Chapter Text
Land Still to Be Taken
Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
2This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
3From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:
4From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:
5And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising , from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.
6All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.
7Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
8With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them;
9From Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon;
10And all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon;
11And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah;
12All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.
13Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.
14Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.
15And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.
16And their coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;
17Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon,
18And Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,
19And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar in the mount of the valley,
20And Bethpeor, and Ashdothpisgah , and Bethjeshimoth,
21And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country.
22Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.
23And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof.
24And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.
25And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;
26And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;
27And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.
28This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.
29And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.
30And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:
31And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.
32These are the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.
33But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.
Summary
This chapter summarizes the kings defeated by Moses east of the Jordan, including Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and the thirty-one kings defeated by Joshua west of the Jordan. The comprehensive list documents the full scope of Israel's conquest under God's direction.
Meaning
The catalog of defeated kings serves as a testimony to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Each conquered kingdom represents a specific promise kept and an obstacle removed.
The list bridges the leadership of Moses and Joshua, showing continuity of divine purpose. What God began under Moses, He completed under Joshua. His purposes are not thwarted by changes in human leadership.
Background
The territories east of the Jordan had been conquered under Moses before his death. The thirty-one kings west of the Jordan represent city-states typical of Canaanite political organization.
This summary chapter functions as a historical record, documenting the scope of the conquest for future generations.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-7God commissions Joshua to divide remaining land
- vv. 8-13Summary of Transjordan territories conquered under Moses
- vv. 14Levi receives no land inheritance
- vv. 15-23The inheritance of Reuben
- vv. 24-28The inheritance of Gad
- vv. 29-31The inheritance of the half tribe of Manasseh
- vv. 32-33Summary and Levi's divine inheritance restated
Key Verses
“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.”— 13:1
This pivotal verse marks the transition from conquest to allocation. God's acknowledgment that much land remains unclaimed introduces the tension between divine promise and incomplete obedience that pervades the rest of Joshua.
“All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.”— 13:6
God reaffirms His commitment to drive out the remaining inhabitants, commanding Joshua to distribute the land by lot — an act of faith in allocating territory not yet fully secured.
“Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.”— 13:14
A theologically rich declaration repeated in verse 33. Levi's inheritance is the LORD Himself, establishing the principle that priestly service to God supersedes material possession.
“But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.”— 13:33
The chapter's closing verse reframes Levi's landlessness as supreme privilege. This bookend with verse 14 emphasizes that God Himself is the ultimate inheritance — a theme echoed throughout the Psalms and the New Testament.
People & Places
People
- Joshua — Aging leader of Israel, commanded by God to divide the remaining land among the tribes.
- Moses — Former leader of Israel, referenced as the one who previously distributed the Transjordan territories.
- Sihon — King of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, defeated by Moses before the Jordan crossing.
- Og — King of Bashan who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei, one of the last remnant of the giants, also defeated by Moses.
- Balaam — Son of Beor, a soothsayer slain by Israel alongside the Midianite princes during Moses' campaigns.
- Machir — Son of Manasseh whose descendants received half of Gilead and the cities of Og's kingdom in Bashan.
Places
- Jordan — The river forming the western boundary of the Transjordan allotments and the dividing line between the eastern and western tribes.
- Heshbon — Capital city of Sihon king of the Amorites, central to Reuben's inheritance on the eastern plateau.
- Bashan — Fertile northern Transjordan region, formerly the kingdom of Og, allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh.
- Gilead — Mountainous Transjordan territory divided between Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh.
- Mount Hermon — The northern boundary marker of the Transjordan conquests, towering over the region of Bashan.
- Aroer — City on the bank of the river Arnon, marking the southern boundary of Reuben's territory.
- Lebanon — Northern region with unconquered inhabitants, part of the land God promised still to deliver.
- Medeba — City on the Moabite plateau included in the plain allotted to Reuben.
- Sea of Chinnereth — The body of water later known as the Sea of Galilee, marking the northwestern extent of Gad's territory.
- Mahanaim — City in Gilead serving as a boundary point between the territories of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
The incomplete conquest described in verse 13 — Israel's failure to expel the Geshurites and Maachathites — foreshadows the recurring pattern of partial obedience that would plague Israel through the period of the Judges. Levi's unique inheritance of the LORD Himself (vv. 14, 33) prefigures the New Testament teaching that believers are priests whose true inheritance is God (1 Peter 2:5, 9), pointing toward the spiritual reality that no earthly possession can substitute for relationship with God.
Devotional
God met Joshua in his old age not with retirement but with a new assignment. There is always more land to possess — more of God's promises to claim, more growth to pursue, more faithfulness to walk in. Age and past victories do not exempt us from present obedience.
The tribe of Levi received no plots of ground, yet their inheritance was the greatest of all: the LORD Himself. This inverts our natural reckoning of wealth. The deepest security comes not from what we hold in our hands but from Whose hands hold us. When life strips away earthly securities, it may be pressing us toward the only inheritance that cannot be lost.
Literary Style
This chapter is primarily geographic inventory and tribal land allocation, blending administrative catalogue with theological narrative. It opens with a direct divine-human dialogue (vv. 1–7) before transitioning into detailed boundary descriptions characteristic of ancient Near Eastern land grants. The deliberate framing of Levi's inheritance in verses 14 and 33 creates an inclusio that brackets the territorial lists with theological commentary, elevating what could be mere inventory into a statement about the nature of true possession.