HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  The Territory of the Half-Tribe of Manasseh (East)

  29Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh; it was allotted to the half-tribe of the Manassites according to their families. 30Their territory extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of King Og of Bashan, and all the settlements of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty towns, 31and half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the towns of the kingdom of Og in Bashan; these were allotted to the people of Machir son of Manasseh according to their clans—for half the Machirites.

  32These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, as he said to them.

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  a Cn: Heb With it

  b Compare Gk: Heb lacks from

  c Gk Syr Vg: Heb Lidebir

  13.1–19.51 The territorial allotments, with bits of narrative interspersed. Generally the geographical data in chs. 13–19 comes in three forms: “lines of extent” that run out from a stated location, boundary descriptions, and town lists. The town lists seem to be derived from older administrative sources. This is particularly clear for 15.20–62 (Judah) and 18.21–28 (Benjamin).

  13.1–7 Land in western Palestine remaining to be conquered consisted of Philistine territory and areas to the north in Phoenicia and Lebanon. The Philistines (v. 2) only came under Israelite control, briefly, during the reigns of David and Solomon. Control of Phoenicia (vv. 4–6) was never realized.

  13.1 Now Joshua…in years, in Hebrew a distinctive idiom, occurring again in 23.1. Joshua’s age motivates distribution of the land west of the Jordan (vv. 6–7).

  13.8–14 This flashback describes the extent of the conquest east of the Jordan and tribal allotments made by Moses and is clearly related to 12.1–5 (and Deut 3.8, 10a). The description moves from south to north.

  13.9 Aroer (‘Ara‘ir) forms the boundary with Moab on the south. The town…in the middle of the valley perhaps refers to the general habitable area between two main courses of the Wadi Arnon, which flow together on the west and also meet twice in the east.

  13.11–12 Mount Hermon and the former kingdom of Og in Bashan are the northern frontier.

  13.13 Geshur and Maacath remain as alien enclaves. This is the first of a series of explanatory statements faulting various tribes for failure to achieve total conquest (15.63; 16.10; 17.12–13), contrary to the claim of complete victory found in 11.23; 21.43–45.

  13.14 References to Levi here and in v. 33 frame the description of allotments east of the Jordan. The tribe of Levi formed the one exception to all tribes sharing in the apportionment of the land. Levites were dispersed with residential and grazing rights in designated towns throughout the land allotted to other tribes (ch. 21).

  13.15–31 Reuben receives territory in the south, Gad farther north, and elements of Manasseh occupy land north and east of Gad.

  13.15–23 The Reubenites receive the larger southern segment of Sihon’s realm, described by a line drawn north from Aroer, the southern limit of early Israel’s claim (v. 16), and a list of towns (vv. 17–20).

  13.22 The story of Balaam son of Beor is recounted in Num 22–24. Texts referring to Balaam were found in 1967 at Tell Deir ‘Alla in Transjordan.

  13.24–28 Gad settled north of Reuben in the southern half of Gilead, which represented the northern stretch of Sihon’s former kingdom. Two descriptive lines extend northward: from Heshbon (Hesban) and from Mahanaim (Tell edh-Dhahab el-Garbi, v. 26). The first part of v. 27 catalogs four towns.

  13.29–31 Some clans of Manasseh receive territory north and east of Gad.

  13.30 Bashan, the Golan Heights, lies north of the Yarmuk River. Jair. See Num 32.41 (Deut 3.14).

  13.31 Manasseh’s half of Gilead is territory north of the Jabbok (cf. 12.2, 5).

  JOSHUA 14

  The Distribution of Territory West of the Jordan

  1These are the inheritances that the Israelites received in the land of Canaan, which the priest Eleazar, and Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of the Israelites distributed to them. 2Their inheritance was by lot, as the LORD had commanded Moses for the nine and one-half tribes. 3For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan; but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. 4For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim; and no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only towns to live in, with their pasture lands for their flocks and herds. 5The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses; they allotted the land.

  Hebron Allotted to Caleb

  6Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal; and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him an honest report. 8But my companions who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God. 9And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.’ 10And now, as you see, the LORD has kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel was journeying through the wilderness; and here I am today, eighty-five years old. 11I am still as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war, and for going and coming. 12So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day; for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; it may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the LORD said.”

  13Then Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14So Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 15Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba;a this Arba wasb the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.

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  a That is the city of Arba

  b Heb lacks this Arba was

  14.1–5 Introduction to the western allotments.

  14.1 Canaan was the ancient name of the territory west of Jordan. Eleazar ’s role as keeper of the sacred lot (Urim and Thummim) is stipulated at the commissioning of Joshua (Num 27.21). Casting the lot was a priestly prerogative (Deut 33.8).

  14.2 Distribution by lot guarantees that it corresponds to God’s will.

  14.4 The Levites receive no territory, and so the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, to make up the total of twelve.

  14.6–15 Allotment to Caleb in the south is a special case structurally balanced by the example of Zelophehad’s daughters in the north (17.1–6).

  14.7–9 Caleb claims an exceptional award of territory to reward his conduct as a spy (vv. 7–8; Num 13) and to fulfill an oath sworn by Moses (v. 9).

  14.10–11 Caleb supports his case by noting his great age and his undiminished capacity as a fighter.

  14.12 That Joshua has already settled accounts with the Anakim (11.21–22; see note on 11.21) suggests that this narrative should be read as a flashback.

  14.13 Hebron. See note on 10.3. The story of Caleb resumes in 15.13–19.

  14.15 And the land…war echoes the identical statement at the end of ch. 11, framing the lengthy explanatory additions, chs. 12–14.

  JOSHUA 15

  The Territory of Judah

  1The lot for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their families reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south. 2And their south boundary ran from the end of the Dead Sea,a from the bay that faces southward; 3it goes out southward of the ascent of Akrab
bim, passes along to Zin, and goes up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by Hezron, up to Addar, makes a turn to Karka, 4passes along to Azmon, goes out by the Wadi of Egypt, and comes to its end at the sea. This shall be your south boundary. 5And the east boundary is the Dead Sea,b to the mouth of the Jordan. And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan; 6and the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah, and passes along north of Beth-arabah; and the boundary goes up to the Stone of Bohan, Reuben’s son; 7and the boundary goes up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley; and the boundary passes along to the waters of En-shemesh, and ends at En-rogel; 8then the boundary goes up by the valley of the son of Hinnom at the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem); and the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the valley of Rephaim; 9then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, and from there to the towns of Mount Ephron; then the boundary bends around to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim); 10and the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh, and passes along by Timnah; 11the boundary goes out to the slope of the hill north of Ekron, then the boundary bends around to Shikkeron, and passes along to Mount Baalah, and goes out to Jabneel; then the boundary comes to an end at the sea. 12And the west boundary was the Mediterranean with its coast. This is the boundary surrounding the people of Judah according to their families.

  Caleb Occupies His Portion

  13According to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, he gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba,c that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 14And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. 15From there he went up against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher. 16And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.” 17Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. 18When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” 19She said to him, “Give me a present; since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

  The Towns of Judah

  20This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their families. 21The towns belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah in the extreme south, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), 26Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, 28Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah, 29Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, twenty-nine towns, with their villages.

  33And in the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen towns with their villages.

  37Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, 38Dilan, Mizpeh, Jokthe-el, 39Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, 41Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen towns with their villages.

  42Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine towns with their villages.

  45Ekron, with its dependencies and its villages; 46from Ekron to the sea, all that were near Ashdod, with their villages.

  47Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the Wadi of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its coast.

  48And in the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven towns with their villages.

  52Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: nine towns with their villages.

  55Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten towns with their villages.

  58Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six towns with their villages.

  60Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah: two towns with their villages.

  61In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi: six towns with their villages.

  63But the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so the Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

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  a Heb Salt Sea

  b Heb Salt Sea

  c That is the city of Arba

  15.1–63 Judah gets pride of place in the description of the territories in Canaan. Its borders are delineated in vv. 1–12, and its towns are cataloged into districts in vv. 20–63.

  15.1–4 Judah’s southern border coincides with 13.4–5; Num 34.3–6.

  15.5–11 Judah’s detailed northern border with Benjamin coincides with 18.15–19. The line carefully excludes Jerusalem by skirting it on the south (vv. 8–9).

  15.13–19 A land grant for Caleb interrupts the cartographic description. The story of Othniel and Achsah, repeated nearly verbatim in Judg 1.11–15, explains why descendants of Othniel controlled not only Debir, but two springs near Hebron.

  15.18 Achsah urges Othniel to ask for a field but immediately takes matters into her own hand.

  15.19 Achsah terms her territory land of the Negeb to emphasize its aridity.

  15.20–63 This list of towns organized into districts, arranged and identified geographically, is probably based on the later administrative organization of the kingdom of Judah. The remainder of this district system is used for Benjamin in 18.21–28. Each district description concludes with an enumeration of towns with their villages. Eleven districts in the tribe of Judah and the southwestern district of Benjamin preserved in 18.25–28 constitute the kingdom of Judah.

  15.21–32 Judah’s first district is in the far south towards the Negeb desert.

  15.33–44 Three districts are in the lowland, the Shephelah to the west of the central hill country.

  15.45–47 This district of Philistine towns falls outside the pattern and was probably not part of the original administrative list.

  15.48–60 Six districts are in Judah’s central hill country. The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) witnesses to a district between vv. 59 and 60 that dropped out of the Hebrew text: “Tekoa, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Koulon, Tatam, Sores, Karem, Gallim, Bether, and Manahath: eleven towns with their villages.”

  15.61–62 One district is in the wilderness, the eastern desert leading down to the Dead Sea.

  15.63 Jerusalem became part of Israel only under David (2 Sam 5.6–9). See also the note on 13.13.

  JOSHUA 16

  The Territory of Ephraim

  1The allotment of the Josephites went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel; 2then going from Bethel to Luz, it passes along to Ataroth, the territory of the Archites; 3then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.

  4The Josephites—Manasseh and Ephraim—received their inheritance.

  5The territory of the Ephraimites by their families was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, 6and the boundary goes from there to the sea; on the north is Michmethath; then on the east the boundary makes a turn toward Taanath-shiloh, and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah, 7then it goes down from Janoa
h to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan. 8From Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the Wadi Kanah, and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites by their families, 9together with the towns that were set apart for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns with their villages. 10They did not, however, drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer: so the Canaanites have lived within Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.

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  16.1–10 Ephraim comes next as the most important northern tribe.

  16.1–3 Ephraim and Manasseh together make up the Josephites. Ephraim’s southern boundary corresponds to the northern border of Benjamin (18.12–13). Bethel and Luz (v. 2) are the same place in Judg 1.22–26. Archites refers to a clan or village population that became part of Benjamin. One of David’s most loyal advisers, Hushai, was recruited from them (2 Sam 15.32; 16.16; 17.5). Gezer. See note on 10.33.

  16.5–9 Ephraim’s northern border is mapped first eastward and then westward from a central point: east and south from Michmethath (vv. 6–7), then west from neighboring Tappuah (v. 8).

  16.10 Canaanites…forced labor. The chapter concludes on a note of partial failure, which appears sporadically throughout the description of the northern tribes (cf. note on 13.13). Gezer. See note on 10.33.