Joshua 13:18

. And judgment is come upon the plain country,.... Of Moab, which was for the most part such, especially that which lay near Arnon; the judgment of God's vengeance, punishment for sin, by the hand of the Chaldeans. The Targum is, "they that execute vengeance are come:'' upon Holon; a city of Moab; of which see Joshua 15:51; it had its name perhaps from the sandy ground on which it stood. Grotius takes it to be the Alabana of Ptolemy: and upon Jahazah: the same with Jahaz, See Gill on "Isaiah 15:4"; reckoned by Grotius to be the Jadu of Ptolemy; see Joshua 13:18; and upon Mephaath; of which see Joshua 13:18; said by Grotius to be the Maipha of Ptolemy. Jeremiah 48:22 Ver. 22. And upon Dibon,.... Whose destruction by this time was come upon it, as suggested, Jeremiah 48:18; and upon Nebo: of which see Jeremiah 48:1; and upon Bethdiblathaim: the same with Almondiblathaim in Numbers 33:46 and Diblath in Ezekiel 6:14. Jeremiah 48:23 Ver. 23. And upon Kirjathaim,.... Of which see Jeremiah 48:1; and upon Bethgamul; this is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture; supposed by Grotius to be the Maccala of Ptolemy, put for Camala: and upon Bethmeon: of which see Isaiah 15:2. Jeremiah 48:24 Ver. 24. And upon Kerioth,.... Which once belonged to the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:25; from this place Judas Iscariot is by some thought to have his name; as if it was "Ish Kerioth", "a man of Kerioth".

13:7-33 The land must be divided among the tribes. It is the will of God that every man should know his own, and not take that which is another's. The world must be governed, not by force, but right. Wherever our habitation is placed, and in whatever honest way our portion is assigned, we should consider them as allotted of God; we should be thankful for, and use them as such, while every prudent method should be used to prevent disputes about property, both at present and in future. Joshua must be herein a type of Christ, who has not only conquered the gates of hell for us, but has opened to us the gates of heaven, and having purchased the eternal inheritance for all believers, will put them in possession of it. Here is a general description of the country given to the two tribes and a half, by Moses. Israel must know their own, and keep to it; and may not, under pretence of their being God's peculiar people, encroach on their neighbours. Twice in this chapter it is noticed, that to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance: see Nu 18:20. Their maintenance must be brought out of all the tribes. The ministers of the Lord should show themselves indifferent about worldly interests, and the people should take care they want nothing suitable. And happy are those who have the Lord God of Israel for their inheritance, though little of this world falls to their lot.

And Jahazah,.... Called Jahaz, Numbers 21:23 , where the battle was fought between Sihon and Israel: and Kedemoth; near to which was a wilderness, which took its name from it, from whence Moses sent messengers with words of peace to Sihon, Deuteronomy 2:26, and Mephaath; thought to be the Maipha of Ptolemy (f); here Jerom says (g), in his time was a garrison of Roman soldiers, because of the desert that was near. It was a city, with its suburbs, given to the Levites, as were the two preceding, Joshua 21:36; Adrichomius (h) takes it to be the same with Malle, which, Josephus says, (i) was called the city of the strangers. (f) Geograph. l. 6. c. 7. (g) De loc Heb. fol. 93. D. (h) Theatrum Ter. Sanct. p. 179. (i) Antiqu. l. 12. c. 8. sect. 3.

18 . and Jahazah ] Also called Jahaz and Jahaza and Jahzah , in the Hebrew Yahats and Yahtsah . Here the decisive battle was fought between the Israelites and Sihon king of the Amorites ( Numbers 21:23 ). and Kedemoth ] Given to the Merarite Levites ( Joshua 21:37 ). Mephaath ] Lying in the district of the Mishor (see Jeremiah 48:21 ). Joshua 13:18

8. With whom—Hebrew, "him." The antecedent is evidently to Manasseh, not, however, the half-tribe just mentioned, but the other half; for the historian, led, as it were, by the sound of the word, breaks off to describe the possessions beyond Jordan already assigned to Reuben, Gad, and the half of Manasseh (see on [190]Nu 32:1; [191]Nu 32:33; also see De 3:8-17). It may be proper to remark that it was wise to put these boundaries on record. In case of any misunderstanding or dispute arising about the exact limits of each district or property, an appeal could always be made to this authoritative document, and a full knowledge as well as grateful sense obtained of what they had received from God (Ps 16:5, 6).

The Possessions of the Two Tribes and a Half. - Joshua 13:15-23 . The tribe of Reuben received its inheritance in the south-namely, the territory from Aror in the Arnon valley, and from Ar in that valley, onwards, and the plain (table-land) by Medeba (see Joshua 13:9 ), with Heshbon the capital and her towns, i.e., the towns dependent upon it, in the plain. Heshbon, almost in the centre between the Arnon and the Jabbok, was situated upon the border of the inheritance of the Reubenites, and was ceded to the Gadites, who gave it up to the Levites ( Joshua 21:39 ; 1 Chronicles 6:66 : see at Numbers 32:37 ). Dibon, called Dibon of Gad in Numbers 33:45 , because the Gadites had built, i.e., fortified it, was on the south of Heshbon, only an hour from Aror, on the Arnon ( Joshua 13:9 ). Bamoth-baal, also called Bamoth simply ( Numbers 21:20 ; Isaiah 15:2 ), is to be sought for on the Jebel Attarus (see at Numbers 21:20 ). It was thence that Balaam saw the end of the Israelitish camp ( Numbers 22:41 ). Bethbaal-meon, the present ruin of Myun, three-quarters of an hour S.E. of Heshbon (see at Numbers 32:38 ). Jahza, where Sihon was defeated, was to the east of Medeba, according to the Onom.; and Dibon was on the border of the desert (see at Numbers 21:23 ). Kedemoth, on the border of the desert, to the north-west of Kalaat Balua, is to be sought on the northern bank of the Balua, or upper Arnon (see at Numbers 21:13 ).

Mephaath, where there was a garrison stationed (according to the Onom.) as a defence against the inhabitants of the desert, is to be sought for in the neighbourhood of Jahza, with which it is always associated ( Jeremiah 48:21 ). Kedemoth and Mephaath were given up to the Levites ( Joshua 21:37 ; 1 Chronicles 6:64 ).

The phrase “on the east or Jordan” fixes the meaning of the indefinite expression “on the other side Jordan.” Jahzah is a form of Jahaz, originally meaning, “to Jahaz.” (Comp. the modern names Stamboul = ἐς τὰν πόλιν, Stanchio = ἐς τὰν χίω) Jahaz was assigned to Reuben at the partition of Canaan (Joshua 13:18), along with Kedemoth and Mephaath. Mesha, king of Moab, recovered it from Israel (see Note on 2Kings 1:1). Mephaath belonged to Moab temp. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 48:21). It was, according to Jerome, a garrison town in the Roman age. (See also Joshua 13:18; Joshua 21:37; Deuteronomy 2:26.) (80) Ramoth in Gilead.—A city of refuge (Joshua 21:36). Jazer, Heshbon, Mahanaim, were given by Moses to the Gadites (Joshua 13:25-26). Ramoth Gilead (see 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18, and 2Kings 8:28). Its position is unknown. Mahanaim, now Maneh, lay on the north border of Gad. (81) Heshbon, now Hesbân, on the south border of Gad. (See also Isaiah 15:4; Jeremiah 48:2.) Jazer belonged to Moab in the eighth century (Isaiah 16:8-9; Jeremiah 48:32). In regard to this entire list of the Levitical cities, it has been asserted that it is based upon a theory which is historically false; the theory, namely, that certain towns with their pasture-grounds were assigned by lot to the Levites for their exclusive possession. The objection is irrelevant, for the sacred records neither affirm nor imply that none but Levitical families dwelt in the forty-eight Levitical cities.