7 Now therefore divide H2505 this land H776 for an inheritance H5159 unto the nine H8672 tribes, H7626 and the half H2677 tribe H7626 of Manasseh, H4519
Unto these the land H776 shall be divided H2505 for an inheritance H5159 according to the number H4557 of names. H8034 To many H7227 thou shalt give the more H7235 inheritance, H5159 and to few H4592 thou shalt give the less H4591 inheritance: H5159 to every one H376 shall his inheritance H5159 be given H5414 according H6310 to those that were numbered H6485 of him. Notwithstanding the land H776 shall be divided H2505 by lot: H1486 according to the names H8034 of the tribes H4294 of their fathers H1 they shall inherit. H5157 According H6310 to the lot H1486 shall the possession H5159 thereof be divided H2505 between many H7227 and few. H4592
The children H1121 of Gad H1410 and the children H1121 of Reuben H7205 came H935 and spake H559 unto Moses, H4872 and to Eleazar H499 the priest, H3548 and unto the princes H5387 of the congregation, H5712 saying, H559 Ataroth, H5852 and Dibon, H1769 and Jazer, H3270 and Nimrah, H5247 and Heshbon, H2809 and Elealeh, H500 and Shebam, H7643 and Nebo, H5015 and Beon, H1194 Even the country H776 which the LORD H3068 smote H5221 before H6440 the congregation H5712 of Israel, H3478 is a land H776 for cattle, H4735 and thy servants H5650 have cattle: H4735 Wherefore, said H559 they, if we have found H4672 grace H2580 in thy sight, H5869 let this land H776 be given H5414 unto thy servants H5650 for a possession, H272 and bring us not over H5674 Jordan. H3383 And Moses H4872 said H559 unto the children H1121 of Gad H1410 and to the children H1121 of Reuben, H7205 Shall your brethren H251 go H935 to war, H4421 and shall ye sit H3427 here? And wherefore discourage ye H5106 H5106 the heart H3820 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 from going over H5674 into the land H776 which the LORD H3068 hath given H5414 them? Thus did H6213 your fathers, H1 when I sent H7971 them from Kadeshbarnea H6947 to see H7200 the land. H776 For when they went up H5927 unto the valley H5158 of Eshcol, H812 and saw H7200 the land, H776 they discouraged H5106 the heart H3820 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 that they should not go H935 into the land H776 which the LORD H3068 had given H5414 them. And the LORD'S H3068 anger H639 was kindled H2734 the same time, H3117 and he sware, H7650 saying, H559 Surely H518 none of the men H582 that came up H5927 out of Egypt, H4714 from twenty H6242 years H8141 old H1121 and upward, H4605 shall see H7200 the land H127 which I sware H7650 unto Abraham, H85 unto Isaac, H3327 and unto Jacob; H3290 because they have not wholly H4390 followed H310 me: Save Caleb H3612 the son H1121 of Jephunneh H3312 the Kenezite, H7074 and Joshua H3091 the son H1121 of Nun: H5126 for they have wholly H4390 followed H310 the LORD. H3068 And the LORD'S H3068 anger H639 was kindled H2734 against Israel, H3478 and he made them wander H5128 in the wilderness H4057 forty H705 years, H8141 until all the generation, H1755 that had done H6213 evil H7451 in the sight H5869 of the LORD, H3068 was consumed. H8552 And, behold, ye are risen up H6965 in your fathers' H1 stead, an increase H8635 of sinful H2400 men, H582 to augment H5595 yet the fierce H2740 anger H639 of the LORD H3068 toward Israel. H3478
And ye shall divide H5157 the land H776 by lot H1486 for an inheritance H5157 among your families: H4940 and to the more H7227 ye shall give the more H7235 inheritance, H5159 and to the fewer H4592 ye shall give the less H4591 inheritance: H5159 every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot H1486 falleth; H3318 according to the tribes H4294 of your fathers H1 ye shall inherit. H5157
Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 This H1454 shall be the border, H1366 whereby ye shall inherit H5157 the land H776 according to the twelve H8147 H6240 tribes H7626 of Israel: H3478 Joseph H3130 shall have two portions. H2256 And ye shall inherit H5157 it, one H376 as well as another: H251 concerning the which I lifted up H5375 mine hand H3027 to give H5414 it unto your fathers: H1 and this land H776 shall fall H5307 unto you for inheritance. H5159 And this shall be the border H1366 of the land H776 toward the north H6828 side, H6285 from the great H1419 sea, H3220 the way H1870 of Hethlon, H2855 as men go H935 to Zedad; H6657 Hamath, H2574 Berothah, H1268 Sibraim, H5453 which is between the border H1366 of Damascus H1834 and the border H1366 of Hamath; H2574 Hazarhatticon, H2694 which is by the coast H1366 of Hauran. H2362 And the border H1366 from the sea H3220 shall be Hazarenan, H2703 the border H1366 of Damascus, H1834 and the north H6828 northward, H6828 and the border H1366 of Hamath. H2574 And this is the north H6828 side. H6285 And the east H6921 side H6285 ye shall measure H4058 from H996 Hauran, H2362 and from H996 Damascus, H1834 and from H996 Gilead, H1568 and from H996 the land H776 of Israel H3478 by Jordan, H3383 from the border H1366 unto the east H6931 sea. H3220 And this is the east H6921 side. H6285 And the south H5045 side H6285 southward, H8486 from Tamar H8559 even to the waters H4325 of strife H4808 H4809 in Kadesh, H6946 the river H5158 to the great H1419 sea. H3220 And this is the south H8486 side H6285 southward. H5045 The west H3220 side H6285 also shall be the great H1419 sea H3220 from the border, H1366 till a man come H935 over against H5227 Hamath. H2574 This is the west H3220 side. H6285 So shall ye divide H2505 this land H776 unto you according to the tribes H7626 of Israel. H3478 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide H5307 it by lot for an inheritance H5159 unto you, and to the strangers H1616 that sojourn H1481 among H8432 you, which shall beget H3205 children H1121 among H8432 you: and they shall be unto you as born H249 in the country H249 among the children H1121 of Israel; H3478 they shall have H5307 inheritance H5159 with you among H8432 the tribes H7626 of Israel. H3478 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe H7626 the stranger H1616 sojourneth, H1481 there shall ye give H5414 him his inheritance, H5159 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
As for the rest H3499 of the tribes, H7626 from the east H6921 side H6285 unto the west H3220 side, H6285 Benjamin H1144 shall have a H259 portion. And by the border H1366 of Benjamin, H1144 from the east H6921 side H6285 unto the west H3220 side, H6285 Simeon H8095 shall have a H259 portion. And by the border H1366 of Simeon, H8095 from the east H6921 side H6285 unto the west H3220 side, H6285 Issachar H3485 a H259 portion. And by the border H1366 of Issachar, H3485 from the east H6921 side H6285 unto the west H3220 side, H6285 Zebulun H2074 a H259 portion. And by the border H1366 of Zebulun, H2074 from the east H6921 side H6285 unto the west H3220 side, H6285 Gad H1410 a H259 portion. And by the border H1366 of Gad, H1410 at the south H5045 side H6285 southward, H8486 the border H1366 shall be even from Tamar H8559 unto the waters H4325 of strife H4808 H4809 in Kadesh, H6946 and to the river H5158 toward the great H1419 sea. H3220 This is the land H776 which ye shall divide H5307 by lot unto the tribes H7626 of Israel H3478 for inheritance, H5159 and these are their portions, H4256 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Joshua 13
Commentary on Joshua 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
Jos 13:1-33. Bounds of the Land Not Yet Conquered.
1. Now Joshua was old and stricken in years—He was probably above a hundred years old; for the conquest and survey of the land occupied about seven years, the partition one; and he died at the age of one hundred ten years (Jos 24:29). The distribution, as well as the conquest of the land, was included in the mission of Joshua; and his advanced age supplied a special reason for entering on the immediate discharge of that duty; namely, of allocating Canaan among the tribes of Israel—not only the parts already won, but those also which were still to be conquered.
2-6. This is the land that yet remaineth—that is, to be acquired. This section forms a parenthesis, in which the historian briefly notices the districts yet unsubdued; namely, first, the whole country of the Philistines—a narrow tract stretching about sixty miles along the Mediterranean coast, and that of the Geshurites to the south of it (1Sa 27:8). Both included that portion of the country "from Sihor, which is before Egypt," a small brook near El-Arish, which on the east was the southern boundary of Canaan, to Ekron, the most northerly of the five chief lordships or principalities of the Philistines.
3, 4. also the Avites: From [on] the south—The two clauses are thus connected in the Septuagint and many other versions. On being driven out (De 2:23), they established themselves in the south of Philistia. The second division of the unconquered country comprised
4. all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah—("the cave")
that is beside the Sidonians—a mountainous region of Upper Galilee, remarkable for its caves and fastnesses.
unto Aphek—now Afka; eastward, in Lebanon.
to the borders of the Amorites—a portion of the northeastern territory that had belonged to Og. The third district that remained unsubdued:
5. all the land of the Giblites—Their capital was Gebal or Bylbos (Greek), on the Mediterranean, forty miles north of Sidon.
all Lebanon, toward the sunrising—that is, Anti-libanus; the eastern ridge, which has its proper termination in Hermon.
entering into Hamath—the valley of Baalbec.
6, 7. All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-maim—(See on Jos 11:8)—that is, "all the Sidonians and Phœnicians."
them will I drive out—The fulfilment of this promise was conditional. In the event of the Israelites proving unfaithful or disobedient, they would not subdue the districts now specified; and, in point of fact, the Israelites never possessed them though the inhabitants were subjected to the power of David and Solomon.
only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance—The parenthetic section being closed, the historian here resumes the main subject of this chapter—the order of God to Joshua to make an immediate allotment of the land. The method of distribution by lot was, in all respects, the best that could have been adopted, as it prevented all ground of discontent, as well as charges of arbitrary or partial conduct on the part of the leaders; and its announcement in the life of Moses (Nu 33:54), as the system according to which the allocations to each tribe should be made, was intended to lead the people to the acknowledgment of God as the proprietor of the land and as having the entire right to its disposal. Moreover, a solemn appeal to the lot showed it to be the dictate not of human, but divine, wisdom. It was used, however, only in determining the part of the country where a tribe was to be settled—the extent of the settlement was to be decided on a different principle (Nu 26:54). The overruling control of God is conclusively proved because each tribe received the possession predicted by Jacob (Ge 49:3-28) and by Moses (De 33:6-25).
8. With whom—Hebrew, "him." The antecedent is evidently to Manasseh, not, however, the half-tribe just mentioned, but the other half; for the historian, led, as it were, by the sound of the word, breaks off to describe the possessions beyond Jordan already assigned to Reuben, Gad, and the half of Manasseh (see on Nu 32:1; Nu 32:33; also see De 3:8-17). It may be proper to remark that it was wise to put these boundaries on record. In case of any misunderstanding or dispute arising about the exact limits of each district or property, an appeal could always be made to this authoritative document, and a full knowledge as well as grateful sense obtained of what they had received from God (Ps 16:5, 6).