The Meaning of Joshua 22:10 Explained

Joshua 22:10

KJV: And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

YLT: and they come in unto the districts of the Jordan, which are in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, build there an altar by the Jordan -- a great altar for appearance.

Darby: And they came to the districts of the Jordan that are in the land of Canaan; and the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of grand appearance.

ASV: And when they came unto the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when they came  unto the borders  of Jordan,  that [are] in the land  of Canaan,  the children  of Reuben  and the children  of Gad  and the half  tribe  of Manasseh  built  there an altar  by Jordan,  a great  altar  to see to. 

What does Joshua 22:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 22:1-20 - Averting War Between Brethren
There was generous appreciation of services rendered as Joshua dismissed the warriors. Something like "Well-done, good and faithful servant," rings through His words. But he takes care to remind them that the tenure of their lands depends wholly on their obedience. This will explain the brief and transient existence of the trans-Jordanic tribes.
The altar was probably erected on the east of the Jordan. It was "over against" the land of Canaan, and was perhaps a facsimile of that at Shiloh. The prompting motive was to cement the union between themselves and the other tribes. But that end would have been better served had they obeyed the divine command in assembling annually with them. You can secure unity, not by external symbols, but by spiritual affinity and fellowship. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 22

1  The two tribes and a half with a blessing are sent home,
10  They build the altar of testimony in their journey
11  The Israelites are offended thereat
21  They vindicate their conduct, and give them good satisfaction

What do the individual words in Joshua 22:10 mean?

And when they came to the region of the Jordan which [is] in the land of Canaan and built the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh there an altar by the Jordan an altar great impressive
וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־ גְּלִיל֣וֹת הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיִּבְנ֣וּ בְנֵי־ רְאוּבֵ֣ן וּבְנֵי־ גָ֡ד וַחֲצִ֣י שֵׁבֶט֩ הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֨ה שָׁ֤ם מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ עַל־ הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן מִזְבֵּ֥חַ גָּד֖וֹל לְמַרְאֶֽה

וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙  And  when  they  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
גְּלִיל֣וֹת  the  region 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: גְּלִילָה  
Sense: circuit, boundary, territory.
הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן  of  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
אֲשֶׁ֖ר  which  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כְּנָ֑עַן  of  Canaan 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּנַעַן 
Sense: the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine.
וַיִּבְנ֣וּ  and  built 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
בְנֵי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
רְאוּבֵ֣ן  of  Reuben 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: רְאוּבֵן  
Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Leah.
וּבְנֵי־  and  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
גָ֡ד  of  Gad 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גָּד  
Sense: seventh son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and full brother of Asher.
וַחֲצִ֣י  and  half 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
שֵׁבֶט֩  the  tribe 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֨ה  of  Manasseh 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְנַשֶּׁה  
Sense: the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh.
מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙  an  altar 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
מִזְבֵּ֥חַ  an  altar 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
גָּד֖וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
לְמַרְאֶֽה  impressive 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַרְאֶה  
Sense: sight, appearance, vision.