Joshua 13
13
Yahweh Speaks to Joshua
1Many years passed, and Joshua was a very old man. # 13:1 Joshua had spied out the land forty-five years earlier (see Num. 13–14). He was over eighty years old at the time of this encounter with Yahweh. Despite all of Joshua’s victories, there remained more territory to conquer. Believers today, although complete in Christ, have yet more spiritual blessings to possess. One day, Yahweh spoke to him: “Although you have reached a ripe old age, a great deal of land remains for you to conquer. 2The territory waiting for you to possess includes all the land of the Geshurites # 13:2 Geshurites means “those who see themselves as proud.” These people lived in the extreme southwest of Canaan reaching as far south as the Egyptian border and are not to be confused with the Geshurites mentioned in 12:5. and the Philistines. (The kings of the Philistines lived at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.) # 13:2 Philistia consisted of a federation of the five city-states mentioned in this verse. Ekron means “plucked up by the roots.” It was on the northeast border of Philistia, possibly the modern village of Akar. 3And also all the territory of the Avvites # 13:3 Or “Hivites.” to the south. (The land from the stream of Shihor, # 13:3 Some identify Shihor as an eastern tributary of the Nile, known as Wadi el-Arish. See 1 Chron. 13:5; Jer. 2:18. Shihor means “dark.” at the Egyptian border, as far north as the border of Ekron was considered Canaanite.) 4There is still all the Canaanite territory from the Sidonian city of Mearah # 13:4 Mearah means “cave.” (which belonged to the Sidonians) as far as the Amorite border city of Aphek. # 13:4 Aphek means “strong enclosure”; it was a city northeast of Beirut, Lebanon (modern Aphaca). 5You have still not conquered the land of the Gebalites, # 13:5 Gebal means “boundary” or “limit” and was also known as “Babylus,” a city north of Beirut, Lebanon. Gebal was the center of worship of the god Dumuzid, later known as Tammuz. all the land eastward to Lebanon, from the city of Baal-Gad, which is south of Mount Hermon, to Hamath Pass. # 13:5 Or, if a proper noun, “Lebo Hamath.” 6You still must conquer the land of the Sidonians who live in the hill country between the Lebanon Mountains and Misrephoth Maim. # 13:6 See Josh. 11:8 and footnote. As the people of Israel advance, I myself will drive out these peoples from before you! Divide the land among the tribes of Israel exactly as I have commanded you. 7Divide among the other nine tribes and the other half-tribe of Manasseh the territory west of the Jordan to possess as their inheritance.” # 13:7 The word “inheritance” is the Hebrew word nachalah, taken from the root word nachal, which has a homonym meaning “a flowing stream.” We can interpret inheritance to mean wealth flowing from one generation to the next.
The Division of the Land East of the Jordan
8The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had already received their portion of the land on the east side of the Jordan, which Yahweh’s servant Moses had assigned to them. # 13:8 See Num. 32:1–42. 9These tribes occupied the land as far southeast as the city of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley and the plain from Dibon in the south, north to Medeba. # 13:9 The Moabites eventually recaptured Dibon and Medeba, the two principal towns of Moab. 10Their territory went as far east as the border of Ammon, including all the cities over which King Sihon, the Amorite king, ruled over from Heshbon. 11It also included Gilead, the land of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan to its eastern boundary of Salecah. 12It encompassed the entire kingdom of Og (the last of the Rephaites) in Bashan, who ruled from Ashtaroth and at Edrei. Moses had defeated them and possessed their lands, 13except for the Geshurites and Maacathites, who still live among the Israelites to this day. 14However, Moses did not assign any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi, for their inheritance was to share in the sacrificial offerings # 13:14 Or “fire offerings.” The people of Israel brought offerings to the Levites to support them in their priestly functions. See Num. 18:20–26. made to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as he promised them.
The Territory Assigned to Reuben
15The land Moses assigned to the families of the tribe of Reuben 16extended from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba, 17Heshbon and all its surrounding towns on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, # 13:17 Or “the high places of Baal.” Beth Baal Meon, # 13:17 Or “the house of the lord of Meon,” a likely reference to the local deity worshiped at Meon. 18Jahaz, # 13:18 This was the location where Sihon fought with Israel (see Num. 21:23) and later became a Levitical city (see 1 Chron. 6:63–64). Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19Kiriathaim, Sibmah, # 13:19 Sibmah is possibly modern Sumeih. Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 20Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth, 21including all the cities of the plain, and the whole kingdom of Sihon the Amorite, who had ruled at Heshbon. Moses defeated him and the Midianite tribal chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who dwelt in the land as princes of Sihon. 22Among those the Israelites killed in battle was the fortune-teller Balaam son of Beor. # 13:22 See Num. 22–24; 31:8. 23The western boundary of the Reubenites was the Jordan River. These cities and their surrounding villages comprised the inheritance of the families of the tribe of Reuben.
The Territory Assigned to Gad
24The land Moses assigned to the families of the tribe of Gad 25included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah. # 13:25 Rabbah means “the great,” and is the shortened form of Rabbah Ammon (modern Amman, Jordan). 26It extended north from the city of Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, continuing on to the city of Mahanaim, and to the borders of Lo-Debar. # 13:26 Or “Debir.” See 2 Sam. 9:4–5; 17:27. 27In addition, the tribe of Gad received the land along the eastern side of the Jordan River as far north as the southern end of Lake Galilee. This included the cities of Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, all of which were in the Jordan Valley. 28These cities and their surrounding villages comprised the inheritance of the families of the tribe of Gad.
The Territory Assigned to East Manasseh
29The land Moses assigned to the families of the half-tribe of Manasseh 30extended north from the city of Mahanaim, including all of Bashan and the sixty villages of Jair. # 13:30 Jair means “forest”; he was the son (or possibly “descendant”) of Manasseh. The villages of Jair were villages he conquered (see Num. 32:41). King Og of Bashan had once ruled over all this territory. 31Moses had given half of Gilead to this half-tribe of Manasseh, which descended from Manasseh’s son Machir, including the cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei, where king Og had once ruled.
32Moses had distributed all the territory of Moab in the Jordan Valley east of Jericho as the inheritances of these two and a half tribes of Israel. 33But Moses gave no inheritance of land to the tribe of Levi, but said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, is to be your inheritance.”
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Joshua 13: TPT
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