The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 367

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XXII. 1-34. Ma.na.sseh. Some cities read t:1:lrt' here for ill/!~, and as the tribe is spok~~ of in 11 ,er. 1.-The B.enbeDites and the Gadltec. political and not in a genealogical point of According to the Hebrew idiom, these e.re view; the reading, as fe.r as internal con- in the original in the singular, as in Gen. siderations go, would seem preferable. The xii. 6. Thus a tribe, as has been before re- two words, however, are not e.l ways used marked, or even a family (eh. vi. 25), is with complete strictness, but are sometimes spoken of frequently as a single individual regarded as synonymous (see note on eh. xiii. (cf. eh. xvii 14, 15, 17, 18). It seems prob- 29). able that this chapter occurs in strict chro- Ver. 3.-Ma.ny days (see note on ver. 1). nological order, e.nd that the soldiers of The expression in the original implies mors, the two tribes e.nd e. he.If mma.ined under • a great many days, the usual expression for the national banner e.t Shiloh until the a period of considerable length. Thus the work of survey and appointment we.s com- military service of these tribes must under pleted. But this cannot be affirmed with any circumstances have be~n a prolonged certawty. The word TI$ with which the and arduous one, and they well deserved chapter co=ences, is not the usll.Sl word the encomiums which Joshua here lavishes for cbro,ic,logicaJ sequence, though it does upon them. It is a remarkable and almost not 1ncclude it (see note on eh. viii. 30). inexplicable fact, that while the sojourn in And· t lie time during which these soldiers the wilderness is represented as one long musl in this case have remained separated catalogue of murmurings, not one single from their wives and families was a very complaint (unless we may call the gentle long one. Some have even supposed that expostulation of the tribe of Joseph, in eh. it lasted fourteen years (see -rer. 3). On the xvii., a complaint) disturbs the peace of the otLn hand, the words "gathered together tribes while Joshua led them. This re- to Shiloh." in rnr.12, implies that the tribes markable consistency of the narrative west of Jordan had left Shiloh. Nor did throughout, so _great a contrast to what there seem to Le the least need for their ser- precedes and what follows, and felt to be Tices alter the Le.ttle of Merom. We must so Ly the writer (eh. xxiv. 31), is o( itself Le content to leave the matter in uncer- no small pledge of the trustworthiness of tainty, with the r~mark that if the armed the· whole. A collector at random from men of the two tribes and a half did remain various narratives, themselves to a con- during this long period away from t,heir siderable extent fictitious, could hardly have homes, our sense of their ready obedience managed to cull portions which would form must be greatly enhanced, ae also of the an harmonione whole. A writer who wa,e personal influence of the leader at whose inventing hie details would hardly have instance they did so. The half t.rtbe of thought of making his history so great a on. u1t. 1-34.J Tl1E BOOK OF' JOSHUA. 816