The Reu'ben-ites and Ga'di-tes then changed their proposal. They offered to leave their women and children, and their flocks and herds, on the east side of the Jor'dan while the men crossed over to help the ten other tribes in the conquest of Ca'naan. They would then return and take up their allotment on these lands.
In their new proposal these two tribes agreed to share in the hardships and dangers involved in conquering the entire land of Ca'naan, and they gave up all claim upon any lands west of the Jor'dan. Mo'ses accepted this offer, praised them for acting righteously, and warned them against any unfaithfulness in carrying out the agreement.
Lying to the north of the territory requested by the tribes of Reu'ben and Gad was a rugged, mountainous district known as Gil'e-ad. It was not adapted to stock-raising, so would be of no use to people who had large flocks and herds. Mo'ses directed that this region be given to half of the tribe of Ma-nas'seh, descendants of one of the sons of Jo'seph. The leaders of this tribe were noted for bravery and success in war. They had defeated the strong heathen tribe known as the Am'o-rites, and had overcome scores of heavily fortified towns. Gil'e-ad was a frontier district, and would be the natural course of attack upon Is'ra-el by countries of the northeast in later years. For these reasons it was important that this region be held by a strong, courageous tribe.
As mentioned in a previous story, the third census of Is'ra-el during the forty years between their departure from E'gypt and their final occupation of Ca'naan was taken during the encampment at A'bel-Shit'tim. Thousands of Is'ra-el-ites had died since the census which had been taken just before they left Si'nai. Some had been slain in wars, some had perished from plagues sent upon them for acts of disobedience, some from the bite of the fiery serpents, and many from natural causes. Within the entire camp there were only three men above sixty years of age. Of all the men who were twenty years or more of age when they left E'gypt, the only ones now living were Mo'ses, Josh'u-a, and Ca'leb. All the others had perished because of their refusal to enter at once into the Promised Land, as commanded by the LORD, when they were at Ka'desh-Bar'ne-a thirty-nine years prior to this last census.
In the last enumeration of Is'ra-el before entering Ca'naan it was found that some of the tribes had grown in numbers during the thirty-eight years of wandering in the wilderness, while others had decreased. The total number of men above twenty years and able to bear arms was 601,730, slightly less than at the last census. This number did not include the men of the tribe of Le'vi, as they were consecrated to special services in the Tabernacle.
