14: Unfinished Conquest & Eastern Tribes’ lands (Josh 13:1 – 33)

Although Joshua led many years of conquest, unconquered lands remained. Now, the Lord instructed Joshua to divide the land and assign portions to each tribe so they could complete the conquest. Chapters 13–21 record the division of the land.

👉 Read Joshua 13:1 - 33

Q1. Chapter 13 starts with the statement that Joshua was very old and a great deal of the lands were not conquered yet. What was the Lord’s instruction? 

The Lord will drive them out before the Israelites. Joshua needs to parcel the land out first to each tribe.

Joshua had fought numerous battles and wars for many years (Joshua 11:18), at least more than twenty years. Despite being a warrior of faith, he was still human and could not complete the conquest. The remaining work was entrusted to the next generation. 

“before the Israelites”: The Lord didn’t first evacuate the land before they entered the land. He will expel the Canaanite residents when the Israelites try to settle down in the place. You should first move forward in faith, then the Lord will make a way for you.

Go first, and it will be given to you. Take a step of faith, and then you will see it. The Great Commission was given to us, and we will experience the Lord’s power as we move forward in faith. This is God’s challenge of faith found throughout the Bible.

This map shows how much of the land was not yet conquered (green portion)

Q2. The two and half tribes received their land on the east side of Jordan. Moses defeated King (         ) and King (         ). And their lands were given to them. But the Israelites did not conquer the (               ) and (               ). 

Sihon, Og, Geshurites, Maacathites

The Bible says Moses defeated the two kings, not the Israelites defeated.

Q3. Verses 15 – 23 talks about how (           ) assigned land to the tribe of (             ). Verses 24 – 28 tells the boundary of the tribe of (          ), and verses 29 – 31 the boundary of the half tribe of (               ). 

Verses 15 – 23 talks about how (  Moses ) assigned land to the tribe of ( Reuben ). Verses 24 – 28 tell the boundary of the tribe of ( Gad ), and verses 29 – 31 the boundary of the half-tribe of ( Manasseh ).

The land is officially assigned to them. Before they started the Canaanite conquest, Moses promised to give the eastern side land to them on the condition that they needed to actively participate in the conquest war of the western side land. They have been faithful in participating in the war for a long time ( 7 ~ 20 years) meanwhile their wives and children were left on the eastern side of the Jordan. 

Roughly saying, the tribes of Reuben and Gad took the land of King Sihon and the half tribe of Manasseh took the land of King Og. The present locations of the towns might not be accurate.

Q4. “However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance to the (            ); their inharitance is the (                   ) made up to the Lord God of Israel.”

Levites, sacrificial offerings

This repeats in verses 14 and 33. Though the Levites lived scattered among the territories of the two and a half tribes, they were not assigned any land. Instead, they lived on sacrificial offerings to the Lord. The presence of the Levites in that land and their sustenance from these offerings underscores that the land was granted by the Lord and that the people were His. Even though the land on the eastern side was not part of Canaan, the Lord considered it as part of the promised land.

Many scholars believe that the final editing of the Book of Joshua occurred during the post-exilic period. The faith-driven decision of the tribes on the east side of the Jordan—leaving their families in the eastern land and crossing the Jordan River to fight in the Canaanite wars for an extended period—and the God's incorporating the eastern Jordan region into the Promised Land would have expanded the understanding of the Promised Land, providing comfort to post-exilic readers. This narrative suggests that the Promised Land is not limited to the land of Canaan but extends to wherever God places His people, such as Babylon or Assyria. There, the Lord will bless them as they faithfully walk with the Lord. In this context, the author (or editor) seems to give significant attention to the stories of the eastern Jordan tribes.

The land was given to them but was not completely conquered. It is the same for us. Though the victory is ours in Christ, but we haven’t perfectly subdued our enemy. We have to fight until the Kingdom of God comes in its full measure.