Commentary - Joshua 13:32-33

Bird's-eye view

This brief concluding statement to the chapter serves as a crucial hinge in the book of Joshua. It summarizes the division of the Transjordanian land, a task completed by Moses, and starkly contrasts the tangible, landed inheritance of the two and a half tribes with the unique, landless inheritance of the tribe of Levi. This is not a throwaway administrative note. It is a profound theological statement that sets the stage for the entire life of Israel in the promised land. The principle established is this: while God provides generously for His people with physical blessings (land, homes, crops), the highest and truest blessing is not the gift but the Giver. The Levites are set apart as a living, walking sermon illustration of this central reality. Their special status, centered on the worship and service of God, means their portion is God Himself. This points forward to the ultimate reality for all of God's people in the New Covenant, where our true inheritance is not a plot of ground, but fellowship with the Father through the Son.

In essence, these two verses act as a covenantal boundary marker. They mark the end of Moses' direct leadership in apportionment and distinguish between two kinds of blessing within the one covenant people. One is the blessing of stewardship over a piece of the earth, and the other is the blessing of immediate stewardship of the things of God. Both are gifts, but one is clearly superior, prefiguring the spiritual inheritance that would one day be extended to all who are in Christ, the great High Priest.

Outline

Context In Joshua

Joshua 13 marks a major transition in the book. The first twelve chapters detail the conquest of Canaan, the swift, decisive military campaigns that broke the back of the Canaanite resistance. Chapter 13 begins with God telling an aging Joshua that much land still remains to be possessed, but the time has come to divide the land among the tribes. The bulk of the chapter then details the inheritance of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan, an allotment that had been determined by Moses in the plains of Moab. Our text, verses 32 and 33, serves as the concluding summary and seal on that eastern division. It neatly ties off the work of Moses before the narrative pivots to the work of Joshua and Eleazar the priest in dividing the land west of the Jordan in the chapters that follow. The placement of the statement about Levi here is strategic; it reminds the reader of the special place of the priesthood right as the nation is about to settle into its inheritance, an inheritance that would be meaningless without the ministry of the tabernacle at its heart.

Key Issues

The Best Portion

We live in a materialistic age, and because we are sons of Adam, we are naturally inclined to think that the best blessings are the ones we can see, touch, and measure. A parcel of land, a herd of cattle, a full barn, these are tangible goods. And the Bible does not despise such things; it presents them as the good gifts of a generous God. The tribes of Reuben and Gad saw the good grazing land east of the Jordan and rightly recognized it as a blessing from the Lord. There is nothing wrong with receiving and enjoying the physical gifts of God.

But the text here forces a crucial distinction upon us. It sets the acres of Gilead and Bashan on one side, and Yahweh, the God of Israel, on the other. It invites the question: which is the better inheritance? The Levites were denied the former precisely so that they, and all of Israel with them, would understand that they were given the latter. To have God Himself as your portion is an infinitely greater treasure than to have even the most fertile piece of His creation as your portion. The Levites were landless so that they could be God-full. This was not a punishment, but a high calling. They were set apart to minister before the Lord, to handle the holy things, to teach the law, and in doing so, to live in a state of radical dependence upon and fellowship with God. Their physical needs were to be met by the tithes of the other tribes, meaning their very livelihood was a constant reminder that their true source was not soil, but the sovereign grace of God Himself.

Verse by Verse Commentary

32 These are the territories which Moses apportioned for an inheritance in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at Jericho to the east.

This is a summary statement, a concluding sentence that puts a full stop on a particular phase of Israel's history. The key actors are named: Moses, the great lawgiver and leader of the Exodus, is the one who did the apportioning. The location is specified: the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan. This was done before Israel ever crossed over to begin the conquest proper. The nature of the action is defined: it was an inheritance. This is covenant language. The land was not a wage earned or a property purchased; it was a gift bestowed by a gracious father upon his children, in fulfillment of the ancient promise to Abraham. This verse tidies up the historical record, ensuring that the legitimacy of the Transjordanian tribes' possession is grounded in the authority of Moses, God's appointed servant. It closes one book so that the next can be opened.

33 But to the tribe of Levi, Moses did not give an inheritance; Yahweh, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as He had promised to them.

The word "but" provides the sharp, dramatic contrast that is the whole point of this concluding thought. After summarizing the earthly inheritance, the text immediately turns to the tribe that was the great exception. The tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, received no such territorial allotment. Moses did not give them one because he was under divine instruction not to. Theirs was to be a different kind of portion altogether.

And what was it? Yahweh, the God of Israel, is their inheritance. We must not read this as a pious platitude or a consolation prize. This is the premier inheritance, the inheritance of which all the landed inheritances were just a shadow and a type. To have God as your inheritance means that He is your provider, your protector, your dwelling place, and your chief delight. His character is your wealth. His presence is your security. His service is your vocation. The other tribes would draw their living from the soil; the Levites would draw their living from the altar, from the tithes and offerings brought to God. They were to live by the gospel, we might say. This arrangement was not an afterthought, but a fulfillment of what God had promised to them (Num 18:20). It was a foundational part of the covenant structure, designed to keep the worship of Yahweh at the very center of the nation's life.

Application

The principle of the Levitical inheritance is not an obsolete Old Testament curiosity. It is a foundational truth for every New Covenant believer. Through faith in Jesus Christ, who is our great High Priest, we have all been made priests to God (1 Pet 2:9). And what is the inheritance of a priest? It is God Himself.

This has profound implications for how we live. It means that while we are right to be thankful for our homes, our jobs, our possessions, and our families, we must never mistake these gifts for our ultimate inheritance. Our true treasure is not here. Our true portion is Christ. This frees us from the tyranny of materialism. If our car is repossessed or our portfolio tanks, we have not lost our inheritance. Our inheritance is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He can never be taken from us. This also frees us for radical generosity. The Levites were supported by the tithes of the other tribes. In the same way, the work of the gospel ministry today is to be supported by the cheerful, generous giving of God's people. We give because we know that our true wealth is not in what we accumulate, but in whom we possess.

Finally, this truth should shape our deepest affections. The Levites were to find their joy in the service of the tabernacle. Our joy is to be found in the service of our King. We were created to delight in God. He is not a means to an end; He is the end. He is not the path to the treasure; He is the treasure. The great tragedy of a fallen world is that we have exchanged the glory of the Giver for the fleeting pleasures of His gifts. The glory of the gospel is that in Christ, we get the Giver back. He is our inheritance, now and forever.