Study notes

Joshua 14

Introducing JoshuaWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

13:1–21:45 Section

The land God promised to give Abraham’s family line was divided up among the Israelites. The book of Joshua records the land given to each tribe.

The tribes of Gad and Reuben received land east of the River Jordan. So did half of the tribe of Manasseh. The rest of the tribes received land west of the River Jordan.

Caleb received land in Hebron. The Levites received towns and grasslands throughout all the other tribes’ land. Their cities included the safe cities.

Keeping careful records about the land would help the Israelites in the future. The records would help each tribe know its borders so they wouldn’t fight about them. The records would show the tribes what land they were responsible for. The records also showed the exact ways God kept his promise to Abraham about land.

Many Canaanites still lived in the land given to the tribes. God promised that he would be the one to drive them out. But the Israelites were his partners and they would have to work hard. Joshua made this clear in his instructions to Joseph’s family line. The tribes had to clear the land and drive out the Canaanites. Not every tribe obeyed those instructions.

13:8–21:45

  • As he had promised, God brought Israel into the land. Joshua then focused on dividing the land among Israel's tribes.

  • The tribal allowances made the covenant of the Israelites with God real. It showed the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since God owned the land, giving it to the tribes was a gift. God gave them the land to live in and guided its distribution.

  • In these lists of tribal allowances, the author describes some borders in great detail, allowing them to be mapped. With others, they are less plainly defined.

14:1

Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the tribes oversaw the distribution of the land to ensure that the process was honest and just.

14:1–19:51

  • The allotment of land to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan describes what God intended for each tribe to possess.

  • The one narrating the story begins this section with Caleb receiving land and ends with Joshua receiving land (14:6–15; 19:49–51). Only Caleb and Joshua had shown faith in God that Israel could conquer the land (Numbers 13:30; 14:6–9).

14:4

Joseph, the older son of the patriarch Jacob's favorite wife Rachel, received twice as much land through his sons Manasseh and Ephraim (see study note on Genesis 48:5–7). Since the Levites did not get their own land allowance, the total number of tribes with land remained at 12 (Joshua 13:14).

14:6

  • The Kenizzite people were not originally Israelites (Genesis 15:19). How they became connected to Judah is unknown.

  • about you and me: Only Caleb and Joshua remained true to God when they first had the chance to enter the land. Therefore, God promised them that they would inherit it (Numbers 14:24).

14:11

Caleb believed he was as strong at 85 years old as he was at 40. He still felt ready to travel and fight, continuing both ordinary and extraordinary activities.

14:12

Israel stayed away from Canaan 45 years earlier because they feared those descended from Anak (Anakim). These were tall, strong people living in the hills of Judah (Numbers 13:32–33).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources