“Therefore we said, ‘Let’s build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;
Parallel translations
- WEB “Therefore we said, ‘Let’s now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice;
- KJV Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
- BSB That is why we said, ‘Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.
- NKJV Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice,
- NLT “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
So they built the altar not for sacrifice but for another purpose. It begins to reveal its true, intended meaning.
Overview
The eastern tribes clarify that the great altar was never meant for offerings at all. Its purpose was entirely different from what the western tribes had feared. This explanation turns a near tragedy into an occasion for reaffirming shared faith.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 22:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.