The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Possess” it comes from the Hebrew Word “yarash” which means “to possess, to inherit.”
Even after years of victory, God reminds Joshua that the conquest isn’t entirely finished yet. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Joshua 13.
Joshua, now old and well advanced in years, hears from the Lord that “there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed,” “yarash” in Hebrew, meaning to possess or take ownership of, listing several regions, including the territory of the Philistines and other peoples, still not yet conquered. Despite this remaining work, God instructs Joshua to proceed with dividing the land by inheritance among the nine and a half remaining tribes, trusting God to continue driving out these nations before Israel over time.
The chapter reviews the territory already given to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh east of the Jordan, land conquered under Moses, including the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. It specifically notes that the tribe of Levi receives no territorial inheritance at all, since the offerings made by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, exactly as He had told them, echoing the same principle established earlier in Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Detailed boundaries and cities are listed for Reuben and Gad’s territory specifically, along with a reminder that Moses had given half the tribe of Manasseh their inheritance as well. The chapter closes reaffirming that the Levites receive no inheritance among their brethren, “the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them,” a theme that will be repeated throughout the remaining chapters describing how the rest of the land is divided.
Even at this advanced stage in Israel’s conquest, God was honest that the work remained genuinely unfinished, rather than pretending everything was complete. Faithfully continuing forward, dividing the land by faith even while some territory remained unconquered, mattered more than waiting for every single detail to be perfectly resolved first.
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