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Response
The Israelites were ready to enter Canaan. Before crossing the Jordan River and heading west, God encouraged Joshua with a promise of more land in the future: “From the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the setting sun, will be your territory.”, (Joshua 1:4). However, for now, the land they would receive was west of the Jordan: “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, to the land which I give to them, to the children of Israel.”, (Joshua 1:2). Even before entering the Promised Land, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had already chosen to settle east of the Jordan.
Numbers 32:1 explains why these tribes preferred the land east of the Jordan: “The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock.” This region was ideal for raising livestock.
Initially, Moses opposed the idea of some tribes staying east of the Jordan, fearing they might avoid assisting their fellow Israelites in conquering and settling Canaan. However, these tribes assured their commitment to help: “We will build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. But we will prepare for battle and lead the Israelites until they reach their place” (Numbers 32:16-17).Some tribes fulfilled their promise and assisted their brethren in the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 22:1-4).
After accepting the tribes’ commitment, Moses granted their wish to inhabit the land east of the Jordan River. Numbers 32 concludes by detailing the allocation of land: “Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan—the entire land with its cities and the surrounding territory” «And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. », (Numbers 32:33). Sihon and Og, rulers of territories east of the Jordan, had been previously defeated, and their lands were assigned to these two and a half tribes.
In his final blessing to the tribes of Israel, Moses bestowed this blessing upon Gad, one of the tribes that settled east of the Jordan: “He chose the best land for himself; the leader’s portion was reserved for him. He carried out the LORD’s righteous will when the leaders of the people gathered, executing the LORD’s justice and His judgments concerning Israel” «And he provided the first part for himself, Because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; And he came with the heads of the people, He executed the justice of the LORD, And his judgments with Israel. », (Deuteronomy 33:21). The land east of the Jordan was a desirable region and a blessing to its inhabitants.
Moses’ blessing also contained favorable words regarding Joseph, the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. These words pertain to the lands where both tribes settled.The tribes of these brothers would settle, including the land east of the Jordan. In Deuteronomy 33:13–16, we find, “May the Lord bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.”
There was a strategic reason for Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh to request the land east of the Jordan, and the Lord blessed them in their inheritance. Thus, God’s blessing extended even beyond the Jordan River.
