Josué 13

ARC · Chapter 13/24

1Era, porém, Josué já velho, entrado em dias; e disse-lhe o Senhor: Já estás velho, entrado em dias; e ainda muitissima terra ficou para possuir.

2A terra que fica de resto é esta: todos os termos dos philisteos, e toda a Gesuri;

3Desde Sihor, que está defronte do Egypto, até ao termo de Ekron para o norte, que se conta ser dos cananeos: cinco principes dos philisteos, o gazeo, e o asdodeo, o ascalonita, o getheo, e o ekroneo, e os aveos;

4Desde o sul, toda a terra dos cananeos, e Meara, que é dos sidoneos; até Aphek: até ao termo dos amorrheos;

5Como tambem a terra dos gibleos, e todo o Libano para o nascente do sol, desde Baal-gad, ao pé do monte Hermon, até á entrada d'Hamath;

6Todos os que habitam nas montanhas desde o Libano até Misrephoth-main, todos os sidoneos; eu os lançarei de diante dos filhos de Israel: tão sómente faze que a terra caia a Israel em sorte por herança, como já t'o tenho mandado.

7Reparte pois agora esta terra por herança ás nove tribus e á meia tribu de Manasseh;

8Com quem os rubenitas e os gaditas já receberam a sua heranca; a qual lhes deu Moysés d'além do Jordão para o oriente; como já lhes tinha dado Moysés, servo do Senhor,

9Desde Aroer, que está á borda do ribeiro d'Arnon, e a cidade que está no meio do valle, e toda a campina de Medeba até Dibon;

10E todas as cidades de Sehon, rei dos amorrheos, que reinou em Hesbon, até ao termo dos filhos d'Ammon;

11E Gilead, e o termo dos gesureos, e dos maacateos, e todo o monte Hermon, e toda a Basan até Salcha:

12Todo o reino d'Og em Basan, que reinou em Astaroth e em Edrei; este ficou do resto dos gigantes que Moysés feriu e expelliu.

13Porém os filhos de Israel não expelliram os gesureos, nem os maacateos; antes Gesur e Maacath habitaram no meio de Israel até ao dia de hoje.

14Tão sómente á tribu de Levi não deu herança: os sacrificios queimados do Senhor Deus de Israel são a sua herança, como já lhe tinha dito.

15Assim Moysés deu á tribu dos filhos de Ruben, conforme as suas familias.

16E foi o seu termo desde Aroer, que está á borda do ribeiro d'Arnon, e a cidade que está no meio do valle, e toda a campina até Medeba;

17Hesbon e todas as suas cidades, que estão na campina: Dibon, e Bamoth-baal, e Beth-baal-meon;

18E Jahsa, e Kedemoth, e Mephaat;

19E Kiriathaim, e Sibma, e Zereth, e Hassahar, no monte do valle;

20E Beth-peor, e Asdoth-pisga, e Beth-jesimoth;

21E todas as cidades da campina, e todo o reino de Sehon, rei dos amorrheos, que reinou em Hesbon, a quem Moysés feriu, como tambem aos principes de Midian, Evi, e Rekem, e Sur, e Hur, e Reba, principes de Sehon, moradores da terra.

22Tambem os filhos de Israel mataram á espada a Balaão, filho de Beor, o adivinho, como os mais que por elles foram mortos.

23E foi o termo dos filhos de Ruben o Jordão e o seu termo; esta é a herança dos filhos de Ruben, segundo as suas familias, as cidades, e as suas aldeias.

24E deu Moysés á tribu de Gad, aos filhos de Gad, segundo as suas familias.

25E foi o seu termo Jaezer, e todas as cidades de Gilead, e metade da terra dos filhos d'Ammon, até Aroer, que está defronte de Rabba;

26E desde Hesbon até Ramath-mispe, e Bethonim: e desde Mahanaim até ao termo de Debir;

27E no valle Beth-aram, e Beth-*nimra, e Succoth, e Saphon, que ficara do resto do reino do rei de Sehon em Hesbon, o Jordão e o seu termo, até á extremidade do mar de Cinnereth d'além do Jordão para o oriente.

28Esta é a herança dos filhos de Gad, segundo as suas familias, as cidades e as suas aldeias.

29Deu tambem Moysés herança á meia tribu de Manasseh, que ficou á meia tribu dos filhos de Manasseh, segundo as suas familias,

30De maneira que o seu termo foi desde Mahanaim, todo o Basan, todo o reino d'Og, rei de Basan, e todas as aldeias de Jair, que estão em Basan, sessenta cidades,

31E metade de Gilead, e Astaroth, e Edrei, cidades do reino d'Og, em Basan, aos filhos de Machir, filho de Manasseh, a saber, á metade dos filhos de Machir, segundo as suas familias.

32Isto é o que Moysés repartiu em herança nas campinas de Moab, d'além do Jordão de Jericó para o oriente.

33Porém á tribu de Levi Moysés não deu herança: o Senhor Deus de Israel é a sua herança, como já lhe tinha dito.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God reminds Joshua, now old, that there is still land to be conquered. He details the distribution of the lands east of the Jordan to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

Explanation

Even as Joshua grows old, God does not treat the mission as finished - there is still territory yet to be taken, and yet he instructs that the land be divided by lot as an inheritance, an expression of faith that God would continue completing what he had promised. The tribe of Levi receives no territory because their 'inheritance' is the offerings dedicated to the Lord, reflecting their special role of serving in worship rather than accumulating property like the other tribes. The detailed list of borders, though repetitive at first glance, documented concrete ownership rights, something essential in an agrarian society.

Fun facts

  • Balaam, the prophet who tried to curse Israel in the book of Numbers, is mentioned here as having died in battle against the Midianites, bringing his story to a tragic close.
  • The tribe of Levi being left without fixed territory fulfilled a prophecy of Jacob in Genesis 49:7, who foretold that Levi would be 'scattered' in Israel - though here that scattering becomes a priestly role rather than a curse.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Josué 13:1Even with Joshua now old, the text admits there was still much land left to conquer, and the division that begins here happens before possession is complete. It is a sign that dividing the land by lot was more about establishing a promise and a right than about describing military control already finished.
  2. Josué 13:2The list of lands still to be conquered begins with the territories of the Philistines and the region of Geshur, along the coast.
  3. Josué 13:3The text details the Philistine strip, with its five main cities — Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron — which remained outside Israel’s control.
  4. Josué 13:4The list continues, including the Canaanite region to the south and Phoenician territories like Mearah, reaching all the way to the Amorite border.
  5. Josué 13:5Also left out are the territory of the Giblites and the whole region of Lebanon, on the east side, toward the entrance of Hamath.
  6. Josué 13:6God promises to drive out the inhabitants of these hill regions later, but for now He tells Joshua to simply divide the land by lot among the tribes, including what has not yet been conquered.
  7. Josué 13:7The practical order is to divide the land among the nine and a half tribes that had not yet received territory.
  8. Josué 13:8The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh had already received their share of land even before crossing the Jordan, by Moses’ own decision. The casting of lots that Joshua organizes afterward is only for the remaining tribes, not to reopen what had already been settled.
  9. Josué 13:9Here begins the description of the portion Reuben and Gad had already received from Moses, east of the Jordan, starting from the region of Aroer.
  10. Josué 13:10The territory includes all the cities that belonged to Sihon, the Amorite king defeated back in the time of Moses.
  11. Josué 13:11The area extends to Gilead and Mount Hermon, covering a large part of Bashan.
  12. Josué 13:12It also includes the former kingdom of Og, the other giant king defeated by Moses before reaching Canaan.
  13. Josué 13:13One important note: Israel never fully drove out the peoples of Geshur and Maacah, who kept living there even after the conquest.
  14. Josué 13:14The tribe of Levi does not receive a continuous territory because its role was to care for worship and live off the offerings brought to the Lord by the other tribes, not off farming or raising livestock like the rest. This deliberate lack of land is repeated more than once in the book, as if the text wanted to make very clear that it was no oversight.
  15. Josué 13:15Here begins the specific description of the territory given to the tribe of Reuben.
  16. Josué 13:16Reuben’s borders start at Aroer and reach the region of Medeba, covering a large part of the plain.
  17. Josué 13:17Heshbon and several neighboring cities on the plain fall within Reuben’s territory.
  18. Josué 13:18More cities are listed within Reuben’s area, forming a detailed map of the territory.
  19. Josué 13:19The list continues with more cities from the hill country of the valley.
  20. Josué 13:20Beth-peor and other hillside cities round out Reuben’s list.
  21. Josué 13:21Reuben’s territory includes the entire former kingdom of Sihon, including the lands of the Midianite chiefs who served under him.
  22. Josué 13:22Among those killed in the conquest of this region is Balaam, the prophet hired to curse Israel, who ended up dying along with the enemy.
  23. Josué 13:23The Jordan marks the western boundary of Reuben’s territory, closing out the description of this tribe’s inheritance.
  24. Josué 13:24From here, the text moves on to detail the territory given to the tribe of Gad.
  25. Josué 13:25Gad’s territory begins at Jazer and covers half the land of the Ammonites, including the whole region of Gilead.
  26. Josué 13:26Gad’s borders extend to Ramoth-mizpeh and Mahanaim, reaching the region of Debir.
  27. Josué 13:27In the valley, Gad’s territory includes several cities left over from Sihon’s former kingdom, reaching as far as the Sea of Galilee.
  28. Josué 13:28This is the summary of the complete inheritance of the tribe of Gad, with its cities and villages.
  29. Josué 13:29The text now moves to the half of the tribe of Manasseh that received land east of the Jordan.
  30. Josué 13:30This territory includes the whole region of Bashan, Og’s former kingdom, with sixty cities known as the towns of Jair.
  31. Josué 13:31Half of Gilead and the cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei also fall within this portion, given to the family of Machir, a descendant of Manasseh.
  32. Josué 13:32This is the summary of everything Moses distributed on the east side of the Jordan, even before Joshua took over the leadership.
  33. Josué 13:33What was already said is repeated here: the tribe of Levi receives no land of its own, because their “inheritance” is to serve God directly.

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