Joshua 13 – The Remaining Land; Allotments East of the Jordan

A. God’s command to Joshua regarding the land remaining to be conquered.

1. (1) God speaks to an old Joshua about the land remaining to be possessed.

Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.

a. You are old: Joshua lived to 110 years of age (Joshua 24:29). He was probably somewhere between 90 and 95 at this point. Even while acknowledging Joshua’s advanced years, God still told him about work that had to be done. Even in advanced years, God has work for His people to do.

b. There remains very much land yet to be possessed: This was true of the land on the west side of the Jordan. The main centers of Canaanite power had been defeated, but Israel had to occupy the land and defeat the smaller groups of Canaanites that might oppose them. On the east side of the Jordan, this complete occupation had already taken place.

c. Yet to be possessed: By spiritual analogy, what the land was to Israel, Jesus is to the believer. Christians should press on to continually possess more of Christ, to remain active as they grow in their relationship with, and reliance on, Jesus.

i. “What the land was to Israel, Christ is to us. Mapped out in the pages of God’s Word is all the territory which we are to possess…. And it is true for every one of us that there is yet much land to be possessed. Our inheritance in Christ is not part of Christ, but all of Christ.” (Redpath)

ii. “In whatever realm we think of the Divine purpose for us, we have to say: ‘There remaineth very much land to be possessed.’ We have never occupied all the territory provided for us in the Divine intention, and we are ever terribly prone to be satisfied with less than that which is in the will of God for us.” (Morgan)

2. (2-6a) Describing the land that remains to be occupied.

This is the land that yet remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all that of the Geshurites, from Sihor, which is east of Egypt, as far as the border of Ekron northward (which is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines—the Gazites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites; from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath; all the inhabitants of the mountains from Lebanon as far as the Brook Misrephoth, and all the Sidonians—

a. This is the land that yet remains: What follows describes a considerable amount of territory that Israel had yet to possess. The major kings had been defeated (Joshua 12:7-24), but the tribes of Israel had to spread out over Canaan and actually possess the land. This would not be easy; Canaanites remained who would fight Israel for the land.

i. The territory of the Philistines: “The Philistines came originally from Caphtor (Crete) as part of the migration of the ‘Sea Peoples’ who invaded Egypt and Palestine in 1200 B.C.…. They continued to oppress and harass the Israelites throughout the period of the Judges and the reign of Saul, until they were subdued by David.” (Madvig)

ii. “For the Christian, Israel’s failure to conquer the land fully anticipates the inability to enjoy the full favour of God’s blessing in this life (1 Corinthians 10:1–13). Christians are not perfect, though they are called to perfect holiness. They live in a tension between the rewards of a life lived fully in the Holy Spirit, which are available here and now, and their own failure, which prevents the appropriation of those gifts.” (Hess)

3. (6b-7) God’s method for possessing the land is described.

Them I will drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide it by lot to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you. Now therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

a. Them I will drive out from before the children of Israel: God promised I will drive them out from before the children of Israel, but He intended that each tribe trust God for this in the portion of land divided to them by lot. As God was with Joshua in his battles against the major kings of Canaan, so God would be with the tribes as they fought to possess the portions of land allotted to them.

i. “The Lord reaffirmed his promise to drive out the inhabitants of the land (cf. Joshua 3:10). From this point on, however, further conquests would be the concern of the individual tribes. Moreover, the promise was conditional and was never completely fulfilled due to the incompleteness of Israel’s obedience.” (Madvig)

b. Divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh: Each tribe was responsible for completely possessing their own land. God emphasized the idea of personal responsibility and initiative. This is not only because that is how things get done, but also because that is how people are blessed in service. God’s people are blessed by personally taking responsibility and initiative in trusting God to do what He has called them to do.

i. “In order that the chosen people might be able to complete the conquest and perfectly possess the land, it was now to be divided among them, so that the whole area might be covered.” (Morgan)

B. Land allotments east of the Jordan.

1. (8-13) The land to be divided on the east side of the Jordan River.

With the other half tribe the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses had given them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD had given them: from Aroer which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the town that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain of Medeba as far as Dibon; all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the children of Ammon; Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salcah; all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants; for Moses had defeated and cast out these.

Nevertheless the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.

a. With the other half tribe the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance: This passage describes the portion of land divided among Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. It was previously the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.

i. This was their inheritance, granted by the LORD. “God was the ultimate source of the gift of the land to Israel, and in several significant passages, the giving and the inheritance are linked. That which God gave, Israel was to receive by taking possession of it.” (Howard)

b. Nevertheless the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites: Only two small tribes of peoples were not replaced by the Jewish tribes settling on the east side of the Jordan. These were the Geshurites and the Maachathites.

i. “The danger was recognized that these people might rest content with victories already gained, and so fail to realize all the purposes of God for them.” (Morgan)

ii. Geshur seems to have been absorbed into Israel. David later married a princess from Geshur, and she was the mother of his son Absalom (2 Samuel 3:3). Absalom returned to Geshur and used it as a place to plot against his father David (2 Samuel 13:37-38, 14:23, 14:32).

iii. The Maachathites may have come from the Maachah that is mentioned in Genesis 22:24, who was a nephew of Abraham. Later, when Sheba rebelled against David, he fled and may have taken refuge in one of the cities of the Maachathites (2 Samuel 20:14-15).

2. (14) The unique situation of the tribe of Levi.

Only to the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as He said to them.

a. Only to the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance: Levi, the priestly tribe, was to receive no allotted land as the other tribes received. Instead, the Levites were given certain cities. This was commanded in Numbers 35:1-8 and fulfilled in Joshua 20-21.

b. The sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance: Instead, the Levites had as their inheritance the offerings that Israel would bring to the LORD. Their provision did not come only from the land, but also from the offerings of Israel.

3. (15-23) The portion of Reuben’s land.

And Moses had given to the tribe of the children of Reuben an inheritance according to their families. Their territory was from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plain by Medeba; Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, Jahaza, Kedemoth, Mephaath, Kirjathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the mountain of the valley, Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth; all the cities of the plain and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had struck with the princes of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were princes of Sihon dwelling in the country. The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them. And the border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and their villages.

a. Inheritance according to their families: God divided the land to Israel according to their tribes, clans, and families. The land was to remain in the family forever.

b. Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor: In the conquest of the land later inherited by Reuben, Balaam was killed when Moses struck the princes of Midian.

4. (24-28) The portion of Gad’s land.

Moses also had given an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad according to their families. Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, which is before Rabbah, and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir, and in the valley Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as its border, as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth, on the other side of the Jordan eastward. This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and their villages.

a. This is the inheritance of the children of Gad: This area of land marked by names, geography, and rulers was allotted to the tribe of Gad. This is a reminder that this was real land, not only a spiritual promise.

5. (29-32) The portion of half the tribe of Manasseh’s land.

Moses also had given an inheritance to half the tribe of Manasseh; it was for half the tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families: Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair which are in Bashan, sixty cities; half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, for half of the children of Machir according to their families.

These are the areas which Moses had distributed as an inheritance in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward.

a. An inheritance to half the tribe of Manasseh: This tribe, descended from one of Joseph’s two sons, was unique in its inheritance. Half the tribe of Manasseh possessed land on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and the other half possessed land on the western side.

b. These are the areas which Moses had distributed: This distribution of land for Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh happened under Moses, not Joshua (Numbers 32).

6. (33) More on the inheritance of the Levites.

But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.

a. The LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them: The tribe of Levi had no land for an inheritance, but instead had the sacrifices Israel brought to God (Joshua 13:14). They also received a greater inheritance than the sacrifices: God Himself was their inheritance.

b. The LORD God of Israel was their inheritance: In this sense, if there is any tribe that Christians are spiritually connected to, it is the tribe of Levi. Believers are also called priests (1 Peter 2:5) and have a special inheritance in God (Ephesians 1:11, Colossians 1:12, 1 Peter 1:4).

c. As He had said to them: This distribution of land to the tribes, and God’s special allotment to Levi, was all according to what God had said. It was important for each tribe to be content with and find joy in what God had allotted to them. This was especially true for the Levites, who had the LORD for their inheritance.

© 2024 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com