And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
They came near. The narrative gives a picturesque description of this scene. The suppliants had shrunk back, dreading, from the undisguised emotions of their leader, that their request would be refused. But, perceiving from the tenor of his discourse that his objection was grounded only on the supposition that they would not cross the Jordan to assist their brethren, they became emboldened to approach him with assurances of their good-will.
We will build ... cities for our little ones - i:e., rebuild, repair. It would have been impossible within two months to found new cities, or even to reconstruct those which had been razed to the ground. Those of the Amorites were not absolutely demolished, and they probably consisted only of mud-built or dry-stone walls.