Commentary - Joshua 13:1-7

Bird's-eye view

This passage marks a significant transition in the book of Joshua. The lightning campaigns of the initial conquest, detailed in the first twelve chapters, are largely complete. The major military powers of Canaan have been broken. But now, with Joshua old and the adrenaline of the early victories past, God confronts him with a stark reality: the job is not finished. A great deal of the promised land remains occupied by the enemy. This is not a rebuke for failure, but a pivot in strategy. The era of the united, national military campaign is ending, and the era of tribal responsibility is beginning. God's command to Joshua is to move forward in faith, to map out and allot the entire inheritance, including the parts still held by Canaanites. This is a profound lesson in covenant faithfulness. The inheritance is not based on Israel's complete performance but on God's sovereign decree. They are to possess the land in their minds and on their maps before they possess it with their feet. The promise of God is the reality, and the presence of squatters is the temporary anomaly. This section, therefore, sets the stage for the long, slow, and often faltering work of taking dominion, a task that requires a different kind of faithfulness, a plodding, generational, tribe-by-tribe obedience.

The central theological point here is the relationship between God's sovereign promise and man's obedient action. God declares, "I will dispossess them," and on that basis commands Israel, "only allot it." The allotment is an act of faith, treating God's future promise as a present reality. This is how the kingdom of God always advances. We are given promises of victory, and we are commanded to act as though they are true, even when pockets of resistance remain all around us. The detailed list of unconquered lands is not a record of failure, but a to-do list for the people of God, underwritten by the sure promise of the God who gives the inheritance.

Outline

Context In Joshua

Joshua 13 marks the beginning of the second major section of the book. Chapters 1-12 described the conquest of the land, culminating in a list of thirty-one defeated kings. That was the "shock and awe" phase. Now, chapters 13-21 shift to the settlement of the land. The tone changes from the fast-paced narrative of military campaigns to the more administrative and detailed work of dividing the inheritance. This transition is crucial. It shows that conquering a territory for God is not just about winning the big battles; it is also about the long, patient work of occupation, settlement, and governance. The fact that the division of the land begins while significant portions are still held by the enemy is theologically significant. It underscores that Israel's claim to the land is not based on their military might but on God's covenantal grant. The map precedes the mopping-up operation. This section provides the framework for the subsequent history of Israel, not only in the book of Judges where the failure to complete this task becomes a central theme, but throughout the Old Testament.

Key Issues

Possessing Your Possessions

There is a profound difference between being given a title deed and moving into the house. God had given Israel the title deed to the whole of Canaan, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. The victories under Joshua had been the equivalent of the seller accepting their offer and the major legal hurdles being cleared. But there were still squatters in the house. There were hostile tenants in various rooms who refused to acknowledge the new ownership. God's word to Joshua here is not, "You have failed." It is, "The next phase of the project is beginning."

This is a picture of the Christian life. In Christ, we have been given all things. We are seated with Him in the heavenly places. The title deed to our inheritance is secure, signed in the blood of the Lamb. And yet, we find that there remains "very much of the land to be possessed." There are pockets of rebellion in our own hearts. There are strongholds of sin and unbelief in our families, our churches, and our culture. The command of God is not to wait until every enemy is visibly vanquished before we start acting like owners. The command is to take up the survey equipment of God's Word, map out the promises, and begin to allot the inheritance. We are to name the territories, stake the claims, and then, by faith, move in and begin the hard work of dispossession. The promise of God is the basis for the work of God's people.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now Joshua was old, advanced in years, and Yahweh said to him, “You are old, advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed.

The book began with Joshua as a vigorous new leader, stepping into the massive shoes of Moses. Now, his life's work is nearing its end. The repetition, "old, advanced in years," emphasizes the point. His time for leading armies in the field is over. God states the situation plainly, without any hint of condemnation. It is a simple statement of fact: you are old, and the task is not yet complete. This is not a sign of Joshua's failure, but rather a demonstration that the work of God's kingdom is always bigger than one man or one generation. Moses brought them to the edge of the land; Joshua broke the back of the enemy within it; and now the next generation must take up the task of settling it. God's assessment is realistic. He doesn't flatter Joshua by pretending the job is done. He confronts him with the truth, because the truth is the necessary foundation for the command that is about to follow.

2-3 This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite

God does not speak in generalities. He gets out the map. The first area mentioned is the coastal plain, the territory of the Philistines. This region would become a thorn in Israel's side for centuries, a recurring source of conflict and idolatry right up through the time of David. God lists the five principal cities of the Philistines, a confederation of powers that Israel had not yet touched. He also mentions the Geshurites and Avvites, other pockets of resistance. The point here is the specificity. God knows exactly what land remains. He has not forgotten His promise, nor is He ignorant of the challenges. This detailed inventory serves both as a warning, do not become complacent, and as a promise. Every territory named here is a territory that God has covenanted to give to His people. This is not a list of impossibilities; it is a catalog of future victories, if Israel will walk by faith.

4-5 to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, to the east toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.

The inventory continues, moving from the southern coast up north toward Lebanon. He mentions the Sidonians, a major coastal power, and the Gebalites (from Byblos), famous craftsmen and traders. The list extends to the great mountain ranges of Lebanon, all the way to Mount Hermon in the north. This was prime real estate, rich in timber and resources. Israel's initial conquest had focused on the central hill country, the Shephelah, and the Jordan Valley. These coastal and northern regions remained largely untouched. By listing them here, God is reminding Israel of the full scope of His promise. He did not promise them just the parts that were easy to conquer. The covenant grant was extensive, and their vision for dominion was to be just as extensive.

6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians, I will dispossess them from before the sons of Israel; only allot it to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you.

This is the pivot point of the entire passage. After the daunting list of remaining enemies, God makes a sovereign declaration: I will dispossess them. The verb is emphatic. The victory does not ultimately depend on Israel's military strategy or the strength of their tribal militias. The victory depends on the unilateral, covenant-keeping action of God Himself. He is the one who drives out the inhabitants. And on the basis of this divine promise, He issues the human command: only allot it. The word "only" is striking. It means, "Your primary task right now, Joshua, is not to fret about the remaining giants, but simply to obey Me in this one thing. Get out the maps and the measuring lines and divide up the land I have already given you." This is an act of raw faith. It is treating the future promise of God as a settled, present reality. The inheritance is theirs by divine fiat, not by human achievement.

7 So now, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

The command is now formalized. The task is clear. Apportion the land. The two and a half tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Now the remaining nine and a half tribes are to receive theirs on the west. This act of apportionment was not merely a bureaucratic task. It was a prophetic act. It was a way of teaching every tribe and every family that their portion in the land was a gift from God, assigned to them by His will. It was to be the foundation of their economic and social life for generations to come. By obeying this command, Joshua was finishing his course not by killing one more giant, but by faithfully administering the promises of God so that the next generation would know what their task was and what ground they were responsible to take.

Application

The Christian life is lived in the tension between the "already" and the "not yet." Like Joshua, we are old and advanced in years, whether we are twenty or eighty, because the consummation of all things is nearer than when we first believed. And like Israel, we look around and see that "very much of the land remains to be possessed." We see the daunting power of the Philistines of our age, the entrenched secularism, the moral decay, the institutional rot. It is easy to be discouraged and to think the task is too great.

The word of the Lord to us is the same as it was to Joshua. First, God gives us a realistic assessment of the situation. He does not call us to a Pollyanna optimism that ignores the reality of the opposition. He catalogs the enemies for us. But second, He underwrites our entire mission with a sovereign promise: "I will dispossess them." Our ultimate victory in the cultural and spiritual battles we face is not dependent on our cleverness or strength, but on the power of the risen Christ who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And therefore, third, our task is to "only allot the land." We are to act in bold faith on the basis of His promise. We allot the land when we plant a church in a hostile neighborhood. We allot the land when we establish a Christian school to train the next generation. We allot the land when we start a business that operates on biblical principles. We allot the land when a husband and wife resolve to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, creating a tiny outpost of the kingdom in a pagan world. We take God at His word, map out His promises, and begin the joyful, difficult, generation-long work of taking possession of what our Lord Jesus Christ has already won for us.