Bible Strands
Joshua 13:2
This is the land that remains: All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses the aging Joshua at the start of the conquest narrative, declaring that despite his years, substantial territory remains unconquered.
The words — The text foregrounds נִשְׁאָרֶת (nish'aret), literally "that which remains," to identify the unpossessed land. It pairs this with גְּלִילֹת (gelilot), meaning "territories," specifically applied to the Philistines and Geshurites.
The thread — This unconquered zone reappears in Joshua 13:11 alongside the Maacathites and in Judges 3:1 as nations left to test Israel. The Geshurites are later raided by David in 1 Samuel 27:8.
Why it lands — The verse states that the promised land is not automatically inherited but requires active occupation. It frames the remaining territory as a defined task that demands continued military and administrative effort rather than passive waiting.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
Cross-references
- Joshua 13:11 also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah—
- Judges 3:1 These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan,
- 1 Samuel 27:8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)
- Joel 3:4 Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads.
- Genesis 10:14 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.
- Genesis 26:1 Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
- Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.
- Deuteronomy 11:23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you.
- Joshua 12:5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan up to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
- Joshua 13:13 but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath dwell among the Israelites to this day.