Joshua 13:1 ¶ Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. 2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, 3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites: 4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites: 5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. 6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.
Joshua’s work is clearly unfinished. We might think, if we are
doing a work for God, that He will not call us home until it is finished. Well,
that is not true. He will call us home when we are finished and others
will take up our work for God if it is His will. Joshua is to declare God’s
plan for the Israelites to divide the inheritance among them as God instructs.
Joshua 13:7 ¶ Now therefore
divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of
Manasseh, 8 With whom the Reubenites and
the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond
Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them; 9 From Aroer, that is upon the bank of
the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all
the plain of Medeba unto Dibon; 10 And
all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto
the border of the children of Ammon; 11
And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all
mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah; 12
All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in
Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite,
and cast them out. 13 Nevertheless the
children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the
Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.
14 Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave
none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are
their inheritance, as he said unto them. 15
And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance
according to their families. 16 And their
coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the
city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;
17 Heshbon, and all her cities that are
in the plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon, 18 And Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,
19 And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and
Zarethshahar in the mount of the valley, 20
And Bethpeor, and Ashdothpisgah, and Bethjeshimoth, 21 And all the cities of the plain, and all the
kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses
smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which
were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country. 22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer,
did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by
them. 23 And the border of the children
of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the
inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the
cities and the villages thereof. 24 And
Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the
children of Gad according to their families. 25
And their coast 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 Ramathmizpeh, and
Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; 27 And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah,
and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon,
Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of
Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. 28 This is the inheritance of the
children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages. 29 And Moses
gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh: and this
was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by
their families. 30 And their coast was
from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the
towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities: 31 And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei,
cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children
of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of
Machir by their families. 32 These are
the countries which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plains of
Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward. 33 But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any
inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said
unto them.
These rules of inheritance for Israel have already been talked
about in the books of the Law written mostly by Moses. You can read my comments
on them if you feel inclined to go over them again.
You’ll notice the word dukes here. Duke comes from the
Latin dux, a military commander, and then a ruler of a province. From the early
12th century it referred to a sovereign prince in English.
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