Bible Strands
Joshua 22:31
Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest addresses the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh immediately after hearing their explanation for building an altar. He speaks at the moment of crisis resolution, before returning to the rest of Israel with a report.
The words — The Hebrew וַיֹּאמֶר (va/yomer) translates literally as "and he said," anchoring the narrative to Phinehas’s direct speech. The phrase בְּנֵי־רְאוּבֵן (benei-re'uven) literally means "sons of Reuben," identifying the specific tribal group receiving the declaration.
The thread — The declaration that the Lord is among the people echoes themes of divine presence in Leviticus 26:11 and 2 Chronicles 15:2. The warning against breach of faith recalls the consequences of disobedience noted in Numbers 14:41.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that communal obedience preserves divine fellowship and prevents judgment. It requires the reader to acknowledge that faithfulness, not just intention, sustains covenant community.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the Lord: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 26:11 And I will make My dwelling place among you, and My soul will not despise you.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
- Numbers 14:41 But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!
- Joshua 3:10 He continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
- Psalms 68:17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
- Isaiah 12:6 Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
- Zechariah 8:23 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
- Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
- 1 Corinthians 14:25 and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”