Joshua 13:1-21

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.

13:15 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Reuben ²⁷  by its clans. 13:16 Their territory started at Aroer ²⁸  (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 ²⁹  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). ³⁰ 

[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”).

[13:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “assigned to the sons of Reuben.”

[13:16]  ²⁸ tn Heb “their territory was from.”

[13:21]  ²⁹ tn The words “it encompassed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[13:21]  ³⁰ tn Heb “princes of Sihon, inhabitants of the land.”