Joshua 18:7
Joshua 18:7 in Multiple Translations
The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.
For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance: and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.
For the Levites have no part among you; to be the Lord's priests is their heritage; and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have had their heritage on the east side of Jordan, given to them by Moses, the servant of the Lord.
But the Levites do not receive a share, for their role as priests of the Lord is their allocation. Also, Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allocation that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them on the east side of the Jordan.”
But the Leuites shall haue no part among you: for the Priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: also Gad and Reuben and halfe the tribe of Manasseh haue receiued their inheritance beyond Iorden Eastward, which Moses the seruant of the Lord gaue them.
for there is no portion to the Levites in your midst, for the priesthood of Jehovah [is] their inheritance, and Gad, and Reuben, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses servant of Jehovah gave to them.'
However, the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”
But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.
For the Levites have no part among you, but the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad and Ruben, and the half tribe of Manasses have already received their possessions beyond the Jordan eastward: which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.
But the tribe of Levi will not be allotted any land, because their reward is that they will be Yahweh’s priests. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already been allotted their land on the east side of the Jordan River, just as Moses, the man who served God well, decided, so they will not get any more land.”
Berean Amplified Bible — Joshua 18:7
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Joshua 18:7 Interlinear (Deep Study)
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Hebrew Word Reference — Joshua 18:7
Study Notes — Joshua 18:7
- Context
- Cross References
- Joshua 18:7 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Joshua 18:7
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 18:7
- Trapp's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
- Ellicott's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
- Cambridge Bible on Joshua 18:7
- Whedon's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
- Sermons on Joshua 18:7
Context — The Remainder Divided
7The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
8As the men got up to go out, Joshua commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.” 9So the men departed and went throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions. Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 13:33 | To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them. |
| 2 | Joshua 13:8–31 | The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them: The area from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon, and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the Ammonites; also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah— the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a remnant of the Rephaim. Moses had struck them down and dispossessed them, but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath dwell among the Israelites to this day. To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The offerings made by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, just as He had promised them. This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Reuben: The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau beyond Medeba, to Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley, Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth— all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land. The Israelites also killed the diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the sword. And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites, including the cities and villages. This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Gad: The territory of Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, near Rabbah; the territory from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; and in the valley, Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the Jordan up to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth ). This was the inheritance of the clans of the Gadites, including the cities and villages. This is what Moses had given to the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh: The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities; half of Gilead; and Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. All this was for the clans of the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half of the descendants of Machir. |
| 3 | Numbers 18:20 | Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 10:9 | That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him. |
| 5 | Deuteronomy 18:1–2 | The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD; that is their inheritance. Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them. |
| 6 | Deuteronomy 3:12–17 | So at that time we took possession of this land. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the land beyond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead, along with its cities. To the half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.) Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He renamed Bashan after himself, Havvoth-jair, by which it is called to this day. To Machir I gave Gilead, and to the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites. The Jordan River in the Arabah bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east. |
| 7 | Numbers 18:23 | The Levites are to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites. |
| 8 | Numbers 32:29–41 | And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession. But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, then they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.” The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do. We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.” So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them. And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks. The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt. The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there. Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair. |
| 9 | Deuteronomy 4:47–48 | They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east— extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon), |
Joshua 18:7 Summary
This verse tells us that the Levites, who were the priests of Israel, did not receive a portion of land like the other tribes because their job was to serve the Lord and the community. Instead, they relied on the Lord for their provision, as seen in Numbers 18:20-24. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh had already received their land from Moses, and now the rest of the tribes were waiting to receive their inheritance (Joshua 18:1-10). This reminds us that God provides for His people in different ways, and we can trust in His care for our lives, just like the Israelites did, as seen in Psalm 37:3-7 and Matthew 6:33.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn't the Levites receive a portion of land like the other tribes?
The Levites did not receive a portion of land because their inheritance was the priesthood of the Lord, as stated in Joshua 18:7, and they were to serve the Lord and the community through their priestly duties, as seen in Numbers 18:20-24 and Deuteronomy 18:1-2.
What had already been given to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh?
The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh had already received their inheritance from Moses beyond the Jordan to the east, as mentioned in Joshua 18:7, and as previously discussed in Deuteronomy 3:12-17 and Numbers 32:1-42.
How does this verse relate to the overall distribution of the land?
This verse is part of the process of dividing the land among the tribes of Israel, as seen in Joshua 18:1-10, and it highlights the unique role of the Levites and the prior allocation of land to certain tribes, in line with God's instructions in Joshua 1:6-7 and Deuteronomy 12:9-10.
What can we learn about God's provision and care for His people from this verse?
From this verse, we can see that God provides for His people in different ways, and the Levites' inheritance of the priesthood demonstrates God's care for their spiritual well-being, as also seen in Psalm 37:3-7 and Matthew 6:33.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that God has provided for me, and how can I trust in His care for my life?
- How can I, like the Levites, dedicate myself to serving the Lord and others, even if it means giving up certain worldly possessions or comforts?
- What does it mean for me to 'inherit' a relationship with God, and how can I deepen my understanding of this inheritance, as described in Ephesians 1:11-14 and Colossians 1:12-14?
- In what ways can I, like the tribes of Israel, work together with others to fulfill God's plans and purposes, as seen in Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31?
Gill's Exposition on Joshua 18:7
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Joshua 18:7
Trapp's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
Ellicott's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
Cambridge Bible on Joshua 18:7
Whedon's Commentary on Joshua 18:7
Sermons on Joshua 18:7
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Joshua Chapter 12 Inheritance the Inheritance of the Levites, or All in God and God in All by A.B. Simpson | A.B. Simpson emphasizes the significance of the Levites' inheritance in Joshua Chapter 12, illustrating that they represent the principles of redemption, separation, dedication, an |
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Inheritance the Inheritance of the Levites, or All in God and God in All by A.B. Simpson | A.B. Simpson emphasizes the significance of the Levites' inheritance, illustrating that true consecration involves redemption, separation, dedication, and service to God. He explai |
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(Genesis) - Part 15 by Zac Poonen | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the significance of Abraham's deep sleep and the covenant God made with him. He explains that just as God put Adam into a deep sleep and gave |
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(Practical Discipleship) 3. Discipleship and Money Matters by Zac Poonen | Zac Poonen preaches on the importance of choosing between serving God or Mammon (money and material riches), emphasizing that disciples of Jesus cannot love both. He highlights the |
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Everything in Jesus by A.W. Tozer | A.W. Tozer emphasizes that while God bestows many gifts upon humanity, His greatest gift is Himself. He explains that our true fulfillment comes from knowing and enjoying God, as w |
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The Lord My Portion by Octavius Winslow | Octavius Winslow emphasizes that the Lord is our true portion, contrasting the earthly possessions that can distract us from our spiritual inheritance. He reflects on the Levites, |




