Joshua Chapter 13 — Dividing the Promised Land
God instructs an elderly Joshua to divide the remaining unconquered land among the tribes and recounts the inheritances already assigned east of the Jordan.
1Now Joshua was old and well advanced in years. The LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.
2“This is the land that still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites;
3from the Shihor, which is before Egypt, even to the border of Ekron northward, which is counted as Canaanite; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avvim,
4on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites;
5and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad under Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath;
6all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, even all the Sidonians. I will drive them out from before the children of Israel. Just allocate it to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.
7Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
8With him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them:
9from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon;
10and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the children of Ammon;
11and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;
12all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (who was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses attacked these, and drove them out.
13Nevertheless the children of Israel didn’t drive out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this day.
14Only he gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The offerings of the LORD, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spoke to him.
15Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families.
16Their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain by Medeba;
17Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the plain; Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,
18Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
19Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar in the mount of the valley,
20Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth,
21all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.
22The children of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of their slain.
23The 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 its villages.
24Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad, according to their families.
25Their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is near Rabbah;
26and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;
27and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan’s bank, to the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward.
28This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and its villages.
29Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was for the half-tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families.
30Their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities.
31Half Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even for the half of the children of Machir according to their families.
32These are the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho, eastward.
33But Moses gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spoke to them.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Joshua 13:1
“Now Joshua was old and well advanced in years. The LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.”
This verse marks a major transition in the book, showing that the work of settlement must continue even as leadership ages.
Joshua 13:33
“But Moses gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spoke to them.”
It defines the unique spiritual role of the Levites, who were set apart for service rather than land ownership.
Chapter Summary
In Joshua 13, the Lord speaks to Joshua, acknowledging that he is now advanced in years while much of the Promised Land remains to be conquered. The text lists specific regions still held by various groups, including the Philistines and Sidonians, but God promises to drive them out. He commands Joshua to proceed with dividing the land among the nine and a half tribes as an inheritance. The chapter then provides a detailed retrospective on the land Moses already assigned to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It outlines their borders, mentions the defeat of local kings like Sihon and Og, and notes the death of Balaam the soothsayer. A recurring point of emphasis is that the tribe of Levi received no land inheritance because the Lord and the offerings made by fire were their designated portion.
Frequently Asked Questions
The text identifies several regions still occupied by others, including all the regions of the Philistines, the Geshurites, the Sidonians, and territory from Lebanon to the entrance of Hamath.
According to the chapter, the tribe of Levi did not receive a land allotment because the Lord God of Israel and the offerings made by fire were their specific inheritance.
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which had been previously distributed by Moses before his death.
The text records that the children of Israel killed Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword during the conquest of the Amorite territories.
Study Note
The mention of the 'five lords of the Philistines' in verse 3 accurately reflects the political structure of the Philistine pentapolis known from historical records.
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