23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against YHVH; and be sure your sin will find you out.
24 Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do what you have promised."
Reuben and Gad, which mean faith and good fortune in Hebrew, our physical consciousness, builds its security on the plains of Gilead, which means enduring rock and great endurance. It reminds us of the admonition of Yeshua (Jesus) to build our (spiritual) house on a foundation of stone. Stones and rocks symbolize Truth.
25 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben said to Moses, "Your servants will do as my lord commands.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall remain there in the cities of Gilead;
27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before YHVH to battle, as my lord orders."
28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Elea'zar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.
29 And Moses said to them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before YHVH, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;
30 but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."
31 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, "As YHVH has said to your servants, so we will do.
32 We will pass over armed before YHVH into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan."
33 And Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manas'seh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country.
34 And the sons of Gad built Dibon, At'aroth, Aro'er,
35 At'roth-sho'phan, Jazer, Jog'behah,
36 Beth-nim'rah and Beth-har'an, fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
The children of Gad, or the ideas resulting from good fortune, built the City of Dibon, which means wasting away. Cities represent an aggregation of thoughts. In this case, it is a dissolution of the material in order to make way for the new Spiritual Consciousness. Next, they built Ataroth, which means crowns and here relates to victory over the animal or carnal aspect of our consciousness. Then came Aroer which means desolation and is a state of desperation which will be overcome as we grow in spirituality. The next city they built was Atroth which has the same meaning as Ataroth above. It serves to emphasize the idea of victory over our carnality. Then, they built Shophan or Atroth-Shophan which means cold or naked. Here it indicates victory over the base desires of the physical body, before it is raised to the spiritual. Jaezer or Jazer was the next city that the children of Gad built. It translates as whom God helps and relates to the help available as we seek and find spiritual Truth. The last city attributed to Gad’s progeny is Jogbehah, which means who will be elevated. This is in reference to an inner consciousness which is gradually being elevated to spiritual understanding. Beth-nimrah means House of Pure Water and symbolizes the purified heart\emotions that have been elevated to spiritual understanding, which is one half of the inner Spiritual Consciousness. Beth-haran means House of Grace and symbolizes the intellect what has been elevated to spiritual understanding, representing the other half of the inner Spiritual Consciousness.