במדבר, פרק ל״ב, פסוק ל״ט

The conquest of the eastern side of the Jordan River went beyond the initial requests of the tribes of Reuben and Gad. It also involved a proactive military initiative by families from the tribe of Manasseh, who sought to expand their territorial borders. The primary approach among commentators is that this campaign targeted a portion of the Gilead region. This military operation likely took place earlier, during the wars against Og, the king of Bashan. Moses later approved the initiative, officially granting the conquered land as an inheritance to the very people who had fought for it [רלב״ג].

When detailing the defeat of the Amorites in this area, commentators offer different perspectives on the exact nature of the victory. Some view it simply as a standard military conquest [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others emphasize that the action specifically involved expelling and removing the local inhabitants [רש״י]. However, this raises a question: why view the event merely as an expulsion rather than an act of taking true possession, especially since the descendants of Machir ultimately secured the area as their permanent homeland [ברכת אשר].

As the campaign progressed, what began as a collective military effort culminated in an individual achievement. While the initial advance and capture were carried out by a group, the final expulsion of the Amorites is attributed to a single person. One approach suggests that Machir, the son of Manasseh, was still alive at the time and personally executed the expulsion. Conversely, another favored approach explains that the individual is not Machir himself. Instead, the credit belongs to a specific, unnamed war hero from within the family who commanded the forces and personally led the successful drive against the Amorites [אבן עזרא, ברכת אשר].