Discovery BoxJoshua 13:7-14 
Context13:7 Now, divide up this land 1 among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
13:8 The other half of Manasseh, 2 Reuben, and Gad received their allotted tribal lands beyond the Jordan, 3 just as Moses, the Lord’s servant, had assigned them. 13:9 Their territory started 4 from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley), included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba as far as Dibon, 13:10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon, and ended at the Ammonite border. 13:11 Their territory also included 5 Gilead, Geshurite and Maacathite territory, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah – 13:12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was one of the few remaining Rephaites.) 6 Moses defeated them and took their lands. 7 13:13 But the Israelites did not conquer 8 the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day. 13:14 However, Moses 9 did not assign land as an inheritance 10 to the Levites; their inheritance 11 is the sacrificial offerings 12 made to the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed 13 them.
1 tn Heb “now apportion this land as an inheritance.”
2 tn The MT reads “with him,” which is problematic, since the reference would be to the other half of the tribe of Manasseh (not the half mentioned in v. 7).
3 tn Heb “received their inheritance, which Moses had assigned to them beyond the Jordan.”
4 tn The words “their territory started” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
5 tn The words “their territory also included” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
6 tn Heb “from the remnant of the Rephaites.”
sn The Rephaites were apparently an extremely tall ethnic group. See Deut 2:10-11, 20; 3:11.
7 tn Or “dispossessed them.”
8 tn Or “dispossess.”
9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “did not assign an inheritance.”
11 tn That is, “their source of food and life.”
12 tn Or “offerings made by fire.”
13 tn Or “promised” (Heb “spoke”).
sn For the background of this observation, see Deut 18:1-2.
