Joshua 13 Bible Study: God’s Promise and the Land Still to Be Taken

Joshua 13 is a chapter about unfinished business. Joshua is old, much of the promised land is still in enemy hands, and God instructs him to begin dividing the land among the tribes anyway. People read Joshua 13 in a Bible study to understand how God’s promises can be secure even when their full fulfillment is still ahead, and how faithful people keep working toward a future they have not yet seen.

Joshua 13 Summary

The chapter opens with the LORD speaking to an aging Joshua. He acknowledges that Joshua is old and that a great deal of land remains to be possessed. The text then lists the regions that still await conquest, including the territory of the Philistines, the Geshurites, and parts of Lebanon and the northern hill country. God promises to drive out the remaining peoples himself and instructs Joshua to allocate the land to Israel as an inheritance.

The second half of the chapter turns to the tribes who had already received land east of the Jordan River. Their inheritance was assigned earlier by Moses, and the chapter traces its borders in detail, naming cities, valleys, and boundary markers. The Reubenites, Gadites, and half of the tribe of Manasseh are described, along with the earlier defeats of Sihon and Og, the kings who ruled those lands.

The chapter closes with a note on the tribe of Levi. They receive no territorial inheritance, because the LORD himself, and the offerings made to him, are their portion. The chapter therefore moves from the land still to be conquered, to the land already given, and finally to the one tribe whose inheritance is God himself.

Background and Setting

The book of Joshua takes its name from its central character, Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ successor and the leader who brought Israel into Canaan. Jewish and Christian tradition has long attributed the book to Joshua himself, with later editorial additions, though scholars differ on how much was written by him and how much was shaped later. Most place the composition of the book’s final form somewhere in the period of the monarchy, though the events it describes are traditionally dated to the late second millennium before Christ.

The book was written for a community of Israelites who needed to understand their identity as a people with a land, and the promises of God that stood behind that land. Chapter 13 sits at a turning point. The conquest narrative of chapters 1 through 12 has described the major military campaigns, and chapters 13 through 21 move into the work of dividing the land among the tribes. This chapter bridges the two, showing that the conquest was incomplete and that the distribution was already beginning.

Joshua 13 Section by Section

Verses 1-7: The Land Still to Be Possessed

1 Now Joshua was old and well advanced in years. The LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed. 2 “This is the land that still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites…

Joshua 13:1-2 (WEB)

6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, even all the Sidonians. I will drive them out from before the children of Israel. Just allocate it to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Joshua 13:6-7 (WEB)

God speaks to Joshua at an advanced age and points out that much territory remains unclaimed. The language is direct and unembellished. Joshua is not told to wait until he feels ready or until the situation is entirely favorable. The task of dividing the land is given now, even though parts of it are still under the control of other peoples.

Notice the way God frames the remaining work. He says he himself will drive out the inhabitants before the children of Israel. The people are not asked to achieve the entire conquest by their own strength. Their responsibility is to take up the inheritance God is giving them, trusting that he will clear the way. This is a model of faithful work in the presence of unfinished promises.

Verses 8-14: The Inheritance East of the Jordan

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 the LORD 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 to Dibon…

Joshua 13:8-9 (WEB)

Only he gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The offerings of the LORD, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spoke to him.

Joshua 13:14 (WEB)

The narrative pauses to recall what Moses had already given the Reubenites and the Gadites on the far side of the Jordan. These two tribes, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, had their inheritance settled before the crossing into Canaan. The passage names the Arnon valley, Heshbon, and the kingdoms of Sihon and Og as the boundaries of that land.

Verse 14 carries a quiet but weighty statement about Levi. The tribe receives no portion of land because the offerings made to the LORD are their inheritance. Their security rests in their calling to serve God and his people, not in property. The verse reminds readers that a community’s strength can rest on things other than territory.

Verses 15-23: The Borders of Reuben

15 Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families. 16 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…

Joshua 13:15-16 (WEB)

22 The children of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of their slain. 23 The border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and its villages.

Joshua 13:22-23 (WEB)

This section traces the boundaries of the Reubenite inheritance with careful precision. Towns such as Heshbon, Dibon, and Beth Peor are named, along with the Arnon valley and the plain near Medeba. The level of detail shows that the allocation was a serious and specific act, not a vague gesture.

Verse 22 contains a sobering note. Balaam, the soothsayer who had been hired to curse Israel, is recorded as having been killed among the slain of Midian. The text does not dwell on him, but it shows that the outcome for those who opposed God’s people was not left in doubt. Readers are reminded that the story is not only about land, but about God’s justice across the nations.

Verses 24-32: The Inheritances of Gad and Manasseh

24 Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad, according to their families. 25 Their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is near Rabbah…

Joshua 13:24-25 (WEB)

29 Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was for the half-tribe of the children of Manasseh according to their families. 30 Their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities. 31 Half Gilead, 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.

Joshua 13:29-31 (WEB)

The Gadite and Manassite allotments follow the same pattern: named cities, named boundaries, and the division of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og among the families. The list of cities, including Jazer, Gilead, and Bashan, shows how much of the territory east of the Jordan was distributed in this moment.

The repeated phrase “according to their families” reflects the family-based structure of the tribal inheritance. Each household was known and each share was real. In a chapter that could easily be read as a list of place names, the emphasis on families reminds readers that these were actual people receiving real homes.

Verses 33: The LORD as Levi’s Inheritance

But Moses gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spoke to them.

Joshua 13:33 (WEB)

The chapter ends where it began with the Levites, and it ends on a note of sufficiency. Where other tribes receive land, Levi receives the LORD himself. The phrase “The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance” makes clear that the deepest portion any person can have is relationship with God.

This closing line gives the whole chapter a different weight. The land is significant, but it is not the final word. A reader who has spent time in the boundary lists and the unfinished conquest is invited to see that God’s own presence is the ultimate gift.

Key Themes in Joshua 13

• Unfinished promise: God’s promises are real even when their full realization lies ahead, and faithful people are called to begin the work now.
• Divine provision: God declares that he will drive out the remaining peoples, so the task rests on his power as well as the people’s obedience.
• Faithful memory: The chapter recalls what Moses had already given, showing that God’s past acts shape the present distribution.
• Careful stewardship: The detailed boundaries and named families show that every inheritance was measured and recorded with care.
• God as inheritance: The Levites’ portion is the LORD himself, pointing to the deepest security being relational rather than material.

Lessons From Joshua 13 for Today

Many people face projects that will not be finished in their lifetimes. A believer who has spent years praying for a family member’s faith, a teacher building a curriculum that will outlast their tenure, or a volunteer working on a community need that seems endless can find encouragement here. Joshua was told to keep dividing the land even though he would not see every acre conquered. Faithfulness means doing the next faithful thing without demanding that the whole story be complete.

The chapter also speaks to people who feel they have less than others. The Levites received no land, yet they were given God himself as their portion. A person who is working a modest job, living in a small home, or serving quietly in a church may feel overlooked. Joshua 13 reminds them that their worth is not measured by what they hold, and that the presence of God is a genuine inheritance no one can take away.

Questions for Reflection

• What unfinished work in your life has God asked you to keep pursuing, even though you cannot see its end?
• How does the promise that God will drive out the remaining peoples change the way you think about the challenges ahead of you?
• In what ways have you seen God’s past faithfulness shape the decisions you face today?
• If the Levites’ inheritance was the LORD himself, what in your life tends to compete with God for the place of your deepest security?

A Prayer From Joshua 13

Lord, you know the work still ahead of me, and you know how much of it I cannot see. Thank you that your promises do not depend on my timing or my strength. Help me take the next faithful step, trusting that you will clear the way where I cannot. When I feel that others have more than I do, remind me that you are my portion and my security. Let my deepest hope rest in your presence, and let that be enough for today. Amen.

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