Matthew Poole and continuators on Joshua 13

NOW Joshua was old, and stricken in years, and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old , and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land † to be possessed .

Therefore delay not to do the work which I have appointed and commanded thee to do.

To be conquered, and so possessed by the people.

Marginal references: See Chap. 14. [illegible: 1 word].; ‡ Heb. to pos [illegible: 1+ letters].

2 This is the land that yet remaineth : all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri .

Unconquered by thee, and to be conquered by the Israelites, if they behave themselves aright.

A People in the North-east of Canaan, of which see Deut. 3. 14. as the Philistines are on the South-west.

Marginal references: Judg. 3. 3.

3 From Sihor , which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite : five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites, also the Avites .

A River, of which see Isa. 23. 3. and Ier. 2. 18.

i. e. Which, though now possess'd by the Philistines, who drove out the Canaanites the old Inhabitants of it, Deut. 2. 23. Amos 9. 7. yet is a part of the Land of Canaan, and therefore belongs to the Israelites.

Or, the Avims, as they are called, Deut. 2. 23. who though they were expelled out of their ancient Seat, and most of them destroyed by the Caphtor[illegible: 1+ letters]ns or Philistines, as is there said; yet many of them probably escaped, and planted themselves in some other place not very far from the former.

Marginal references: Zech. 9. 5.; Deut. 2. 13.

4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites . and [illegible: 1+ letters] Mearah , that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek , to the border of the Amorite :

i. e. From those Southern parts of the Sea-coast, now possessed by the Philistines, all the more Northern parts of the Sea-Coast being yet inhabited by the Canaanites, almost as far as Sidon, as it here follows. For there is no mention made of any Conquests of Ioshua upon the Sea-Coast: The Canaanites, properly so called, are said to awell by the Sea, Numb. 13. 29. and these are here spoken of, though some of them dwelt in other parts of the Land.

A strong place, it matters not whether it was a City, or an Impregnable Cave, which some Writers mention to be in those parts.

Not that of Iudea, of which Ios. 15. 53. but another in the Tribe of Aser, of which Ios. 12. 18. Iudg. 1. 31.

The Amorites were a strong and very numerous people, and we find them dispersed in several parts, some within Iordan and some without it; some in the South and others in the North, of whom he speaks here.

Marginal references: ‡ Or, the Cave.

5 And the land of the Gibl[illegible: 1+ letters]tes , and all Lebanon toward the Sun-rising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon, unto the entring into Hamath.

A people dwelling near Sidon in Gebal, of which see King. 5. 18. Ezek. 27. 9.

Marginal references: 1 Kin. 5. 18. Psal. 83. 7.

6 All the inhabitants of the hill-countrey from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-maim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel : only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance , as I have commanded thee.

Presently after thy Death, if the Israelites do not hinder it by their unbelief or wickedness.

Though they be now unconquered, yet divide them, partly as a pledg to assure them of my help in conquering them after thy Death; partly to lay an obligation upon the Israelites to proceed in Conquering-work, and to bear Witness against them in case they did not; and partly as a Wall of partition between them and the Canaanites, to prevent all Agreements, Contracts and Confederacies with them, to which God saw they began to encline.

Marginal references: Chap. 11. 8.

8 With whom the Reubenites, and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them .

Heb. With him, i. e. with the half Tribe of Manasseh, not that half which is expressed, v. 7. as is evident from the thing; but the other half, which is sufficiently and necessarily understood, the relative being here put for the antecedent, understood as it is, Numb. 7. 89. Psal. 114. 2. Isa. 8. 21. Ionah 1. 3.

Which Moses gave them by my Command, and therefore do not thou disturb them in their Possessions, but proceed to divide the other Possessions to the rest.

Marginal references: Numb. 32. 33. Deut. 3. 12, 13. Chap. 22. 4.

9 From Aroer that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river , and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon .

Of which see the notes on Deut. 3. 16. and on Ios. 12. 2.

Either this is the same City now mentioned, even Aroer, which is said to have been a double City, as the very name seems to import, whereof one part was on the bank of the River, and the other part in the middle of it, whence we read of the cities of Aroer, Isa. 17. 2. or it is another city, possibly Ar, as it is elsewhere named.

s Two Cities anciently belonging to the Moabites, and taken from them by the Amorites, Numb. 21. 30. and from them by the Israelites; and after the Israelites were gone into Captivity, recovered by the first Possessors, the Moabites; as may seem from Isa. 15. 2.

11 And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites, and Maacathites , and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan, unto Salcah:

Whose Land God had given to the Israelites without Iordan, though they had not yet used the Gift of God, nor taken Possession of it, as is noted, v. 13.

12 All the kingdoms of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth, and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.

Not all now mentioned, as appears from v. 13. but Sihon and Og, and their people, and the generality of them, which he had now named, some of them being excepted.

Marginal references: Deut. 3. 11. Chap. 12. 4.

13 Nevertheless, the children of Israel expelled no[illegible: 1+ letters] the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but the Geshurites and the Maacathites dwell among the Israelites unto this day .

This seems added by way of anticipation and reflection upon the present Israelites; implying, that although Moses did and might permit them to remain, both because the Land which he had Conquer'd was more than enough for the Israelitish Possessors; and because being intent upon their passage over Iordan, into the Land of Canaan, he would not delay them, by searching their Enemies out of all their corners; yet they were in fault, in not going on and perfecting the work which was begun by Moses, and carried on so far by Ioshua.

14 Onely unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance : the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire , are their inheritance, as he said unto them.

i. e. Moses, as is expressed v. 33.

To wit, in the Land beyond Iordan, where yet a considerable part of the Levites were to have their settled abode. This is mentioned as the reason both why Moses gave all that Land to the Reubenites, and Gadites, and Manassites; and why Ioshua should divide the Land onely into Nine parts and an half, as was said, v. 7. because Levi was otherwise provided for.

Which by a Synecdoche are here put for all those Sacrifices and Oblations, including First fruits and Tithes, which were assigned to the Levites; And this passage is so oft repeated and urged, to prevent those Calumnies and Injuries which God foresaw the Levites were likely to meet with from the Malice, Envy and Covetousness of their Brethren; and to oblige all the other Tribes to a Chearful and Conscionable giving to the Levites their Dues, to which they had as good a Right and Title, as they had to their several Possessions.

Marginal references: Ver. 33.

15 And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families .

Dividing the Inheritance into as many parts as they had Families; But this is only spoken of the greater Families, for the lesser Divisions or Distributions to the several small Families, was done by inferior Officers, according to the Rules which Moses gave them.

16 And their coast was from Aroer that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river , and all the plain by Medeba:

Of which see Deut. 3. 16. and Ios. 12. 2.

17 Heshbon , and all her cities that are in the plain: Dibon, and Bamoth-baal , and Beth-baalmeon .

This City, and Dibon and Ataroth, were upon the borders of Reuben and Gad, and therefore sometimes are ascribed to Reuben, as here and Numb. 32. 37. sometimes sometimes to Gad, as Numb. 32. 34. 1 Chron. 6. 81. by whom Heshbon is said to be given to the Levites, Ios. 21. 39. Possibly it and the rest were jointly inhabited by both Tribes, as Ierusalem was by Iews and Benjamites.

Of which Numb. 21. 28.

Called Beth-meon, Jer. 48. 23. and Baal-meon, Ezek. 25. 9. part of the Name being cut off, as is usual with the Hebrews.

Marginal references: Or, thy [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] of B[illegible: 1+ letters]l, and house of Baal-meon.

19 And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zarethshahar, in the mount of the valley .

In the mountain bordering upon that Valley, which then was famous among the Israelites; whether that where Moses was buried, which was near to the place here following, Bethpeor, Deur. 34. 1, 6. or some other. And this, [illegible: 1 word] is thought to belong to all the Cities now mentioned.

21 And all the cities of the plain , and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorite, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian , Evi, and Rekem, and Zior, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon , dwelling in the countrey .

Opposed to the foregoing Cities of the Mountain of the Valley.

[illegible: 1+ letters] Synecdochical expression, for a great part of it; in which sense we read of all judea, and all the Region round about Jordan, Mat. 3. 5. and all G[illegible: 1+ letters]lilee, [illegible: 1+ letters]lat. 4. 23. and many others. Or, which all were the Kingdoms of Sihon, i. e. belonged to his Kingdom. The Hebrew conjunction and is oft put for the relative particle which, as Iudg. 2. 21. Prov. 19. 1. Eccles. 6. 12.

Not in the same time or Battel, as appears by comparing Numb. 21. 23, 24. with Numb. 31. 8. but in the same manner. And they are here mentioned, partly because they were slain not long after, and upon the same occasion, even their enmity against Israel; and partly because of their relation and subjection to Sihon, as it here follows.

[illegible: 1+ letters]u. How could they be so, when they were Kings of Midian? Numb. 31. 8. Ans. There were divers petty Kings in those parts, which were subject to greater Kings, and such these were; but are here called Dukes or Princes of Sihon, because they were Subject and Tributaries to him; and therefore did one way or other assist Sihon in this War, though they were not killed at this time. It is probable, that when Sihon destroyed those Moabites which dwelt in these parts, he frighted the rest of them, and with them their Neighbours and Confederates, the Midianites, into some kind of Homage or Tribute, which they were willing to pay to him.

Heb. inhabiting that Land, namely Midian, last mentioned; whereby he signifies, that though they were subject to Sihon, yet they did not dwell in his Land, but in another.

Marginal references: Numb. 31. 8.

22 Balaam also the son of Beor the † soothsayer , did the children of Israel slay with the sword, among them that were slain by them.

So he was in truth, though a Prophet (2 Pet. 2. 16.) in Title and Profession. See Numb. 24. 25.

Marginal references: Num. 22. 25.; ‡ Or, diviner.

23 And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof : this was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and villages thereof.

i. e. Those Cities or Places which bordered upon Iordan. Compare Numb. 34. 6

25 And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead , and half the land of the children of Ammon , unto Aroer , that is before Rabbah .

i. e. All the Cities of note and eminency, all Cities properly so called, which it seems lay in that part of Gilead: and so this may well agree with v. 31. where half the Country of Gilead is said to be given to the Manass[illegible: 1+ letters]tes; but there is no mention of any Cities there.

Not of that which now was theirs, for that they were forbidden to meddle with, Deut. 2. 9. but of that which was anciently theirs, but taken from them by the Amo[illegible: 1+ letters]ites, Numb. 21. 26. from whom the Israelites took it, Iudg. 11. 15.

The border between them and Moab.

The chief city of the Ammonites, 2 Sam. 11. 1. and 12. 26, 27.

26 And from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh , and Betonim: and from Mahanaim , unto the border of Debir.

Either exclusively or inclusively. See before on v. 17.

Called Ramoth-Gilead, or Ramoth in Gilead, Jos. 20. 8. and elsewhere.

Exclusively; for Mahanaim was in the portion of Manasseh, beyond Iabbok, which was the border of Gad and Manasseh.

27 And in the valley, Beth-aram, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Cinnereth, on the other side Jordan eastward.

The Northern part of his Kingdom.

29 And Moses gave inheritance unto the half tribe of Manasseh : and this was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.

Not that they desired it, as Reuben and Gad did, Numb. 32. 1. but partly as a recompence to Machir the Manassite, for his valiant acts against Og; and partly for the better security and defence of the other two Tribes, by so considerable an accession to them, which also was without any inconvenience to them, because the Country was too large for the two Tribes of Reuben and Gad.

30 And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair , which are in Bashan, threescore cities.

Who, though of the Tribe of Iudah, by the Father, 1 Chron. 2. 21, 22. yet is called the Son of Manasseh, Numb. 32. 41. because he Married a Daughter of Manasseh, and wholly associated himself with those valiant Manassites; and with their help took Sixty Cities or great Towns, Deut. 3. 4, 14. which thence were called the Towns of Jair.

31 And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir , by their families.

Whom before he called the Children of Manasseh, he now calls the Children of Machir, because Machir was the most eminent, and as it may seem, the onely surviving Son of Manasseh, Numb▪ 26. 29. 1 Chron. 7. 14, 15, 16. For the other half of Machirs, or Manasseh's Children, see Iosh. 17. 1. &c.

Marginal references: Numb. [illegible: 1 word]