‘ And the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not speak any more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad dwelt.'
This seems to confirm that the warlike plans had centred on attacking Reuben and Gad, with the western Manassites speaking up on behalf of their brothers and guaranteeing their behaviour and intentions. They gave up their plans for attacking Reuben and Gad.
So they gave thanks and praise to God. ‘They blessed God.' A rare idea in the Old Testament (but see Psalms 66:20; Psalms 68:26) for usually it is YHWH Who is blessed, or YHWH incorporated with God, and this is also the first use of ‘God' by itself in this passage. The sudden change to ‘God' must have some significance. It is clear that the writer felt that the name of YHWH was unsuitable here. It possibly brings out the solemnity of the situation, and the awful dread that they had felt about the seeming situation, a covenant betrayal. The theoretical circumstance that had brought the visit about had not been had not been of YHWH. It had been an idea outside the covenant. Thus the less intimate use of ‘God'.