The tribes of Israel had worked in unity in carrying out God's judgment upon Midian in Numbers 31. But that unity was soon put in jeopardy by a request from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, who requested that their tribes be allowed to claim territory east of the Jordan in the land Israel had already conquered (Num 32:1-5). "Do not take us over the Jordan," they asked Moses.
Moses responded with a stern reprimand, recalling what had happened 38 years before, when 10 of the spies sent to report on the conditions in Canaan discouraged the Israelites from wanting to claim the Promised Land (vv 6-15). Moses felt the request from these two tribes had the potential to create similar conditions.
Some commentators have seen Moses' reaction as further evidence that he was not the one who would be able to lead the second generation of the Exodus across the Jordan. When he looked at this younger generation, all he saw was their parents.
On the other hand, it can also be said that Moses was reminding the Israelites of important lessons from their history. The tribes would have to work in unity to succeed in conquering Canaan.
The Reubenites and Gadites responded by offering to lead the way in the effort to claim the land west of the Jordan (vv 16-19).
Moses was receptive to their offer, but he had some additional correction to give, perhaps sensing an attitude of greed or materialism in their proposals. The tribes of Reuben and Gad said that they were "ready to go before the people of Israel" (v 16). Moses reminded them that this was a divine mission that they would be carrying out "before the Lord" (vv 20-22). They would need to be sure to follow through on their proposal and do their part fo further that divine mission.
Some also see significance in the way in which the two tribes stated their proposal. They said, "We will build sheepfolds for our livestock, and cities for our little ones" (v 16). When Moses answered them, he said, "Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep" (v 24), reversing the order in which these two tasks were stated. Was he charging that the Reubenites and Gadites had their priorities wrong, valuing their flocks over the welfare of their families?
An agreement was reached, and these two tribes, along with half of the tribe of Manasseh, would receive land east of the Jordan.
A few months later Joshua reminded the tribes of Reuben and Gad of their promise (Joshua 1:12-18), and these tribes did honor their commitment. Still, the Israelites would face challenges in trying to attain and maintain unity with the Jordan running through the middle of their territory.
Some mutual distrust is already evident in Joshua 22, when the tribes of Reuben and Gad depart to go back across the Jordan. These tribes were afraid that future generations of Israel would treat their tribes as outsiders. To remind the other tribes of their shared commitment to the God of Israel, they built a large memorial in the form of an altar near the river (Joshua 22:10).
The other tribes questioned the motives of Reuben and Gad. Why did they want to live on the other side of the Jordan? Were they planning to set up a competing worship site, contrary to God's instruction? Were they planning to worship other gods? Fortunately, representatives of the tribes met to talk things over, and misunderstandings were cleared up.
Later on, there were times when the commitment of the trans-Jordan tribes to the rest of the nation seemed to be lacking (Judges 5:15-17, 8:6; 21). There is a tradition that these tribes were the first to face exile because of such a lack of commitment.
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