Joshua 13

1 Joshua was eld and of great age; and the Lord said to him, Thou hast waxed eld, and art of long time; and the most large land is left, that is not yet parted by lot (and much of the land is left, that hath not yet been taken);
2 that is, all the terms of Philistines, and all Geshuri, (that is, all the land of the Philistines, and of the Geshurites,)
3 from the troubled flood that moisteth Egypt, till to the terms of Ekron against the north; (this is) the land of Canaan, which is parted into (the) five little kings of Philistines, (that is,) of Gaza, and of Ashdod, of Ashkelon, of Gath, and of Ekron. Forsooth at the south be Avites, (from the Nile River, or the Shihor, that watereth Egypt, unto the border of Ekron to the north; this is the land of Canaan, and it is divided among the five kings of the Philistines, that is, he of Gaza, and he of Ashdod, and he of Ashkelon, and he of Gath, and he of Ekron; and there also be the Avites to the south;)
4 all the land of Canaan, and Mearah of Sidonians, till to Aphek, and to the terms of Amorites, (all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah of the Sidonians, unto Aphek, and to the border of the Amorites;)
5 and the coasts of him; and the country of Lebanon against the east, from Baalgad, under the hill of Hermon, till thou enterest into Hamath, (and the land of the Gebalites; and the country of Lebanon to the east, from Baalgad, under Mount Hermon, until thou enterest into Hamath,)
6 of all men that dwelled in the hill, from the Lebanon till to the waters of Misrephothmaim, and all men of Sidon; I am, that shall do away them from the face of the sons of Israel; therefore come it into the part of (the) heritage of Israel, as I commanded to thee. (of all those who live in the hill country, from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all those of Sidon; I am he, who shall do them away from before the Israelites; and so divide it all up for the inheritance of the Israelites, as I commanded to thee.)
7 And thou now part the land into (a) possession to the nine lineages, and to the half lineage of Manasseh, (And now divide thou up the land for a possession for the nine tribes, and for the western half of the tribe of Manasseh.)
8 with which lineage(s) Reuben, and Gad, wielded the land, which land Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave to them beyond the flowings of (the) Jordan, at the east coast; (For the tribes of Reuben, and Gad, and the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh, took the land, which land Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them beyond the flowings of the Jordan River, on the east side;)
9 from Aroer, that is set in the brink of the strand of Arnon (that is, from Aroer, that is set on the banks of the Arnon River), in [the] midst of the valley, and all the field places of Medeba, unto Dibon,
10 and all the cities of Sihon, king of Amorites, that reigned in Heshbon, till to the terms of the sons of Ammon, (and all the cities of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the Ammonites,)
11 and of Gilead, and to the terms of Geshurites, and of Maachathites, and all the hill of Hermon, and all Bashan, till to Salcah; (and also Gilead, and the lands of the Geshurites, and of the Maachathites, and all of Mount Herman, and all of Bashan, unto Salcah;)
12 all the realm of Og in Bashan, that reigned in Ashtaroth, and in Edrei; he was of the relics of Rephaim, that is, of giants; and Moses smote them, and did away them. (and all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth, and in Edrei; he was of the remnant of the Rephaim, that is, of the giants; and Moses struck them down, and did them away.)
13 And the sons of Israel would not destroy Geshurites, and Maachathites; and they dwelled in the midst of Israel, till into [the] present day. (But the Israelites did not destroy the Geshurites, or the Maachathites; and they live in the midst of the Israelites, unto this present day.)
14 Soothly he gave not (any) possession to the lineage of Levi, but [the] sacrifices, and [the] slain sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel; that is his heritage, as God spake to him (that is their inheritance, as God said to them).
15 Therefore Moses gave (a) possession to the lineage of the sons of Reuben, by their kindreds;
16 and their term was from Aroer, that is in the brink of the strand of Arnon, and in the middle valley of the same strand, (and) all the plain also that leadeth to Medeba, (and their land was from Aroer, that is on the banks of the Arnon River, through the valley from the middle of that river, and all the plain that leadeth to Medeba,)
17 and to Heshbon, and all the towns of them, that be in the field places; and Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and the city of Bethbaalmeon,
18 and Jahaza, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,
19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar in the hill of the valley(,)
20 (and) of Bethpeor, and of Ashdothpisgah, and Bethjeshimoth; (and Bethpeor, and Mount Pisgah, and Bethjeshimoth;)
21 (and) all the field cities, and all the realms of Sihon, king of Amorites, that reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote, with his princes (of) Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the dukes of Sihon, dwellers of the land. (and all the field cities, and all the kingdoms of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck down together with the Midianite leaders, that is, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, who were Sihon's surrogates, and who lived in the land.)
22 And the sons of Israel killed by (the) sword, Balaam, the false diviner, the son of Beor, with other men slain there.
23 And the term of the sons of Reuben was made the flood of Jordan (And the western border of the sons of Reuben was the Jordan River); this is the possession of (the) men of Reuben, by their kindreds, (yea,) of (their) cities and towns.
24 And Moses gave a possession to the lineage of Gad, and to his sons, by their kindreds, of the which possession this is the parting;
25 he gave the terms of Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and the half part of the land of the sons of Ammon, unto Aroer that is against Rabbah; (their territory included Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half of the land of the Ammonites, unto Aroer, that is east of Rabbah;)
26 and from Heshbon unto Ramath of Mizpeh, and Betonim, and Mahanaim, unto the terms of Debir (unto the border of Lodebar);
27 and in the valley he gave to them Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, that was the tother part of the realm of Sihon, the king of Heshbon; and the end of that term is (the) Jordan, unto the last part of the sea of Chinnereth over (the) Jordan, at the east coast (and the border was the Jordan River, unto the last part of the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Galilee, east of the Jordan River).
28 This is the possession of the sons of Gad, by their families, (yea,) the cities and the towns of them.
29 Moses gave also (a) possession to the half lineage of Manasseh, and to his sons (and to their sons), by their kindreds, of which possession this is the beginning; (And Moses also gave a possession to the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh, and to their sons, by their families, of which possession this is the beginning;)
30 he gave Mahanaim, and all (of) Bashan, and all the realms of Og, king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, that be in Bashan, (that is,) sixty cities;
31 and half the part of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the realm of Og, king of Bashan; he gave (this) to the sons of Machir, the sons of Manasseh, and to half the part of the sons of Machir, by their kindreds. (and half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan; he gave this to half of the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, by their families.)
32 Moses parted this possession in the field places of Moab over (the) Jordan, against Jericho, at the east coast. (And so Moses divided up this possession in the plains of Moab, near Jericho, on the eastern side of the Jordan River.)
33 Forsooth Moses gave no possession to the lineage of Levi; for the Lord God himself of Israel is the possession of the kindred of Levi, as the Lord said to him. (But Moses gave no possession, or portion, to the tribe of Levi; for the Lord God of Israel himself is the possession of the Levite families, as the Lord said to them.)

Joshua 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

Bounds of the land not yet conquered. (1-6) Inheritance of Reuben. (7-33)

Verses 1-6 At this chapter begins the account of the dividing of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel by lot; a narrative showing the performance of the promise made to the fathers, that this land should be given to the seed of Jacob. We are not to pass over these chapters of hard names as useless. Where God has a mouth to speak, and a hand to write, we should find an ear to hear, and an eye to read; and may God give us a heart to profit! Joshua is supposed to have been about one hundred years old at this time. It is good for those who are old and stricken in years to be put in remembrance of their being so. God considers the frame of his people, and would not have them burdened with work above their strength. And all people, especially old people, should set to do that quickly which must be done before they die, lest death prevent them, ( Ecclesiastes 9:10 ) . God promise that he would make the Israelites masters of all the countries yet unsubdued, through Joshua was old, and not able to do it; old, and not likely to live to see it done. Whatever becomes of us, and however we may be laid aside as despised, broken vessels, God will do his own work in his own time. We must work out our salvation, then God will work in us, and work with us; we must resist our spiritual enemies, then God will tread them under our feet; we must go forth to our Christian work and warfare, then God will go forth before us.

Verses 7-33 The land must be divided among the tribes. It is the will of God that every man should know his own, and not take that which is another's. The world must be governed, not by force, but right. Wherever our habitation is placed, and in whatever honest way our portion is assigned, we should consider them as allotted of God; we should be thankful for, and use them as such, while every prudent method should be used to prevent disputes about property, both at present and in future. Joshua must be herein a type of Christ, who has not only conquered the gates of hell for us, but has opened to us the gates of heaven, and having purchased the eternal inheritance for all believers, will put them in possession of it. Here is a general description of the country given to the two tribes and a half, by Moses. Israel must know their own, and keep to it; and may not, under pretence of their being God's peculiar people, encroach on their neighbours. Twice in this chapter it is noticed, that to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance: see ( Numbers 18:20 ) . Their maintenance must be brought out of all the tribes. The ministers of the Lord should show themselves indifferent about worldly interests, and the people should take care they want nothing suitable. And happy are those who have the Lord God of Israel for their inheritance, though little of this world falls to their lot. His providences will supply their wants, his consolations will support their souls, till they gain heavenly joy and everlasting pleasures.

Chapter Summary

\\INTRODUCTION JOSHUA 13\\

In this chapter Joshua is informed by the Lord, or put in mind, that
part of the land of Canaan remained unconquered, and which it was; and
is directed to divide the whole land among the nine tribes, and the
half tribe of Manasseh, Jos 13:1-9; and since the two tribes of Reuben
and Gad, and the other half tribe of Manasseh, had received their
inheritance on the other side Jordan, Jos 13:8; that is described in
general, Jos 13:9-14; and, then the particular portion of Reuben,
Jos 13:15-23; and of Gad, Jos 13:24-28; and of the half tribe of
Manasseh, Jos 13:29-33.

Joshua 13 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.