Bible Strands
Joshua 13:6
All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself will drive out before the Israelites. Be sure to divide it by lot as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks to Joshua during the land allocation phase, addressing the unconquered northern territories. The command occurs before the full conquest is complete, directing the tribes to claim what remains.
The words — יֹשְׁבֵי (yoshevei) = inhabitants of and מַיִם (mayim) = Maim. These terms anchor the geographic scope and specify the displaced population.
The thread — The land distribution method recurs in Numbers 33:54, while the driving out of inhabitants is referenced in Joshua 11:8 and Joshua 23:13. These passages track the progression from divine promise to historical execution and future warning.
Why it lands — The text states that God alone will remove the current residents and commands lot-based inheritance division. It requires the reader to acknowledge divine agency in territorial claims and strict obedience to the prescribed allocation method.
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
All the inhabitants of the hill country 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.
Cross-references
- Joshua 11:8 and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.
- Numbers 33:54 And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.
- Joshua 23:13 know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
- Judges 2:21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.
- Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Exodus 23:30 Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.
- Joshua 14:1 Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel.
- Joshua 23:4 See, I have allotted as an inheritance to your tribes these remaining nations, including all the nations I have already cut off, from the Jordan westward to the Great Sea.