And we said, 'If this ever happens to us or to our descendants, that they say, ''You have no portion in the LORD,'' then we can say, ''Behold, the copy of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to serve as a witness between us and you.'' — The eastern tribes envision the altar as an argument in future covenant disputes. The altar's replica form ('copy of the altar,' tabbunît mizbaḥ) suggests it mirrors the Shiloh sanctuary's design without duplicating its sacrificial function. Theologically, the altar is simultaneously memory, sign, and legal argument—a material guarantee of covenant solidarity.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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