22 `The God of gods -- Jehovah, the God of gods -- Jehovah, He is knowing, and Israel, he doth know, if in rebellion, and if in trespass against Jehovah (Thou dost not save us this day!)
then Thou dost hear in the heavens, the settled place of Thy dwelling, and hast forgiven, and hast done, and hast given to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest, (for Thou hast known -- Thyself alone -- the heart of all the sons of man),
for Jehovah your God -- He `is' God of the gods, and Lord of the lords; God, the great, the mighty, and the fearful; who accepteth not persons, nor taketh a bribe;
For Thou knowest that I am not wicked, And there is no deliverer from Thy hand.
I Jehovah do search the heart, try the reins, Even to give to each according to his way, According to the fruit of his doings.
He saith to him the third time, `Simon, `son' of Jonas, dost thou dearly love me?' Peter was grieved that he said to him the third time, `Dost thou dearly love me?' and he said to him, `Lord, thou hast known all things; thou dost know that I dearly love thee.' Jesus saith to him, `Feed my sheep;
and Jesus himself was not trusting himself to them, because of his knowing all `men', and because he had no need that any should testify concerning man, for he himself was knowing what was in man.
and having prayed, they said, `Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two
and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision were contending with him, saying -- `Unto men uncircumcised thou didst go in, and didst eat with them!' And Peter having begun, did expound to them in order saying, `I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw in a trance a vision, a certain vessel coming down, as a great sheet by four corners being let down out of the heaven, and it came unto me; at which having looked stedfastly, I was considering, and I saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of heaven; and I heard a voice saying to me, Having risen, Peter, slay and eat; and I said, Not so, Lord; because anything common or unclean hath at no time entered into my mouth; and a voice did answer me a second time out of the heaven, What God did cleanse, thou -- declare not thou common. `And this happened thrice, and again was all drawn up to the heaven, and, lo, immediately, three men stood at the house in which I was, having been sent from Cesarea unto me, and the Spirit said to me to go with them, nothing doubting, and these six brethren also went with me, and we did enter into the house of the man, he declared also to us how he saw the messenger in his house standing, and saying to him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter, who shall speak sayings by which thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house. `And in my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit did fall upon them, even as also upon us in the beginning, and I remembered the saying of the Lord, how he said, John indeed did baptize with water, and ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit; if then the equal gift God did give to them as also to us, having believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, I -- how was I able to withstand God?' And they, having heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, `Then, indeed, also to the nations did God give the reformation to life.'
for if indeed I am unrighteous, and anything worthy of death have done, I deprecate not to die; and if there is none of the things of which these accuse me, no one is able to make a favour of me to them; to Caesar I appeal!'
having known, therefore, the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, and to God we are manifested, and I hope also in your consciences to have been manifested;
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ -- who is blessed to the ages -- hath known that I do not lie! --
who only is having immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no one of men did see, nor is able to see, to whom `is' honour and might age-during! Amen.
and her children I will kill in death, and know shall all the assemblies that I am he who is searching reins and hearts; and I will give to you -- to each -- according to your works.
and he hath upon the garment and upon his thigh the name written, `King of kings, and Lord of lords.'
for a sin of divination `is' rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim `is' stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from `being' king.'
For He hath known the way with me, He hath tried me -- as gold I go forth.
If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit, He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity. If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish, Let me sow -- and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.
If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep, If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out, Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.
O Jehovah, my God, if I have done this, If there is iniquity in my hands, If I have done my well-wisher evil, And draw mine adversary without cause, An enemy pursueth my soul, and overtaketh, And treadeth down to the earth my life, And my honour placeth in the dust. Selah.
-- A Psalm of Asaph. God hath stood in the company of God, In the midst God doth judge.
For a great God `is' Jehovah, And a great king over all gods.
Give ye thanks to the God of gods, For to the age `is' His kindness.
To the Overseer. -- A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest. Thou -- Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar. My path and my couch Thou hast fanned, And `with' all my ways hast been acquainted. For there is not a word in my tongue, Lo, O Jehovah, Thou hast known it all! Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand. Knowledge too wonderful for me, It hath been set on high, I am not able for it. Whither do I go from Thy Spirit? And whither from Thy face do I flee? If I ascend the heavens -- there Thou `art', And spread out a couch in Sheol, lo, Thee! I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, Also there Thy hand doth lead me, And Thy right hand doth hold me. And I say, `Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night `is' light to me. Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as `is' darkness so `is' light.
The king hath answered Daniel and said, `Of a truth `it is' that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since thou hast been able to reveal this secret.'
`And the king hath done according to his will, and exalteth himself, and magnifieth himself against every god, and against the God of gods he speaketh wonderful things, and hath prospered till the indignation hath been completed, for that which is determined hath been done.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 22
Commentary on Joshua 22 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 22
Many particular things we have read concerning the two tribes and a half, though nothing separated them from the rest of the tribes except the river Jordan, and this chapter is wholly concerning them.
Jos 22:1-9
The war being ended, and ended gloriously, Joshua, as a prudent general, disbands his army, who never designed to make war their trade, and sends them home, to enjoy what they had conquered, and to beat their swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks; and particularly the forces of these separate tribes, who had received their inheritance on the other side Jordan from Moses upon this condition, that their men of war should assist the other tribes in the conquest of Canaan, which they promised to do (Num. 32:32), and renewed the promise to Joshua at the opening of the campaign, Jos. 1:16. And, now that they had performed their bargain, Joshua publicly and solemnly in Shiloh gives them their discharge. Whether this was done, as it was placed, not till after the land was divided, as some think, or whether after the war was ended, and before the division was made, as others think (because there was no need of their assistance in dividing the land, but only in conquering it, nor were there any of their tribes employed as commissioners in that affair, but only of the other ten, Num. 34:18, etc.), this is certain, it was not done till after Shiloh was made the head-quarters (v. 2), and the land was begun to be divided before they removed from Gilgal, ch. 14:6.
It is probable that this army of Reubenites and Gadites, which had led the van in all the wars of Canaan, had sometimes, in the intervals of action, and when the rest of the army retired into winter-quarters, some of them at least, made a step over Jordan, for it was not far, to visit their families, and to look after their private affairs, and perhaps tarried at home, and sent others in their room more serviceable; but still these two tribes and a half had their quota of troops ready, 40,000 in all, which, whenever there was occasion, presented themselves at their respective posts, and now attended in a body to receive their discharge. Though their affection to their families, and concern for their affairs, could not but make them, after so long an absence, very desirous to return, yet, like good soldiers, they would not move till they had orders from their general. So, though our heavenly Father's house above be ever so desirable (it is bishop Hall's allusion), yet must we stay on earth till our warfare be accomplished, wait for a due discharge, and not anticipate the time of our removal.
Jos 22:10-20
Here is,
Jos 22:21-29
We may suppose there was a general convention called of the princes and great men of the separate tribes, to give audience to these ambassadors; or perhaps the army, as it came home, was still encamped in a body, and not yet dispersed; however it was, there were enough to represent the two tribes and a half, and to give their sense. Their reply to the warm remonstrance of the ten tribes is very fair and ingenuous. They do not retort their charge, upbraid them with the injustice and unkindness of their threatenings, nor reproach them for their rash and hasty censures, but give them a soft answer which turns away wrath, avoiding all those grievous words which stir up anger; they demur not to their jurisdiction, nor plead that they were not accountable to them for what they had done, nor bid them mind their own business, but, by a free and open declaration of their sincere intention in what they did, free themselves from the imputation they were under, and set themselves right in the opinion of their brethren, to do which they only needed to state the case and put the matter in a true light.
Jos 22:30-34
We have here the good issue of this controversy, which, if there had not been on both sides a disposition to peace, as there was on both sides a zeal for God, might have been of ill consequence; for quarrels about religion, for want of wisdom and love, often prove the most fierce and most difficult to be accommodated. But these contending parties, when the matter was fairly stated and argued, were so happy as to understand one another very well, and so the difference was presently compromised.