Bible Strands
Numbers 32:39
The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the actions of Machir’s descendants as they secure territory east of the Jordan, occurring between their initial request for land and Moses’ formal allocation of Gilead to their clan.
The words — The verb וַ/יּ֖וֹרֶשׁ (va/i.Yo.resh) translates literally to "and he dispossessed," denoting the active removal of the Amorites. This lexical choice marks territorial transfer rather than mere military victory.
The thread — This displacement of the Amorites parallels the tribal inheritance patterns detailed in Joshua 17:1 and the genealogical tracking of Machir in Numbers 26:29. The lineage is also noted in Genesis 50:23 as being nurtured within Joseph’s household.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that territorial possession follows a documented sequence of movement, conquest, and formal allocation. It demands recognition of how genealogical identity directly determines land distribution.
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 the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
Cross-references
- Genesis 50:23 He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.
- Numbers 26:29 These were the descendants of Manasseh: The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of Gilead, and the Gileadite clan from Gilead.
- Joshua 17:1 Now this was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn son, namely for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and father of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because Machir was a man of war.