Discovery BoxJoshua 22:19 
Context22:19 But if your own land 1 is impure, 2 cross over to the Lord’s own land, 3 where the Lord himself lives, 4 and settle down among us. 5 But don’t rebel against the Lord or us 6 by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God.
Joshua 22:27-28
Context22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, 7 and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence 8 with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. 9 Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ 10 22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing 11 to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors 12 made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ 13
1 tn Heb “the land of your possession.”
2 sn The western tribes here imagine a possible motive for the action of the eastern tribes. T. C. Butler explains the significance of the land’s “impurity”: “East Jordan is impure because it is not Yahweh’s possession. Rather it is simply ‘your possession.’ That means it is land where Yahweh does not live, land which his presence has not sanctified and purified” (Joshua [WBC], 247).
3 tn Heb “the land of the possession of the
4 tn Heb “where the dwelling place of the
sn The phrase where the
5 tn Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”
6 tc Heb “and us to you rebel.” The reading of the MT, the accusative sign with suffix (וְאֹתָנוּ, vÿ’otanu), is problematic with the verb “rebel” (מָרַד, marad). Many Hebrew
7 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
8 tn Heb “to do the service of the
9 tn Or “peace offerings.”
10 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
11 tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
12 tn Heb “fathers.”
13 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
