Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Joshua 13:24-28
The Portion of Gad (Joshua 13:24).
‘ And Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad according to their families.'
“The tribe of Gad” indicates Gad as a unity under its leaders. ‘The children of Gad' sees them as inheriting from YHWH as ‘children' of Gad. They too received ‘according to their families' (see Joshua 13:15).
The southern border of Gad was indicated as north of Heshbon (Joshua 13:26), its eastern border as ‘half the land of the children of Ammon to Aroer east of Rabbah', a different Aroer from that on Reuben's southern border. It also incorporated in it the Jazir towns and ‘all the cities of Gilead' which was probably a technical term similar to ‘the cities of the tableland' in Reuben.
“All the land of Gilead” was used of the whole of Transjordanian territory from the northern border of Bashan to the Arnon (2 Kings 10:33), then distinguished as comprising Bashan and ‘Gilead', the latter specifically stated as including territory in Manasseh, Gad and Reuben. So ‘Gilead' could refer to both. But each Transjordanian tribe also applied it to their own section of Gilead.
More confusingly ‘half the hill country of Gilead' could be applied to the combined territory of Reuben and Gad (Deuteronomy 3:12) with ‘the rest of Gilead' being applied to the territory of Manasseh (Joshua 3:13). However ‘half Gilead' could refer separately to the part of Gilead that was in Reuben (Joshua 12:2), as compared with the part that was in Gad (Joshua 12:5).
Here then it represents part of the northern ‘half Gilead' (Joshua 12:5) in contrast with the southern ‘half Gilead' (Joshua 12:2) of ‘all Gilead' (Deuteronomy 3:10) which included both, as in Numbers 32:29. The term ‘Gilead' was also used elsewhere of the portion of Machir (Manasseh) - Numbers 32:39. (Deuteronomy 3:13 describes this as ‘the rest of Gilead'). Compare Judges 11.
The reference to cities in Numbers 32:34 in respect of ‘building' activities possibly included cities that Gad fortified in Reubenite territory, while Reuben were fortifying others, and would not then refer to cities they inherited. Gad did not fear invasion from Reuben but did fear the Moabites and so assisted in rapidly building defence points in Reuben before they dared cross the Jordan with Joshua. Alternately they may have included cities of a similar name.
‘ And their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is east of (‘before') ‘Rabbah.'
Strictly this was indicating the border by the cities and towns contained within it. Jazer was a group of towns as well as a city and was frequently mentioned (see Joshua 21:39; Numbers 21:32; Numbers 32:1; Numbers 32:3; Numbers 32:35). It fell on the border between the Amorites and the Ammonites. During David's time it furnished ‘mighty men of valour' (1 Chronicles 26:31) and was one of the towns on the route of the census taking (2 Samuel 24:5). In Isaiah 16:6 and Jeremiah 48:28 it was once more regained by Moab, and even later by Ammon (1Ma 5:4). It may possibly be identified with Khirbet Gazzir on the Wadi Sza‘ib near es-Salt.
“All the cites of Gilead” was an identifiable area consisting of an area within Gad. ‘Half the land of the children of Ammon' was a third area on the western side of the north-south extension of the Jabbok, stretching to Aroer east of Rabbah, originally taken from Ammon by the Amorites. Rabbath was the capital of Ammon (Rabbath-ammon - Judges 11:33 - now called Amman)
‘ And from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Lidebir.'
Heshbon in Reuben indicated the southern border of Gad as commencing north of Heshbon. Ramath-mizpeh (the watchtower Ramath) was clearly the northern border. It was possibly the same as Ramoth-gilead (Ramoth in Gilead - Joshua 21:38). This was a walled city that featured regularly in wars with Syria. It provided residence for the Merarite Levites (Joshua 21:38; 1 Chronicles 6:80). Betonim means ‘pistachio nuts'. It has not been identified directly but Batneh, three miles west of es-Salt, recalls the name. Mahanaim means ‘two camps'. It was on the border of Gad with Manasseh (see Joshua 13:30), probably close to the northern bank of the River Jabbok. (Gad extended some kilometres north of the Jabbok). It was where Jacob met the angels of God before meeting Esau (Genesis 32:2). It was a Merarite Levite city in the territory of Gath (Joshua 21:38). Lidebir may have been Lo-debar (2 Samuel 9:4), probably not far from Mahanaim.
‘ And in the valley, Beth-haram and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, Jordan and a border to the uttermost part of the Sea of Chinnereth Beyond Jordan eastward.'
“The valley” is the Jordan Rift valley from the Sea of Chinnereth (later the Sea of Galilee) to the Dead Sea. These cities were in the Jordan valley with Jordan as the border. Beth-haram (Beth-haran - Numbers 32:36) is probably to be identified with Tell Iktanu, twelve kilometres north east of the mouth of the Jordan. It was probably a border strongpoint to protect their cattle. Beth-nimrah (Nimrah - Numbers 32:3; Nimrim - Isaiah 15:6; Jeremiah 48:34) is possibly Tell Nimrin beside the Wadi Shaib. Succoth (see Psalms 60:6) was not far from a water passage (Joshua 8:5; Joshua 8:16) and from Zarethan (1 Kings 7:46) in the Jordan Rift valley. It refused sustenance to the men of Gideon (Judges 8:5) and its leaders were severely punished for it (Judges 8:14). Zaphon was near Succoth and is mentioned in Judges 12:1.
These formed the remainder of the kingdom of Sihon, with Jordan up to the Sea of Chinnereth as the border.
‘ This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families, the cities and the villages of it.'
The children of Gad inherited all these towns and cities and their surrounding countryside, both on the Transjordan tableland and in the Jordan Rift valley.