Joshua 13:8-33--The Inheritance East of the Jordan

Joshua 13:8-33
English Standard Version

The Inheritance East of the Jordan
8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them: 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites; 11 and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out. 13 Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

14 To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.

15 And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans. 16 So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba; 17 with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, 18 and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, 21 that is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain. 23 And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.

24 Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans. 25 Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir, 27 and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.

29 And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their region extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities, 31 and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the people of Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir according to their clans.

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

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With an end to the military campaign, it was time for the two-and-a-half Transjordan Tribes to return to their inheritance that they had chosen for themselves on the east side of the Jordan River.  The boundaries of the entire Transjordan area given to these tribes is described first, and then the specific boundaries for each of the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.  There is also a reminder here that the tribe of Levi received no part of the Land as an inheritance because the LORD had given the tribe of Levi the offerings that were made by fire on the LORD's altar.  The text also makes clear that the LORD Himself was their inheritance and they needed no earthly inheritance because they had an even better heavenly inheritance (we too are to be like them look forward to our better inheritance who is the LORD).

Like the last section that we read, we see that Israel was not faithful to drive out all the people that inhabited the Land and they cohabitated with the people that God had told them to drive out or kill.  God knew these pagan peoples would be a bad influence on His people and the author of the book of Joshua looking back on the partial obedience of the people is making a point that to the very day that they are writing this, the people have still refused to be totally obedient to the LORD's command (many believe it was Samuel who wrote the book of Joshua and the book of Judges, possibly to show how the spiritual state of the people declined so quickly).

These boundaries were set by Moses and the LORD when the people were on the east side of the Jordan River and the LORD has been faithful to keep His covenant with these two-and-a-half tribes as they have been faithful to lead their brothers in the battles fighting for a Land they would not themselves possess (which they had sworn they would do).  Now that the time of fighting is over, it was time for them to receive what had been promised to them.