1 And Joshua is old, entering into days, and Jehovah saith unto him, `Thou hast become aged, thou hast entered into days; as to the land, very much hath been left to possess.
2 `This `is' the land that is left; all the circuits of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
3 from Sihor which `is' on the front of Egypt, and unto the border of Ekron northward, to the Canaanite it is reckoned, five princes of the Philistines, the Gazathite, and the Ashdothite, the Eshkalonite, the Gittite, and the Ekronite, also the Avim.
4 `From the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah, which `is' to the Sidonians, unto Aphek, unto the border of the Amorite;
5 and the land of the Giblite, and all Lebanon, at the sun-rising, from Baal-Gad under mount Hermon, unto the going in to Hamath:
6 all the inhabitants of the hill-country, from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-Maim, all the Sidonians: I -- I dispossess them before the sons of Israel; only, cause it to fall to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.
7 `And now, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh,' --
8 with it the Reubenite, and the Gadite, have received their inheritance, which Moses hath given to them beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses servant of Jehovah hath given to them;
9 from Aroer, which `is' on the edge of the brook Arnon, and the city which `is' in the midst of the brook, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dihon,
10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the Bene-Ammon,
11 and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurite, and of the Maachathite, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah;
12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei; he was left of the remnant of the Rephaim, and Moses doth smite them, and dispossess them;
13 and the sons of Israel dispossessed not the Geshurite, and the Maachathite; and Geshur and Maachath dwell in the midst of Israel unto this day.
14 Only, to the tribe of Levi he hath not given an inheritance; fire-offerings of Jehovah, God of Israel, is its inheritance, as He hath spoken to it.
15 And Moses giveth to the tribe of the sons of Reuben, for their families;
16 and the border is to them from Aroer, which `is' on the edge of the brook Arnon, and the city which `is' in the midst of the brook, and all the plain by Medeba,
17 Heshbon, and all its cities which `are' in the plain, Dibon, and Bamoth-Baal, and Beth-Baal-Meon,
18 and Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,
19 and Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zareth-Shahar, in the mount of the valley,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 13
Commentary on Joshua 13 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 13
At this chapter begins the account of the dividing of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel by lot, a narrative not so entertaining and instructive as that of the conquest of it, and yet it is thought fit to be inserted in the sacred history, to illustrate the performance of the promise made to the fathers, that this land should be given to the seed of Jacob, to them and not to any other. The preserving of this distribution would be of great use to the Jewish nation, who were obliged by the law to keep up this first distribution, and not to transfer inheritances from tribe to tribe, Num. 36:9. It is likewise of use to us for the explaining of other scriptures: the learned know how much light the geographical description of a country gives to the history of it. And therefore we are not to skip over these chapters of hard names as useless and not to be regarded; where God has a mouth to speak and a hand to write we should find an ear to hear an eye to read; and God give us a heart to profit! In this chapter,
Jos 13:1-6
Here,
Jos 13:7-33
Here we have,