Joshua-Chapter-13
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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“Joshua Chapter 13”
With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Joshua Chapter 13 serves as the bridge
between the military campaigns and the inheritance of the land. Joshua is now “old
and well stricken in years”, and while the major Canaanite coalitions have been
broken, much territory remains to be possessed. The central theme here is continuity
and promise. It establishes that the Land of Israel
is not merely captured territory, but a Divine grant divided by lot, ensuring
that every Tribe has its specific place and purpose in the national fabric.
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Let us now read Joshua
Chapter 13:1-33:
(JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).
1. “Now
Joshua was old and well stricken in years; and יְהוָה - the LORD said unto him:
‘Thou art old and well stricken in years, and there remaineth
yet very much land to be possessed. 2. This is the land
that yet remaineth: all the regions of the
Philistines, and all the Geshurites; 3. from
the Shihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the
border of Ekron northward which is counted to the
Canaanites; the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite,
and the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite,
the Gittite, and the Ekronite;
also the Avvim 4. on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongeth to the Zidonians, unto Aphek, to the
border of the Amorites; 5. and
the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon
unto the entrance of Hamath; 6. all
the inhabitants of the hill-country from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-maim,
even all the Zidonians; them will I drive out from
before the children of Israel; only allot thou it unto Israel for an
inheritance, as I have commanded thee. 7. Now therefore
divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh’. 8. With him the Reubenites
and the Gadites received their inheritance, which
Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of יְהוָה - the LORD gave
them; 9. from Aroer, that is
on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and the city that
is in the middle of the valley, and all the table-land from Medeba
unto Dibon; 10. and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who
reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children
of Ammon; 11. and Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites
and Maacathites, and all mount Hermon,
and all Bashan unto Salcah; 12. all the kingdom of Og in Bashan,
who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei--the
same was left of the remnant of the Rephaim--for
these did Moses smite, and drove them out. 13. Nevertheless
the children of Israel drove
not out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites;
but Geshur and Maacath
dwelt in the midst of Israel
unto this day. 14. Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave
no inheritance; the offerings of יְהוָה - the LORD, the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) of Israel, made by fire are his
inheritance, as He spoke unto him. 15. And Moses gave unto the tribe
of the children of Reuben according to their families. 16. And
their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of
the valley of Arnon, and the city that is in the
middle of the valley, and all the table-land by Medeba; 17. Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the table-land; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon; 18. and Jahaz, and Kedemoth,
and Mephaath; 19. and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zerethshahar in the
mount of the valley; 20. and
Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth; 21. and all the cities
of the table-land, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who
reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the chiefs
of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, that dwelt in the
land. 22. Balaam also the son of Beor,
the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among
the rest of their slain. 23. And as for the border of
the children of Reuben, the Jordan
was their border. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according
to their families, the cities and the villages thereof. 24. And
Moses gave unto the tribe of Gad, unto the children of Gad, according to their
families. 25. And their border was Jazer,
and all the cities of Gilead, and half the
land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah; 26. and from Heshbon
unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim;
and from Mahanaim unto the border of Lidbir; 27. and in the valley,
Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah,
and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of
Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan being the border
thereof, unto the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth
beyond the Jordan eastward. 28. This is the
inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and
the villages thereof. 29. And Moses gave inheritance
unto the half-tribe of Manasseh; and it was for the half-tribe of the children
of Manasseh according to their families. 30. And their
border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom
of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities; 31. and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth,
and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir
the son of Manasseh, even for the half of the children of Machir
according to their families. 32. These are the
inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan
at Jericho, eastward. 33. But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; יְהוָה - the LORD, the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of Israel, is their inheritance, as He
spoke unto them”.
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Explanations of Joshua Chapter 13, verses 1-33:
Verses
1-7: The Unfinished Task.
The Almighty acknowledges Joshua’s age and lists the “land
that yet remaineth” (the Five Lords of the
Philistines, the regions of the Geshurites, and parts
of Lebanon).
This teaches a vital lesson: the work of a leader is to lay the foundation, even
if they do not see the final completion. The instruction to “divide it for an
inheritance” despite it not being fully conquered shows that the legal right to
the land precedes the physical occupation.
Verses
8-14: The Transjordan
Precedent.
The narrative pauses to confirm the boundaries already set
for the two and a half tribes (Reuven, Gad, and half-Manasseh) on the eastern
side of the Jordan.
Verse 14 is crucial: the tribe of Levi receives no land inheritance because the
“offerings of יְהוָה - the LORD” are their portion.
This creates a distinction between physical sustenance (land) and spiritual
service (the Sanctuary).
Verses
15-31: The Specific Borders.
These verses provide the detailed topography of the Transjordan tribes. By naming cities like Heshbon and Dibon, the text
anchors the Divine promise in real-world geography. It also mentions the death
of Balaam (v. 22), serving as a reminder that those who sought to curse the
nation's destiny were removed, allowing the settlement to proceed.
Verses
32-33: The Levi Summary.
The chapter concludes by reinforcing the unique status of
the Levites. While others measure their wealth in fields and vineyards, the
Levite finds his identity in the service of יְהוָה - the LORD. This ensures that even in a nation of
farmers and shepherds, the ‘spiritual core remains protected’.
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My Closing Message:
The message of Chapter 13 is that identity
is rooted in place, but legacy is rooted in faith. The
detailed mapping of the land tells us that the Almighty cares about the specifics
of our physical lives, where we live, how we sustain ourselves, and how we
define our borders. However, by repeatedly highlighting the Levites, the text
warns us not to become so consumed by “possession” that we forget our “source”.
We are all settlers in a land that ultimately belongs to our blessed Creator;
our task is to cultivate our specific portion with integrity and gratitude!
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Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens,
PhD.
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