UNROLL
Evening from the low foothills looking west over the wide coastal plain of Philistia: gold and green wheat fields, a small walled town on its mound far off, and the pale line of the Great Sea.

The Book of

Joshua 13

Joshua is old, the work isn’t finished, and God tells him to share it all out anyway.

33 verses≈ 6 min2 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–5Crossing overInto the land
  2. 6–12Taking the landThe LORD fights for Israel
  3. 13–21Dividing the landAn inheritance for each tribeChapter 13
  4. 22–24Choose this dayServe the LORD

Lands Yet Unconquered

God
God

Now Joshua was old and well along in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and well along in years, but very much of the land remains to be possessed.

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God

All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself will drive out before the Israelites.

Joshua 13:6

Be sure to divide it by lot as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you. Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Reflect

Old, with work still to do

God did not pretend with Joshua. “You are old and well along in years,” He said, “but very much of the land remains to be possessed.” And then He gave him a task he could still do: “Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance.” Whatever stage of life you are in, God has not run out of work for you. What has He given you to do in this season? Write it down, and one step you can take this week.

The Inheritance East of the Jordan

The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them:

The borders

Moses’ gift east of the Jordan

  1. South

    Aroer and the plateau of Medeba

    The area from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon,

  2. Sihon’s cities to Ammon’s border

    and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the Ammonites;

  3. North

    Gilead, Geshur, Maacath, Hermon

    also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah—

  4. Og’s kingdom in Bashan

    the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a remnant of the Rephaim.

  5. Conquered

    Moses struck them down

    Moses had struck them down and dispossessed them,

but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath dwell among the Israelites to this day.

To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The food offerings to the LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, just as He had promised them.

Mount HermonArnonReubenGadHalf of ManassehDibonMedebaHeshbonMahanaimEdrei

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

East of the Jordan

Moses gave the land east of the Jordan before he died. Reuben had the high plateau from the Arnon north past Medeba to Heshbon. Gad had the land of Jazer and Gilead, down to the Jordan valley and the Sea of Chinnereth. Half of Manasseh had Bashan, Og’s old kingdom, from Mahanaim north toward Mount Hermon, with Ashtaroth near Edrei. Aroer stood on the rim of the Arnon Valley. The sites of Jazer and Mahanaim are uncertain, and Edrei’s is probable.

Reuben’s Inheritance

Morning on the high, open tableland east of the Salt Sea: wide wheat fields and pasture, a track across the plain, and a small walled town on a low mound.

The towns

Reuben

  1. Given by Moses to Reuben

    This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Reuben:

  2. South

    From Aroer to Medeba’s plateau

    The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau beyond Medeba,

  3. Heshbon, Dibon, Bamoth-baal

    to Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,

  4. Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath

    Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

  5. Kiriathaim to Zereth-shahar

    Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,

  6. Toward the Jordan

    Beth-peor, Pisgah, Beth-jeshimoth

    Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth—

  7. Conquered

    All Sihon’s kingdom

    all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.

The Israelites also killed the diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the sword.

And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan.

This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites, including the cities and villages.

Gad’s Inheritance

The wooded hills of Gilead in late afternoon, oak and terebinth on rounded slopes, the deep gorge of the Jabbok cutting through them and the Jordan valley hazy far below.

The towns

Gad

  1. Given by Moses to Gad

    This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Gad:

  2. Jazer and Gilead’s cities

    The territory of Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;

  3. Heshbon to Mahanaim

    the territory from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;

  4. Jordan valley

    Valley towns to Chinnereth

    and in the valley, Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the Jordan up to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth).

  5. Gad’s towns and villages

    This was the inheritance of the clans of the Gadites, including the cities and villages.

Question

Quick question

Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh did not wait for Joshua’s lots. Their land was already theirs.

Who gave Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh their land east of the Jordan?

Manasseh’s Eastern Inheritance

The high green tableland of Bashan in spring, strewn with black volcanic stones, cattle grazing far off and the snowy shoulder of Mount Hermon on the horizon.

This is what Moses had given to the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh:

The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities; half of Gilead; and Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. All this was for the clans of the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half of the descendants of Machir.

0:29

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

A cluster of small villages of low stone houses among the wooded hills of northern Gilead, smoke from cooking fires and terraced fields in late-afternoon light.

These were the portions Moses had given them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho.

To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.

Joshua 13:33

Pray

You are my portion

Every tribe got land except one. Levi got something better: “The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.” Thank God that in Christ He gives Himself to His people. Ask Him for a heart that wants Him more than anything He gives, and that is content when He is your share.

You’ve experienced

Joshua 13

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A verse to carry with you

The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.

Joshua 13:33

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