Discovery BoxJoshua 13:1-27
Context13:1 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.”
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 13:22 The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader, 31 along with the others. 32 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. 33
13:24 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Gad 34 by its clans. 13:25 Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of Ammonite territory 35 as far as Aroer near 36 Rabbah. 13:26 Their territory ran 37 from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 13:27 It included the valley of Beth Haram, 38 Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, and the rest of the realm of King Sihon of Heshbon, the area east of the Jordan to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth. 39
[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.”
[13:22] 32 tn Heb “Balaam son of Beor, the omen-reader, the Israelites killed with the sword, along with their slain ones.”
[13:23] 33 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the sons of Reuben by their clans, the cities and their towns.”
[13:24] 34 tn Heb “assigned to the tribe of Gad, to the sons of Gad.”
[13:25] 35 tn Heb “and half of the land of the sons of Ammon.”
[13:25] 36 tn Heb “in front of.”
[13:26] 37 tn The words “Their territory ran” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied for clarification.
[13:27] 38 tn Or “it included in the valley, Beth Haram.”
[13:27] 39 sn The Sea of Kinnereth is another name for the Sea of Galilee. See the note on the word “Kinnereth” in 11:2.
