“Then the descendants of Re’uven, the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of M’nasheh answered the leaders of the thousands of Isra’el: “The Mighty One, God, is Adonai! He knows, and Israel will know — if we acted in rebellion or treachery against Adonai, don’t vindicate us today! We haven’t built an altar in order to turn away from following Adonai or to offer on it burnt offerings, grain offerings or sacrifices as peace offerings. If we have, let Adonai himself require us to atone for it.”-Joshua 22:21-2311
Alrighty everybody, I’m gonna be getting all Hebrew on your butts today.
So here’s where we’re at in our study of Joshua 22.
Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manasseh respond to Pinchas’s accusation and let him and his delegation know in no uncertain terms that worshipping other gods was the farthest thing from their minds when they built the altar they had erected on the western bank of the Jordan.
I gotta tell you…
…fluent Hebrew speakers will possess a huge advantage in being able to understand the true nuance and atmosphere of what’s being communicated here.
Notice in verse 21 where it says…
“The Mighty One, God, is Adonai”.
Other translations will say…
…“The Lord is God of Gods”…
…or… …
“God, the Lord God”.
However, in the original Hebrew tongue, it says…EL ELOHIM YHWH.
The 2 1/2 tribes are making it crystal clear that Hashem is the highest god amongst all other gods in existence.
Things get even more heated up when they explain to Pinchas and his delegation that they didn’t build an altar for the purpose of sacrificing on it.
Unfortunately, pretty much all English translations utterly destroy the drama and true intention of what the 2 1/2 tribes are communicating to the 9 1/2 tribes here.
Specifically, in the Hebrew, they say they are are not going perform the…
…OLAH, MINCHAH or SHELAMIM sacrifices.
For those of you who studied the Book of Leviticus with me a couple of years back, you’ll instantly recognize the above-named 3 sacrifices as representing the whole range of Levitical sacrifices from the obligatory offerings to the voluntary ones.
In other words, the 2 1/2 tribes are making it clear that whether animals or produce, they have zero intention of offering up any kind of sacrifice on the Altar.
You are onto IT 100%… WE are to offer our services, our very Breath, our intellect, our thoughts, our actions, every second of the day to EL, ELOHIM, YHWH… NEVER LOOKING BACK IN REGRET BUT ALWAYS LOOKING UP TO HEAVEN FOLLOWI G HIS SIGN IN THE SKY … THE MOON. I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK. FIRST LUNAR SABBATH IS TODAY ELUL 8 6021… HASHEM’S WAKE UP CALL AS PER ISAIAHN 66:1 AND VERSE 22 + 23… TONIGHT SUNDOWN starts the most solemn day of mourning in JUDAISM. 9th Av…all Jews Mourn the Destruction of the 1st Temple (7 22.586BC) AND the 2ND TEMPLE (70 AD) BOTH dates happened the same day amongst many other calamities…. but here is the NEWSFLADH: WE BELIEVERS ARE THE THIRD TEMPLE, HIS LIVING STONES. THUS THERE IS A NEW BEGINNING HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT… LUNAR SABBATH IS THE KEY TO BE SET FREE.. BACK TO GENESIS 101, DAY 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… evening & morning, to the 7th day of REST… SHABBAT SHALOM FROM HEAVEN TO ALL OF MANKIND. AMEN.
Amen Monique