Text -- Joshua 13:1-23 (NET)

The Lord Speaks to Joshua

13:1 When Joshua was very old, the Lord told him, “You are very old, and a great deal of land remains to be conquered. 13:2 This is the land that remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all the Geshurites, 13:3 from the Shihor River east of Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron (it is regarded as Canaanite territory), including the area belonging to the five Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as Avvite land 13:4 to the south; all the Canaanite territory, from Arah in the region of Sidon to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory; 13:5 the territory of Byblos and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 13:6 I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to Israel as I instructed you.” 13:7 Now, divide up this land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Tribal Lands East of the Jordan

13:8 The other half of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad received their allotted tribal lands beyond the Jordan, just as Moses, the Lord’s servant, had assigned them. 13:9 Their territory started from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley), included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba as far as Dibon, 13:10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon, and ended at the Ammonite border. 13:11 Their territory also included Gilead, Geshurite and Maacathite territory, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah– 13:12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was one of the few remaining Rephaites.) Moses defeated them and took their lands. 13:13 But the Israelites did not conquer the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day. 13:14 However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance to the Levites; their inheritance is the sacrificial offerings made to the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed them. 13:15 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Reuben by its clans. 13:16 Their territory started at Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba, 13:17 Heshbon and all its surrounding cities on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 13:18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 13:19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 13:20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 13:21 It encompassed all the cities of the plain and the whole realm of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and the Midianite leaders Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba (they were subjects of Sihon and lived in his territory). 13:22 The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader, along with the others. 13:23 The border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan. The land allotted to the tribe of Reuben by its clans included these cities and their towns.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jos 13:1

¹ tn Heb “was old, coming into the days.” This expression, referring to advancing in years, also occurs in the following clause.

NET Notes: Jos 13:3

¹ tn Heb “the Shihor”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

² tn Heb “in front of.”

³ tn Heb “it is reckoned to the Canaanites.”

⁴ tn Heb “the five lords of the Philistines, the Gazaite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gathite, and the Ekronite, and the Avvites.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:4

¹ tn Or “from Teman.” The phrase is especially problematic if taken with what follows, as the traditional verse division suggests. For further discussion see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 146.

² tn Heb “all the land of the Canaanites.”

³ tc The reading “Arah” assumes a slight emendation of the Hebrew vowel pointing. The MT reads, “and a cave,” or “and Mearah” (if one understands the word as a proper noun).

⁴ tn Heb “which belongs to the Sidonians.”

map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

NET Notes: Jos 13:5

¹ tn Heb “and the land of the Gebalites.”

² tn Or “the entrance to Hamath.” Most modern translations take the phrase “Lebo Hamath” to be a proper name, but often provide a note with the alternative, where “Hamath” is the proper name and לְבוֹא (lÿvo’) is taken to mean “entrance to.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:6

¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew name “Misrephoth Maim” is perhaps “lime-kilns by the water” (see HALOT 2:641).

² tn Heb “only you, assign it by lots to Israel as an inheritance as I commanded you.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:7

¹ tn Heb “now apportion this land as an inheritance.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:8

¹ tn The MT reads “with him,” which is problematic, since the reference would be to the other half of the tribe of Manasseh (not the half mentioned in v. 7).

² tn Heb “received their inheritance, which Moses had assigned to them beyond the Jordan.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:9

¹ tn The words “their territory started” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

NET Notes: Jos 13:11

¹ tn The words “their territory also included” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

NET Notes: Jos 13:12

¹ tn Heb “from the remnant of the Rephaites.”

sn The Rephaites were apparently an extremely tall ethnic group. See Deut 2:10-11, 20; 3:11.

² tn Or “dispossessed them.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:13

¹ tn Or “dispossess.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:14

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “did not assign an inheritance.”

³ tn That is, “their source of food and life.”

⁴ tn Or “offerings made by fire.”

⁵ tn Or “promised” (Heb “spoke”).

sn For the background of this observation, see Deut 18:1-2.

NET Notes: Jos 13:15

¹ tn Heb “assigned to the sons of Reuben.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:16

¹ tn Heb “their territory was from.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:21

¹ tn The words “it encompassed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

² tn Heb “princes of Sihon, inhabitants of the land.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:22

¹ tn Or “diviner.”

² tn Heb “Balaam son of Beor, the omen-reader, the Israelites killed with the sword, along with their slain ones.”

NET Notes: Jos 13:23

¹ tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the sons of Reuben by their clans, the cities and their towns.”