Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and offerings of peace; so that your children will not say to our children, I the future, 'You have no portion in the LORD.' — The eastern tribes' explanation reframes the altar from potential theological breach to covenant witnesses. The formula 'witness between us and you' ('ēd bênênû) marks the altar as a memorial to covenant continuity despite geographical division. The altar serves not as a place of sacrifice but as a standing reminder that the eastern tribes perform sacrifices at the legitimate sanctuary (Shiloh) and maintain covenant participation.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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