The Meaning of Joshua 22:15 Explained

Joshua 22:15

KJV: And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,

YLT: And they come in unto the sons of Reuben, and unto the sons of Gad, and unto the half of the tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and speak with them, saying,

Darby: And they came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and spoke with them, saying,

ASV: And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they came  unto the children  of Reuben,  and to the children  of Gad,  and to the half  tribe  of Manasseh,  unto the land  of Gilead,  and they spake  with them, saying, 

What does Joshua 22:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 22:1-20 - Averting War Between Brethren
There was generous appreciation of services rendered as Joshua dismissed the warriors. Something like "Well-done, good and faithful servant," rings through His words. But he takes care to remind them that the tenure of their lands depends wholly on their obedience. This will explain the brief and transient existence of the trans-Jordanic tribes.
The altar was probably erected on the east of the Jordan. It was "over against" the land of Canaan, and was perhaps a facsimile of that at Shiloh. The prompting motive was to cement the union between themselves and the other tribes. But that end would have been better served had they obeyed the divine command in assembling annually with them. You can secure unity, not by external symbols, but by spiritual affinity and fellowship. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 22

1  The two tribes and a half with a blessing are sent home,
10  They build the altar of testimony in their journey
11  The Israelites are offended thereat
21  They vindicate their conduct, and give them good satisfaction

What do the individual words in Joshua 22:15 mean?

And they came to the sons of Reuben and to of Gad half the tribe of Manasseh the land of Gilead and they spoke with them saying
וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ אֶל־ בְּנֵי־ רְאוּבֵ֧ן וְאֶל־ גָ֛ד חֲצִ֥י שֵֽׁבֶט־ מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה אֶ֣רֶץ הַגִּלְעָ֑ד וַיְדַבְּר֥וּ אִתָּ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר

וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ  And  they  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בְּנֵי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
רְאוּבֵ֧ן  of  Reuben 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: רְאוּבֵן  
Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Leah.
וְאֶל־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
גָ֛ד  of  Gad 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גָּד  
Sense: seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and full brother of Asher.
חֲצִ֥י  half 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
שֵֽׁבֶט־  the  tribe 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה  of  Manasseh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְנַשֶּׁה  
Sense: the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh.
אֶ֣רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַגִּלְעָ֑ד  of  Gilead 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
וַיְדַבְּר֥וּ  and  they  spoke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אִתָּ֖ם  with  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
לֵאמֹֽר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.