Joshua · chapter 13 of 24
Updated on
Joshua 13 begins with the Lord telling Joshua, now old, that much land remains to be possessed and that he must divide what has been conquered among the nine and a half tribes. The chapter then describes the lands east of the Jordan that Moses gave to Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, and recalls that the tribe of Levi received no territory because the Lord himself is their inheritance.
With Joshua 13 the second half of the book begins, devoted to dividing the land. Joshua has defeated the kings, but the task is not finished. The chapter shows an uncomfortable truth: God's promise is fulfilled and, at the same time, work remains. It also explains the special position of the Levites, whose inheritance is not a territory but the Lord.
The Lord tells Joshua, who is old and advanced in years, that very much land still remains to be possessed. He names the regions still left: the territories of the Philistines and of the Geshurites, the land of the Canaanites and of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, and the surroundings of Gebal, Lebanon to the east and the mountain region as far as Misrephoth-maim. The Lord himself will drive those peoples out before Israel. Joshua is to divide the land by lot as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
The text recalls that the other two and a half tribes already received their inheritance east of the Jordan, from Moses. It describes their territories: the land of Sihon of Heshbon and that of Og of Bashan, from Aroer on the Arnon to Mahanaim. A note says the Geshurites and Maacathites were not driven out and still live among Israel.
It details what each tribe received. Reuben got the tableland of Medeba, Heshbon and other cities, and it is recalled that Balaam the diviner was killed with the sword among the slain. Gad received Jazer and half of Gilead, up to near Rabbah, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received half of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og.
The chapter twice repeats that the tribe of Levi received no inheritance: the offerings of the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he told them. It ends by saying that Moses distributed this inheritance in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord tells Joshua, who is old and advanced in years, that very much land still remains to be possessed. God does not hide the work still pending: the victory received does not remove the task ahead.
The Lord promises that he himself will drive out the peoples that remain, and that Joshua need only allot the land to Israel as an inheritance. God does the work, and the human responsibility is to obey and distribute.
The tribe of Levi was given no territorial inheritance, because the Lord's offerings are their inheritance. Their portion is measured not in land but in service and communion with God.
The text repeats that Levi has no inheritance, because the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance. It is one of the most beautiful expressions that the greatest treasure of God's people is God himself.
5 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That he is old and that very much land still remains to be possessed. — Joshua 13:1
Answer: The Lord himself will drive them out before the sons of Israel. — Joshua 13:6
Answer: Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. — Joshua 13:8
Answer: The Israelites killed him with the sword among the rest of the slain. — Joshua 13:22
Answer: Because the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he had told them. — Joshua 13:33
Joshua 13 reminds us that life with God includes victories and tasks still pending. Joshua is old, and the Lord does not offer him simple retirement but shows him what remains and promises his help. In the church we sometimes look at what has already been achieved and forget that there is work to do. The answer is to continue with confidence, knowing that God himself is at work.
The inheritance of Levi also challenges us. Instead of land, they received the Lord. In a small group you can ask what we really consider our inheritance: what we own or our relationship with God. That question helps put our ambitions in order.
Joshua 13 makes clear that land remains to be conquered and that the eastern tribes already have their share. From Joshua 14 on, the book describes the inheritance of the tribes west of the Jordan, beginning with Caleb, the man who wholly followed the Lord.
Because it was devoted to the service of the tabernacle and to teaching the law. Its support came from the people's offerings and tithes, and the Levites lived in cities scattered among the other tribes. In this way the presence of the Levites reminded all Israel that the Lord was their true inheritance.
The previous chapters summarize the conquest of the great coalitions of kings and the rest from war. Here it is clarified that some regions were still not fully occupied. The book presents both: a real victory from God and a task each tribe still had to carry out in its own territory.