Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse emphasizes that despite Joshua’s age and the significant progress made, the task wasn't finished. This highlights that "very much land to be possessed" wasn't just about physical territory, but also the ongoing work of obedience and faith required to fully claim God's promises. God’s direct repetition of Joshua’s age underscores that this isn't a personal failing, but a divine call to shift focus from conquest to distribution while acknowledging that the real possession was still ahead.
Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After years of intense warfare and the conquest of numerous kings, Joshua is now advanced in age. God speaks to him, acknowledging his years and the significant amount of land that still remains unconquered, highlighting that the task of fully possessing the promised land is far from complete. This divine conversation marks the transition from conquest to the crucial task of dividing the land among the tribes, even the portions not yet subdued.
Joshua had led Israel to incredible victories, yet the land wasn't fully conquered. God's timing and our limitations are a profound tension.
The Tension of Time and Task
Joshua was old. The Hebrew word used here emphasizes being 'advanced in years,' suggesting a weariness that comes with age and a life of intense labor. He had spent years in conquering, and now, nearing the end of his life, much of the promised land remained.
God's Perspective vs. Ours
Ask a follow-up
Why didn't God allow Joshua to finish the job? The remaining land held a divine purpose for Israel's future.
Purpose in the Pause
The fact that much land remained unconquered was not an oversight by God or Joshua. It served several vital purposes:
1. A Test of Faith and Obedience
2. A Means of Discipline and Growth
God commanded Joshua to divide the entire promised land, even the parts not yet conquered. What does this teach us about claiming God's promises?
Dividing the Unconquered Promise
A remarkable aspect of this passage is God's command to Joshua: 'Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance...' (v. 7). This includes territories still occupied by enemy nations.
1. The Authority of God's Word
2. The Role of Leadership
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
Used of God, it refers to the eternal, self-existent I AM, who keeps His covenant promises. In Scripture, it is the personal name of Israel's God.
erets · Hebrew Noun
A term denoting territory or domain. Biblically, land is often tied to God's covenantal promises to His people and their inheritance.
yarash · Hebrew Verb
To take hold of, inherit, or occupy. In the context of Israel, it often implies taking possession of what God has already promised as an inheritance.
Though Joshua was elderly and much of the land was already conquered, God reminded him that significant territories still needed to be possessed, emphasizing that the division of land was based on God's promise and that the tribes would need to continue the work of driving out the remaining inhabitants.
c. 1400 BC
Israelite Conquest of Canaan
Led by Joshua, the Israelites engaged in a series of military campaigns to conquer the land of Canaan.
c. 1390 BC
Subjugation of Thirty-One Kings
Joshua and the Israelites achieved significant victories, defeating numerous local kings and securing control over much of the land.
c. 1390 BC— this verse
Division of Land Begins
Following the major military campaigns, Joshua begins the process of dividing the conquered territories among the twelve tribes of Israel.
c. 1390 BC
Unconquered Territories Identified
Despite the successful conquest and division, significant portions of the land, including areas held by Philistines and Sidonians, remain unconquered.
c. 1380 BC
Joshua's Death
Joshua, having fulfilled his commission to divide the land, dies after approximately 25 years of leadership, leaving the completion of the conquest to future generations.
This passage outlines the promised land God swore to give Abraham's descendants, setting the stage for the ongoing, incomplete conquest Joshua faces here.
Judges 1:27-36This chapter details how several tribes failed to drive out the inhabitants of their allotted territories, directly illustrating the 'very much land left to possess' mentioned in Joshua 13:1.
Romans 8:18-25The Apostle Paul speaks of creation groaning and eagerly waiting for redemption, paralleling the 'earnest expectation' of the land being fully possessed, even in its unfinished state.
Philippians 3:12-14Paul's analogy of running a race and forgetting what is behind to press forward for the prize mirrors Joshua's situation, where despite his age and achievements, the ultimate goal of full possession remains.
calvinJoshua 13:1-14: "Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed."
From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:
A Nilo qui est e regione AEgypti usque ad terminum Ecron, qui es…
clarkeJoshua 13:1: "Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed."
Joshua was old - He is generally reputed to have been at this time about a hundred years of age: he had spent about seven years in the conquest of the land, and is supposed to have employed about one year in dividing it; and he died about ten years after, aged one hundred and ten years. It is very likely that he intended…
The verse emphasizes that despite Joshua’s age and the significant progress made, the task wasn't finished. This highlights that "very much land to be possessed" wasn't just about physical territory, but also the ongoing work of obedience and faith required to fully claim God's promises. God’s direct repetition of Joshua’s age underscores that this isn't a personal failing, but a divine call to shift focus from conquest to distribution while acknowledging that the real possession was still ahead.
After years of intense warfare and the conquest of numerous kings, Joshua is now advanced in age. God speaks to him, acknowledging his years and the significant amount of land that still remains unconquered, highlighting that the task of fully possessing the promised land is far from complete. This divine conversation marks the transition from conquest to the crucial task of dividing the land among the tribes, even the portions not yet subdued.
After years of intense warfare and the conquest of numerous kings, Joshua is now advanced in age. God speaks to him, acknowledging his years and the significant amount of land that still remains unconquered, highlighting that the task of fully possessing the promised land is far from complete. This divine conversation marks the transition from conquest to the crucial task of dividing the land among the tribes, even the portions not yet subdued.
"Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess." — The verse emphasizes that despite Joshua’s age and the significant progress made, the task wasn't finished. This highlights that "very much land to be possessed" wasn't just about physical territory,…
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Last reviewed October 2026