22:19a

If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean: The people of the western clans implied that the land east of the Jordan was not pure because it was not Yahweh’s land. They thought Yahweh lived on their side of the river, where the Tent of Meeting was set up at Shiloh.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

But if your land is ⌊ritually⌋ impure
-or-
However, if your land is not a suitable place for worship

22:19b

then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession: The clause cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession indicates that the people from the west side of the Jordan River were inviting the people on the east side to go and live with them.

the land of the LORD’s possession: The people of the western clans declared that the land on the west side of the Jordan River belonged to Yahweh because the Tent of Meeting was set up there, at Shiloh.

where the LORD’s tabernacle stands: The tabernacle was a tent, and the place where Yahweh lived. In 18:1 this place was referred to as “the Tent of Meeting.”

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Cross over into the land that belongs to Yahweh, where his tent is.
-or-
Come back to Yahweh’s land. That is where his dwelling place is.

22:19c

and take possession of it among us: It may be more natural to begin a new sentence here.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Take some land for yourselves in our land
-or-
We will share some of our land with you.

22:19d

But do not rebel against the LORD: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

But do not rebel against Yahweh.
-or-
But don’t turn against Yahweh

22:19e

or against us: There is a textual issue in this part of the verse concerning the clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates “rebel…against us.”

(1) The Hebrew Masoretic text reads “do not rebel against us.”

(Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(2) Some translators change the vowels of the Hebrew verb so that it means “do not make us rebels.”

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This follows the Hebrew text and is followed by many English versions.

by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God: The phrase the altar of the LORD our God refers to the altar that was in the tent of meeting at Shiloh.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Do not rebel against us and build another altar for yourselves besides the altar of Yahweh our God ⌊that is in Shiloh⌋
-or-
or against us by building another altar. We already have the altar of the Lord our God at the Meeting Tent. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

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