Bird's-eye view
This passage records the practical outworking of the agreement Moses made with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Having been granted their request to settle in the Transjordan, they do not simply receive a deed and sit down. They immediately get to work. This is a record of conquest, settlement, and dominion. The land was given to them by God through Moses, but they still had to take it, build it, and name it. This section is a concrete illustration of the interplay between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God gives the kingdom, but the saints must possess it. The land is a gift, but it is a gift that must be actively received, cultivated, and defended. We see here the beginnings of Israel's landed inheritance, a down payment on the larger promise. It is a story of faithful men taking God at His word and then taking up their hammers and swords to act on that word. They are not just receiving territory; they are establishing a beachhead for the kingdom east of the Jordan, transforming pagan ground into a place for God's people.
Furthermore, the actions described here, building fortified cities, constructing sheepfolds, and renaming pagan sites, are all acts of sanctification. They are taking a land formerly dedicated to the Amorite gods and rededicating it to the service of Yahweh. This is a microcosm of the Great Commission. The world is given to Christ, and the church is tasked with going into it, building, planting, and renaming everything in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is not a story about real estate; it is a story about the advancement of God's kingdom in the world.
Outline
- 1. The Granting of the Inheritance (Num 32:33)
- a. The Recipients: Two and a Half Tribes
- b. The Territory: Kingdoms of Sihon and Og
- 2. The Work of Dominion (Num 32:34-42)
- a. The Sons of Gad Build and Fortify (Num 32:34-36)
- b. The Sons of Reuben Rebuild and Rename (Num 32:37-38)
- c. The Sons of Manasseh Conquer and Settle (Num 32:39-42)
Context In Numbers
This passage comes at the end of a significant negotiation in Numbers 32. The tribes of Reuben and Gad, seeing that the land east of the Jordan was ideal for their massive herds, requested it as their inheritance. Moses initially reacted with sharp displeasure, fearing they were repeating the faithless rebellion of the previous generation at Kadesh Barnea, shrinking back from the main task of conquering Canaan (Num 32:6-15). However, the tribes clarified their request: their fighting men would cross the Jordan fully armed and lead the charge in the conquest, and would not return to their new homes until all the other tribes had secured their own inheritances. This solemn vow satisfied Moses, who then formalized the agreement. Our text is the record of that agreement being put into effect. It is the beginning of the fulfillment of God's promise of land, happening even before the main conquest begins. It also introduces the half-tribe of Manasseh into the arrangement, who demonstrated a similar zeal for conquest and were likewise rewarded.
Key Issues
- Sovereign Grant and Human Action
- The Nature of Inheritance
- Sanctifying Pagan Territory
- The Significance of Naming
- The Unity and Diversity of the Tribes
Inheritance and Elbow Grease
There is a brand of piety that wants to receive everything from God passively. It wants the blessings to fall out of the sky like ripe apples, with no need for us to climb the tree. That is not the kind of piety we see in Scripture, and it is certainly not what we see here. Moses gave them the kingdom of Sihon and Og. This was a sovereign grant from God's appointed leader. The title deed was, in effect, signed and delivered. But what did they do? They immediately began to build, to fortify, to fight, and to dispossess the remaining enemies.
The gift of God does not eliminate the need for hard work; it empowers and necessitates it. The fact that God has given us an inheritance is the very reason we are to roll up our sleeves. The sons of Gad and Reuben did not say, "Well, Moses gave us the land, so let's just find a shady spot for the flocks." No, they built fortified cities and sheepfolds. The sons of Machir did not wait for the Amorites in Gilead to pack up and leave. They went, took the land, and dispossessed them. This is how the kingdom of God always advances. God gives the victory, but He gives it through the faithful, courageous, and diligent obedience of His people. Faith is not a hammock; it is a hammer.
Verse by Verse Commentary
33 So Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land with its cities with their territories, the cities of the surrounding land.
The transaction is formal and official. Moses, as God's covenant mediator, acts with full authority. He grants the land not as a private landowner, but as the administrator of God's covenant promises. The recipients are specified: Gad, Reuben, and now, the half-tribe of Manasseh. Manasseh's inclusion seems to have come about because of their martial zeal, as the subsequent verses show. They saw an opportunity for conquest and took it, and so were brought into the inheritance. The territory is also specified. It is the land gained from the recent, decisive victories over the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, victories which God had given Israel. This land was the firstfruits of the conquest, a tangible down payment on all that God had promised.
34-36 And the sons of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer, and Atroth-shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah, and Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and sheepfolds for sheep.
The sons of Gad get right to work. The word "built" here likely means they rebuilt or fortified existing towns. This was not a vacant lot; it was enemy territory that had to be secured. They are practical men. They build two things: fortified cities and sheepfolds. This addresses their two great needs: security for their families and security for their wealth, which was in their livestock. They are taking dominion. A fortified city is a statement. It says, "This land is ours now, and we intend to keep it." A sheepfold is likewise a statement of intent to prosper and be fruitful in the land. They are not passing through; they are putting down roots.
37-38 And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kiriathaim, and Nebo and Baal-meon, their names being changed, and Sibmah, and they gave other names to the cities which they built.
The sons of Reuben do the same, rebuilding their allotted cities. But a crucial detail is added here. For the cities of Nebo and Baal-meon, the text explicitly notes "their names being changed." Nebo and Baal were the names of pagan deities. To continue to call these places by their old names would be to perpetuate the memory of the false gods who were just defeated. By changing the names, the Reubenites were performing an act of theological warfare. They were cleansing the land not just of Amorites, but of the stench of their idolatry. They are wiping the slate clean. This is a powerful application of the second commandment. All remnants of idolatry must be torn down and replaced with names that honor the true God. The final clause, "they gave other names to the cities which they built," suggests this was a general practice. They were re-branding the entire region for Yahweh.
39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
Here we see how the half-tribe of Manasseh got into the deal. The "sons of Machir" refers to a powerful clan within Manasseh. They were not passive. They saw a portion of the land, Gilead, that was still occupied by the enemy. And so they went and took it. This is holy initiative. They did not wait for a specific command to take that particular piece of ground; they saw the general commission to possess the land and they acted on it. They were not content to let the Amorites remain as a thorn in their side. They understood that the grant of the land included the responsibility to cleanse the land. This is the spirit of conquest that God honors.
40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.
Because of their faithful zeal, Moses formally grants them the land they themselves have conquered. God's rewards often work this way. He doesn't just give us things; He gives us the opportunity to fight for things, and then gives us the fruit of that fight. Machir's inheritance was won by the sword, and then given by the lawgiver. This confirms that their initiative was righteous and in accordance with God's will. Their faith was demonstrated by their works, and their works were then crowned with a formal blessing.
41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its towns and called them Havvoth-jair.
The spirit of conquest was contagious within Manasseh. Another leader, Jair, follows Machir's example. He goes and captures a cluster of smaller settlements or tent villages. And then he renames them after himself: "Havvoth-jair," which means "the towns of Jair." This was not an act of vanity, but an act of dominion. He is putting his family name, his covenant identity, on the land. The land now belongs to the people of God, and the new names reflect this new reality.
42 And Nobah went and took Kenath and its towns and called it Nobah after his own name.
One more example is given to drive the point home. Another Manassite named Nobah does the exact same thing. He conquers Kenath and its surrounding villages and renames the main town after himself. The pattern is clear: faithful men, acting in bold obedience, take the land, drive out the enemy, and rename the territory as a sign of Christ's, in this case, Yahweh's, ownership. This is what it looks like when the meek inherit the earth. They don't inherit it by being passive, but by being courageously and aggressively obedient.
Application
This passage is a beautiful picture of how Christians are to live in the world. Christ has conquered our ultimate enemies, sin, death, and the devil, and has given us the entire world as an inheritance (Ps 2:8). But the Amorites still dwell in the land. Pockets of resistance remain. Our task is not to sit around waiting for the consummation of the kingdom, but to get to work possessing our inheritance.
Like the sons of Gad, we must build. We are to build families, churches, and Christian communities that are "fortified cities," secure in the truth of God's Word and able to withstand the assaults of the enemy. We are to build "sheepfolds," engaging in fruitful economic activity that provides for our families and allows us to be generous.
Like the sons of Reuben, we must rename things. Our culture is filled with places, concepts, and institutions named after false gods, humanism, materialism, secularism. Our task is to engage in theological warfare, to tear down these idols and rename everything in submission to Christ. We are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Him (2 Cor 10:5).
And like the sons of Manasseh, we must be men of action and initiative. We must not wait to be spoon-fed. We should see the territory that Satan still occupies in our communities, in education, in the arts, in politics, and we should go and take it. We must dispossess the Amorites of their intellectual and cultural high ground. This is not a call to carnal violence, but to robust, joyful, and relentless spiritual conquest, armed with the Word of God and the power of the Spirit. God has given us the land. Let's go up and possess it.