11 in other translations

BSBThen the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”
WEBThe children of Israel heard this, “Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar along the border of the land of Canaan, in the region around the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the children of Israel.”
ASVAnd the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertaineth to the children of Israel.
YLTAnd the sons of Israel hear, saying, ‘Lo, the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, have built the altar over-against the land of Canaan, on the districts of the Jordan, at the passage of the sons of Israel.'
DARBYAnd the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the districts of the Jordan, separately from the children of Israel.
BBEAnd news came to the children of Israel, See, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have put up an altar opposite the land of Canaan, in the country by Jordan on the side which is Israel's.
WebsterAnd the children of Israel heard it said, Behold, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

What does Joshua 22:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 22:11-29

Jos 22:11-29. Contention Thereupon.

11-29. and the children of Israel heard say--Fame speedily spread intelligence of what the trans-jordanic tribes had done. The act being suspected of some idolatrous design, the tribes rose in a mass, and repairing to the tabernacle at Shiloh, resolved to declare war against the two tribes and a half as apostates from God. On calmer and more mature consideration, however, they determined, in the first instance, to send a deputation consisting of the son of the high priest, and ten eminent persons from each tribe, to make inquiry into this rumored rebellion against God (De 13:13-15). The quality of the deputies evinced the deep solicitude that was felt on the occasion to maintain the purity of the divine worship throughout Israel. In the presumptive belief that the two tribes and a half had really built an altar, the deputies expressed astonishment at their so soon falling into such a heinous crime as that of violating the unity of divine worship (Ex 20:24; Leviticus 17:8, 9; De 12:5-13). They reminded their eastern brethren of the disastrous consequences that were entailed on the nation at large by the apostasy at Peor and by the sin of Achan, and finally exhorted them, if they felt the want of the tabernacle and altar and repented of their rash choice in preferring worldly advantages to religious privileges, to remove to the western side of the Jordan, where all the tribes would form a united and obedient community of worshippers.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joshua 22:10-20

Here is the care of the separated tribes to keep their hold of Canaan's religion. At first sight it seemed a design to set up an altar against the altar at Shiloh. God is jealous for his own institutions; we should be so too, and afraid of every thing that looks like, or leads to idolatry. Corruptions in religion are best dealt with at first. But their prudence in following up this zealous resolution is no less…

Read the full comment on Joshua 22:10-20 →

Joshua 22:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּvai.yish.me.'Uand they heardH8085
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הִנֵּ֣הhi.Nehthere!H2009
בָנ֣וּva.Nuthey have builtH1129
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] descendants ofH1121
רְאוּבֵ֣ןre.'u.VenReubenH7205
וּבְנֵי\־u.ve.nei-and [the] descendants ofH1121
גָ֡דgadGadH1410
וַחֲצִי֩va.cha.Tziand [the] half ofH2677
שֵׁ֨בֶטShe.vet[the] tribe ofH7626
הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֜הham.na.Sheh<the> ManassehH4519
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַha.miz.Be.achthe altarH4196
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מוּל֙mulopposite toH4136
אֶ֣רֶץ'E.retz[the] land ofH776
כְּנַ֔עַןke.Na.'anCanaanH3667
אֶל\־'el-toH413
גְּלִילוֹת֙ge.li.lOtGeliloth ofH1552
הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ןhai.yar.Denthe JordanH3383
אֶל\־'el-toH413
עֵ֖בֶר'E.ver[the] side ofH5676
בְּנֵ֥יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל\׃Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joshua 22:11

  • Deuteronomy 13:12-14

    If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;

  • Joshua 2:7

    And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

  • Deuteronomy 12:5-7

    But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

  • Leviticus 17:8-9

    And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the Lord; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.

  • John 1:28

    These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

  • Judges 12:5

    And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

  • Joshua 3:14-16

    And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

  • John 20:1

    The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

  • John 20:12

    And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
heard.
Le 17:8,9; De 12:5-7; 13:12-14; Joh 20:1,12
at the passage.
2:7; 3:14-16; Jud 12:5; Joh 1:28

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Joshua 22:10

    And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

  • Joshua 22:11

    And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

  • Joshua 22:12

    And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.

Read all of Joshua 22

Joshua 22:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y los hijos de Israel oyeron decir como los hijos de Rubén y los hijos de Gad, y la media tribu de Manasés, habían edificado un altar delante de la tierra de Canaán, en los términos del Jordán, al paso de los hijos de Israel:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et les fils d’Israël entendirent dire: Voici, les fils de Ruben, et les fils de Gad, et la demi-tribu de Manassé, ont bâti un autel en face du pays de Canaan, dans les contrées du Jourdain, à côté des fils d’Israël.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und die Kinder Israel hörten sagen: Siehe, die Kinder Ruben und die Kinder Gad und der halbe Stamm Manasse haben einen Altar gebaut, angesichts des Landes Kanaan, in den Bezirken des Jordan, den Kindern Israel gegenüber.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Quod cum audissent filii Israël, et ad eos certi nuntii detulissent, ædificasse filios Ruben, et Gad, et dimidiæ tribus Manasse, altare in terra Chanaan, super Jordanis tumulos, contra filios Israël: