Day 66: Joshua 13-15

(The previous post covered the nations and kings that Moses and Joshua led the Israelites to victory over.)

Joshua 13
¹ Now Joshua was old and well stricken in years; and Jehovah said unto him, Thou art old and well stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

(God told Joshua he was old and there remained a lot of land to possess.)

(Verses 2-7: God gave a description of the lands that remained.)

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 reckoned to the Canaanites; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avvim,
⁴ on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongeth to the Sidonians, 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 Sidonians; 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.

(This land was to be divided among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan River.)

(Verses 8-13: the land to be divided on the east side of the Jordan River.)

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 Jehovah gave them:
⁹ from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of 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 Salecah;
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.

(Ammon was from Lot. Bashan was where Balaam lived at the time of his death.)

¹³ Nevertheless the children of Israel drove not out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel unto this day.

(Israel did not drive out everyone.)

(Verse 14: Levi's inheritance was unique among the tribes of Israel.)

¹⁴ Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance; the offerings of Jehovah, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spake unto him.

(Verses 15-23: Reuben's inheritance.)

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 the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain by Medeba;
¹⁷ Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon,
¹⁸ and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,
¹⁹ and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar 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 plain, 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 the border of the children of Reuben was the Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and the villages thereof.

(The circumstances that surrounded Balaam (Numbers 22) made quite an impression on God and, apparently, God thought it ought to make an impression on Israel. God's Word did not seem to pass up an opportunity to mention Balaam, Og, or Bashan both here and as the Old Testament continued.)

(Verses 24-28: Gad's inheritance.)

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 Debir;
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 and 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.

(Verses 29-32: the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh's inheritance.)

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 towns 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.

(Bashan was mentioned again.)

³² These are the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho, eastward.

(Verse 33: more about Levi's inheritance.)

³³ But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance: Jehovah, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spake unto them.




Joshua 14

(This chapter began the distribution of the land on the western side of the Jordan River.)

¹ And these are the inheritances which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed unto them,
² by the lot of their inheritance, as Jehovah commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe.
³ For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.

(The other two tribes and half-tribe received their inheritance from Moses on the other side of the Jordan which was recorded in the previous chapter.)

⁴ For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: and they gave no portion unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for their cattle and for their substance.
⁵ As Jehovah commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did; and they divided the land.

(Verses 6-9: Caleb recalled the promise made to him by Moses.)

⁶ Then the children of Judah drew nigh unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that Jehovah spake unto Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning thee in Kadesh-barnea.
⁷ Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
⁸ Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed Jehovah my God.

(Caleb was forty years old when he went to spy the land and he wholly followed God. So, at this time, he was past eighty years old.)

⁹ And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy foot hath trodden shall be an inheritance to thee and to thy children for ever, because thou hast wholly followed Jehovah my God.

(Verses 10-15: Caleb claimed his inheritance.)

¹⁰ And now, behold, Jehovah hath kept me alive, as he spake, these forty and five years, from the time that Jehovah spake this word unto Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

(Caleb was eighty-five years old. It took five years for Joshua and the Israelites to conquer all this land.)

¹¹ As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, and to go out and to come in.
¹² Now therefore give me this hill-country, whereof Jehovah spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there, and cities great and fortified: it may be that Jehovah will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as Jehovah spake.

(Caleb, at eighty-five years old, was as strong as he was when Moses sent him out. Caleb asked for a mountain.)

¹³ And Joshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.

(Joshua blessed Caleb and gave him Hebron for an inheritance.)

¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite unto this day; because that he wholly followed Jehovah, the God of Israel.
¹⁵ Now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba; which Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.

(Caleb got Hebron because he wholly followed God. The word wholly meant "to fill; to be full of." Caleb followed God to the maximum profitability: perfectly. Hebron was a famous place going as far back as Abram building an altar unto the Lord there (Genesis 13:18).)




Joshua 15

(This chapter continued focusing on the distribution of the land.)

(Verses 1-12: the borders of Judah's inheritance.)

¹ And the lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was unto the border of Edom, even to the wilderness of Zin southward, at the uttermost part of the south.
² And their south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looketh southward;

(The southern border of the tribe of Judah was from the "uttermost part" (the south bay) of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). Edom was from Esau.)

³ and it went out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up by the south of Kadesh-barnea, and passed along by Hezron, and went up to Addar, and turned about to Karka;
⁴ and it passed along to Azmon, and went out at the brook of Egypt; and the goings out of the border were at the sea: this shall be your south border.
⁵ And the east border was the Salt Sea, even unto the end of the Jordan. And the border of the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the end of the Jordan;

(The eastern border extended along the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) to the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern border began at the bay where the Jordan River emptied into the Dead Sea.)

⁶ and the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben;
⁷ and the border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is over against the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the river; and the border passed along to the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel;
⁸ and the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim northward;

(Jerusalem was named as located in the tribe of Judah's inheritance as well as Benjamin's. Jerusalem was situated on the border of both of those tribes.)

⁹ and the border extended from the top of the mountain unto the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border extended to Baalah (the same is Kiriath-jearim);
¹⁰ and the border turned about from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim on the north (the same is Chesalon), and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed along by Timnah;
¹¹ and the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.

(The northern border ended at the Mediterranean Sea.)

¹² And the west border was to the great sea, and the border thereof. This is the border of the children of Judah round about according to their families.

(The western border was the shoreline of the great sea (Mediterranean Sea). The borders of the tribe of Judah were established.)

(Verses 13-19: Caleb's land.)

¹³ And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of Jehovah to Joshua, even Kiriath-arba, which Arba was the father of Anak (the same is Hebron).

(The land given to Caleb was in the inheritance of Judah. Remember, the children of Anak were the people that ten of the twelve spies said were so big they made the spies look like grasshoppers. Numbers 13 documented that Caleb and Joshua (of Judah) were the only two who did not state this and they shared in the inheritance of the land of the children of Anak.)

¹⁴ And Caleb drove out thence the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

(Caleb did drive out the children of Anak, forty-five years later.)

¹⁵ And he went up thence against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher.
¹⁶ And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
¹⁷ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

(In Numbers 13:6, it was written that Caleb was "the son of Jephunneh." Here it was stated that Othniel was the son of Kenaz and the brother of Caleb. The Hebrew word 'ach was translated as "brother." This word could mean "brother of same parents" or "relative, kinship, same tribe." We know that Caleb was past eighty-five years old. We know that his daughter had to be younger than forty years old and that Othniel had to be less than forty years old in order to live in the Promised Land. All of this strongly pointed to Othniel being a relative of Caleb's, but not his brother.)

¹⁸ And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her ass; and Caleb said, What wouldest thou?
¹⁹ And she said, Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

(Verses 20-62: the cities within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah.)

²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.
²¹ And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom in the South were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,
²² and Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,
²³ and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,
²⁴ Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,
²⁵ and Hazor-hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron (the same is Hazor),
²⁶ Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
²⁷ and Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-pelet,
²⁸ and Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Biziothiah,

(Beer-sheba was where Abraham covenanted with Abimelech in Genesis 21.)

²⁹ Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem,
³⁰ and Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,
³¹ and Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,
³² and Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages.
³³ In the lowland, Eshtaol, and Zorah, and Ashnah,
³⁴ and Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam,
³⁵ Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,
³⁶ and Shaaraim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.
³⁷ Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad,
³⁸ and Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,
³⁹ Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,
⁴⁰ and Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Chitlish,
⁴¹ and Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.
⁴² Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,

(Libnah was a city where the Israelites stationed during their journey through the wilderness.)

⁴³ and Iphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,
⁴⁴ and Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.
⁴⁵ Ekron, with its towns and its villages;
⁴⁶ from Ekron even unto the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.
⁴⁷ Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; unto the brook of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof.
⁴⁸ And in the hill-country, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,
⁴⁹ and Dannah, and Kiriath-sannah (the same is Debir),
⁵⁰ and Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,
⁵¹ and Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.

(Goshen was the region in northern Egypt, east of the lower Nile, where the children of Israel lived from the time of Joseph to the time of Moses. This was the land that Pharaoh allowed Jacob and his sons to live in according to Genesis 47.)

⁵² Arab, and Dumah, and Eshan,
⁵³ and Janim, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah,
⁵⁴ and Humtah, and Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.
⁵⁵ Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Jutah,
⁵⁶ and Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,
⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
⁵⁸ Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor,
⁵⁹ and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.
⁶⁰ Kiriath-baal (the same is Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.
⁶¹ In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah,
⁶² and Nibshan, and the City of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages.
⁶³ And as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

(The Jebusites were not driven out of this land.)

(This chapter covered the beginning of the distribution of the land to the Israelites.)

Day 67