Joshua 13:8-33
New English Translation
Tribal Lands East of the Jordan
8 The other half of Manasseh,[a] Reuben, and Gad received their allotted tribal lands on east side of the Jordan,[b] just as Moses, the Lord’s servant, had assigned them. 9 Their territory started[c] from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley), included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba as far as Dibon, 10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon, and ended at the Ammonite border. 11 Their territory also included[d] Gilead, Geshurite and Maacathite territory, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah— 12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was one of the few remaining Rephaites.)[e] Moses defeated them and took their lands.[f] 13 But the Israelites did not conquer[g] the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day. 14 However, Moses[h] did not assign land as an inheritance[i] to the Levites; their inheritance[j] is the sacrificial offerings[k] made to the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed[l] them.
15 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Reuben[m] by its clans. 16 Their territory started at Aroer[n] (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba, 17 Heshbon and all its surrounding cities on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 21 It encompassed[o] all the cities of the plain and the whole realm of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and the Midianite leaders Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba (they were subjects of Sihon and lived in his territory).[p] 22 The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader,[q] along with the others.[r] 23 The border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan. The land allotted to the tribe of Reuben by its clans included these cities and their towns.[s]
24 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Gad[t] by its clans. 25 Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the Ammonite territory[u] as far as Aroer near[v] Rabbah. 26 Their territory ran[w] from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 27 It included the valley of Beth Haram,[x] Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, and the rest of the realm of King Sihon of Heshbon, the area east of the Jordan to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth.[y] 28 The land allotted to the tribe of Gad by its clans included these cities and their towns.[z]
29 Moses assigned land to the half-tribe of Manasseh[aa] by its clans. 30 Their territory started at[ab] Mahanaim and encompassed all Bashan, the whole realm of King Og of Bashan, including all sixty cities in Havvoth Jair[ac] in Bashan. 31 Half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities in the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were assigned to the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh, to half the descendants of Makir by their clans.
32 These are the land assignments made by Moses[ad] in the rift valley plains of Moab[ae] east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho.[af] 33 However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance[ag] to the Levites; their inheritance[ah] is the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed[ai] them.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Joshua 13:8 tn The MT reads “with him,” which is problematic, since the reference would be to the other half of the tribe of Manasseh (not the half mentioned in v. 7).
- Joshua 13:8 tn Heb “received their inheritance, which Moses had assigned to them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
- Joshua 13:9 tn The words “their territory started” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Joshua 13:11 tn The words “their territory also included” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Joshua 13:12 tn Heb “from the remnant of the Rephaites.”sn The Rephaites were apparently an extremely tall ethnic group. See Deut 2:10-11, 20; 3:11.
- Joshua 13:12 tn Or “dispossessed them.”
- Joshua 13:13 tn Or “dispossess.”
- Joshua 13:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Joshua 13:14 tn Heb “did not assign an inheritance.”
- Joshua 13:14 tn That is, “their source of food and life.”
- Joshua 13:14 tn Or “offerings made by fire.”
- Joshua 13:14 tn Or “promised” (Heb “spoke”).sn For the background of this observation, see Deut 18:1-2.
- Joshua 13:15 tn Heb “assigned to the sons of Reuben.”
- Joshua 13:16 tn Heb “their territory was from.”
- Joshua 13:21 tn The words “it encompassed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Joshua 13:21 tn Heb “princes of Sihon, inhabitants of the land.”
- Joshua 13:22 tn Or “diviner.”
- Joshua 13:22 tn Heb “Balaam son of Beor, the omen-reader, the Israelites killed with the sword, along with their slain ones.”
- Joshua 13:23 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the sons of Reuben by their clans, the cities and their towns.”
- Joshua 13:24 tn Heb “assigned to the tribe of Gad, to the sons of Gad.”
- Joshua 13:25 tn Heb “and half of the land of the sons of Ammon.”
- Joshua 13:25 tn Heb “which [is] in front of.”
- Joshua 13:26 tn The words “Their territory ran” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied for clarification.
- Joshua 13:27 tn Or “it included in the valley, Beth Haram.”
- Joshua 13:27 sn The Sea of Kinnereth is another name for the Sea of Galilee. See the note on the word “Kinnereth” in 11:2.
- Joshua 13:28 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the sons of Gad by their clans, the cities and their towns.”
- Joshua 13:29 tn Heb “assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh, and it belonged to the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
- Joshua 13:30 tn The words “their territory started at” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied for clarification.
- Joshua 13:30 sn The Hebrew name Havvoth Jair means “the tent villages of Jair.”
- Joshua 13:32 tn Heb “These are [the lands] which Moses gave as an inheritance.”
- Joshua 13:32 sn This is the area of rift valley basin to the north of the Dead Sea and east of the Jordan. Some translate as the “plains of Moab” (NASB, NIV, ESV) but this can give the wrong impression of the larger part of Moab above the rift valley. See the note at Num 22:1.
- Joshua 13:32 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.
- Joshua 13:33 tn Heb “Moses did not assign an inheritance.” The word “land” has been supplied in the translation to clarify what the inheritance consisted of.
- Joshua 13:33 tn That is, “their source of food and life.”
- Joshua 13:33 tn Or “as he promised”; Heb “as he spoke to.”sn For the background of this observation, see Deut 18:1-2.
Joshua 13:8-33
International Standard Version
Summary of Allocations to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh
8 The descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad, along with the other half-tribe of Manasseh, received their inherited portion that Moses the servant of the Lord had given them to the east beyond the Jordan River. 9 Specifically included was from Aroer on the banks of the Wadi[a] Arnon, and the town that lies in the middle of the valley, including all the plains from Medeba to Dibon, 10 all the cities pertaining to King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonite territory,[b] 11 Gilead and the region belonging to the descendants of Geshur and Maacath, including all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah. 12 Also included was[c] the entire kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was the sole survivor left of the Rephaim.)[d] Although Moses had defeated these people and driven them out, 13 the Israelis did not drive out the descendants of Geshur or the descendants of Maacath—Geshur and Maacath live within the territory of Israel to this day.
Allocations to Levi
14 Moses allotted no inheritance solely to the tribe of Levi. As he had mentioned to them, the offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance.
Allocations to Reuben
15 Moses allocated territory[e] to the tribe of the descendants of Reuben according to their tribes. 16 Their allocation was from the border of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon valley (including the city that is located in the valley, as well as the entire plain next to Medeba), 17 Heshbon and all of its cities that are on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth-jeshimoth, 21 all of the cities of the plain, the entire kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who used to reign in Heshbon and whom Moses attacked, along with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, nobles of Sihon who lived in the land. 22 The Israelis also killed Beor’s son Balaam, the occult practitioner, executing him with a sword as one of those killed. 23 The border of the descendants of Reuben was the Jordan River and its banks. This was the inheritance belonging to the descendants of Reuben, divided according to their families, cities, and villages.
Allocations to Gad
24 Moses also allocated territory[f] to the tribe of Gad, that is, to the descendants of Gad, according to their families. 25 Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer which is located near Rabbah, 26 from Heshbon as far as Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, from Mahanaim as far as the border of Debir, 27 the valley containing Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon, with the Jordan River as its border as far as the southern[g] end of the Sea of Galilee[h] beyond the Jordan River to the east. 28 This was the inheritance belonging to the descendants of Gad according to their tribes, cities, and villages.
Allocations to Manasseh
29 Moses also allocated territory[i] to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, for the half-tribe of the descendants of Manasseh according to their tribes. 30 Their territory extended from Mahanaim to include[j] all of Bashan, all of the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, all of the 60 towns of Jair there in Bashan, 31 half of Gilead, including Ashtaroth and Edrei. The cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan went to half of the descendants of Manasseh’s son Machir, according to their tribes. 32 These were the allotments[k] that Moses apportioned for an inheritance in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan River east of Jericho.
Allocations to Levi
33 Moses allotted no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, as he promised them.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Joshua 13:9 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
- Joshua 13:10 The Heb. lacks territory
- Joshua 13:12 The Heb. lacks Also included was
- Joshua 13:12 I.e. a race of giants that formerly populated Canaan; cf. Num 13:22, 33
- Joshua 13:15 The Heb. lacks territory
- Joshua 13:24 The Heb. lacks territory
- Joshua 13:27 The Heb. lacks southern
- Joshua 13:27 Lit. Chinnereth
- Joshua 13:29 The Heb. lacks territory
- Joshua 13:30 The Heb. lacks to include
- Joshua 13:32 The Heb. lacks the allotments
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