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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
13:1-21:45 Dividing the Land. As with the first two sections, this third major section in Joshua begins with a divine initiative. The Lord instructs Joshua regarding the division and allocation of the land. Packed with geographical details often lost on modern readers, the boundary descriptions and town lists that characterize this section were doubtless of great interest to ancient Israelites inheriting their allotments in the land. Over time, the tribal allocations presented here undoubtedly became the basis for administrative documents, and these would have been subject to updating as new towns or villages were founded. Despite its historical-geographical content, this lengthy section shows careful literary shaping (see Introduction: Outline, as well as the note on 14:1-19:51).
13:1-33 It's Yours, Now Take It! Before beginning to describe the tribal allotments west of the Jordan (ch. 14), the text stresses that, though Israel has gained the upper hand, there remains much land to possess, particularly along the coast and in the far north (13:1-7). A rehearsal of what was allocated east of the Jordan under Moses (vv. 8-33) sets the stage for what follows, as does the ominous notice that the eastern tribes have failed to drive out some of their enemies, leaving them to dwell in the midst of Israel "to this day" (v. 13).
13:1 The second half of the book of Joshua begins much like the first, with both the narrator and the Lord stating the status of Israel's key leader. In 1:1 they announced that Moses was dead, and now in 13:1 they describe Joshua as old and advanced in years (cf. 23:1; Joshua's death is mentioned in 24:29). By this point in the narrative, the subjugation phase of the conquest is largely completed (see summaries in 10:40-43 and 11:16-23), but the territories west of the Jordan must yet be allocated and occupied (see map). In other words, there remains yet very much land to possess.
13:6 I myself will drive them out. . . . Only allot the land to Israel. The boundary between the subjugation phase of the conquest and the allocation phase cannot be sharply drawn. Verses 1-7 speak of enemies whose land Israel has yet to "possess" (v. 1). The Lord pledges to continue to "drive them out" (lit., "dispossess," related to the word "possess" in v. 1) and instructs Joshua to go ahead and "allot" these lands.
13:8 It is Moses who first mentions the inheritance given to these tribes (Num. 32:33-42; Deut. 3:8-17).
13:11 Geshurites and Maacathites. Geshur and Maacah were two small kingdoms north and east of the Sea of Galilee. This Geshur is not to be confused with the Geshur mentioned in v. 2, which lay far to the south on the Philistine coast.
13:13 the people of Israel did not drive out . . . dwell in the midst of Israel to this day. See note on 15:63.
13:14 The notice that the tribe of Levi receives no inheritance (repeated in v. 33, explained in 14:3-4, and recalled in 18:7 in the midst of the allotment listings) anticipates the designation of Levitical cities in Joshua 21; cf. Deut. 10:9 and the note on Num. 18:21-24.
13:22 Balaam . . . the son of Beor. His story is told in Numbers 22-24 and his death is mentioned in Num. 31:8.
