Joshua 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).