Joshua 13:1-14

The Lord Speaks to Joshua

13:1 When Joshua was very old, ¹  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 ²  east of ³  Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron (it is regarded as Canaanite territory), ⁴  including the area belonging to the five Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as Avvite land ⁵  13:4 to the south; ⁶  all the Canaanite territory, ⁷  from Arah ⁸  in the region of Sidon ⁹  to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory; 13:5 the territory of Byblos ¹⁰  and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. ¹¹  13:6 I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, ¹²  all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to Israel as I instructed you.” ¹³  13:7 Now, divide up this land ¹⁴  among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Tribal Lands East of the Jordan

13:8 The other half of Manasseh, ¹⁵  Reuben, and Gad received their allotted tribal lands beyond the Jordan, ¹⁶  just as Moses, the Lord’s servant, had assigned them. 13:9 Their territory started ¹⁷  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 ¹⁸  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.) ¹⁹  Moses defeated them and took their lands. ²⁰  13:13 But the Israelites did not conquer ²¹  the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day. 13:14 However, Moses ²²  did not assign land as an inheritance ²³  to the Levites; their inheritance ²⁴  is the sacrificial offerings ²⁵  made to the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed ²⁶  them.

[13:1]  ¹ tn Heb “was old, coming into the days.” This expression, referring to advancing in years, also occurs in the following clause.

[13:3]  ² tn Heb “the Shihor”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[13:3]  ³ tn Heb “in front of.”

[13:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “it is reckoned to the Canaanites.”

[13:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “the five lords of the Philistines, the Gazaite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gathite, and the Ekronite, and the Avvites.”

[13:4]  ⁶ 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.

[13:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the land of the Canaanites.”

[13:4]  ⁸ 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).

[13:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “which belongs to the Sidonians.”

[13:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the land of the Gebalites.”

[13:5]  ¹¹ 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.”

[13:6]  ¹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew name “Misrephoth Maim” is perhaps “lime-kilns by the water” (see HALOT 2:641).

[13:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “only you, assign it by lots to Israel as an inheritance as I commanded you.”

[13:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “now apportion this land as an inheritance.”

[13:8]  ¹⁵ 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).

[13:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “received their inheritance, which Moses had assigned to them beyond the Jordan.”

[13:9]  ¹⁷ tn The words “their territory started” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[13:11]  ¹⁸ tn The words “their territory also included” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[13:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from the remnant of the Rephaites.”

[13:12]  ²⁰ tn Or “dispossessed them.”

[13:13]  ²¹ tn Or “dispossess.”

[13:14]  ²² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:14]  ²³ tn Heb “did not assign an inheritance.”

[13:14]  ²⁴ tn That is, “their source of food and life.”

[13:14]  ²⁵ tn Or “offerings made by fire.”

[13:14]  ²⁶ tn Or “promised” (Heb “spoke”).