Joshua 13:10-12

What was the correct eastern boundary of the Promised Land?

PROBLEM: God promised Abraham, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great … River Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18; cf. Deuteronomy 11:24). However, when Joshua divided the land Israel inherited, the boundaries listed do not mention the Euphrates, but cities to the west of it (Joshua 13:9-12).

SOLUTION: Joshua is simply dividing up the land that was taken by the Israelites, not everything that wasgiven to them. Even though Joshua’s forces conquered the land as a whole (cf. Joshua 11:23), they obviously did not occupy all the land inparticular (cf. Jud. 1:27–36). Much later in David’s day they were still extending their border toward the Euphrates (2 Samuel 8:3). This reveals that they understood the repeated promise (cf. Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 1:7; Deuteronomy 11:24) to include land up to the Euphrates as their eastern border. Indeed, even Joshua mentions this same border when he repeats the pomise to Israel (Joshua 1:4).