What is the meaning of Joshua 13:4? To the south The Spirit directs Joshua to note that there is still territory “to the south.” This phrase orients us on the map: south of the already-assigned tribal allotments, running along the Mediterranean coastal plain and edging toward the Negev. • Numbers 34:3 lays out Israel’s southern border “from the Wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom.” • Joshua 15:1–4 shows Judah’s southern boundary hugging a similar line. Because Joshua 13 catalogs unconquered land, the mention tells Israel that God’s promise stretches even farther down the coast than they have yet walked. All the land of the Canaanites Here the Lord singles out Canaanite territory that remains under pagan control. • Genesis 10:19 fixes Canaanite borders “from Sidon… as you go toward Gerar to Gaza.” • Exodus 23:23 had promised that God would “wipe them out,” but Joshua 13 reminds us there is still work to do. • Judges 1:27-36 records many pockets of Canaanites left because the tribes failed to drive them out completely. God’s wording underscores His faithfulness: every square mile He pledged is still on the table, waiting for obedient faith to claim it. From Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek “Mearah” likely denotes a coastal landmark, perhaps a grotto north of Tyre, anchoring the northernmost reach of Phoenician Sidon’s sphere. “Aphek” sits farther south-east near modern Aphaca, guarding the approach into Lebanon’s interior. • Joshua 19:28-30 later tells us Asher’s inheritance runs up to Sidon, showing this strip was eventually assigned yet not fully subdued. • Judges 1:31-32 says Asher “did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco or Sidon,” echoing the problem. • First-time readers meet Aphek again in 1 Kings 20:26, where the Arameans gather for battle, proving the site’s strategic value. Listing these points pins down a defined corridor Israel has yet to possess, highlighting unfinished obedience. As far as the border of the Amorites The line finally reaches eastward to Amorite territory. Though Israel had already defeated two Amorite kings east of the Jordan (Joshua 12:4-5), Amorites west of the river still held ground. • Deuteronomy 1:7 frames Canaan as including “the hill country of the Amorites.” • Joshua 10 recounts Israel’s earlier southern campaign against Amorite kings, but verse 13:4 verifies lingering Amorite borders in the north-central highlands. • Judges 1:35 notes Amorites hemmed in Dan “in the hill country,” emphasizing the continuing threat. So the verse stretches the boundary from the Mediterranean up to the hill country, reminding Israel of the breadth of God’s promise and the depth of their remaining mission. summary Joshua 13:4 sketches an unclaimed coastal-to-hill-country swath: southern reaches of the Promised Land, still Canaanite; a Sidonian strip from Mearah down to Aphek; and a frontier brushing the Amorite borders inland. The verse is God’s progress report—He has kept His word, but Israel must keep trusting, obeying, and moving until every promised acre is in covenant hands. |
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