Joshua 13:1-7--Land Still to Be Conquered

Joshua 13:1-7
English Standard Version

Land Still to Be Conquered
13 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess. 2 This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites 3 (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim, 4 in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the Amorites, 5 and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath, 6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

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I've included a map today of the region that the text is referring to that still needed to be conquered.  While total victory was given against those who amassed themselves to fight Israel, not every people group joined those armies, but God had declared that all the people groups in the Land that was to belong to them must go (now with the exception of the Gibeonites that they had made a treaty with).  This region will be give to Judah and Caleb will keep fighting there.  It will not be until the time of King David that all these enemies will be defeated.

All that said, the LORD told Joshua that his fighting days were over, it was time for him to rest and for the allotment of the Land to go to the people while he was still alive to see it.  The LORD reminds Joshua that the Land west of the Jordan River was only to be allotted to the nine-and-a-half tribes who did not already receive their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River.  Also, the Levites were to receive a special inheritance and were not counted in having a lot of land as their inheritance would be their portion of the sacrifices and the cities of refuge that would be allotted to them according to the Law (see Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 4, and Deuteronomy 19).