The Boundaries of Canaan

The LORD tells Moses to announce the borders of Canaan, tracing them around the land in ordered detail from south to west to north to east. The inheritance is described as a real place with fixed edges.

T¹hen the LORD said to Moses, ²“Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance with these boundaries: ³Your southern border will extend from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern border will run from the end of the Salt Sea, ⁴cross south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continue to Zin, and go south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it will go on to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon, ⁵where it will turn from Azmon, join the Brook of Egypt, and end at the Sea. ⁶Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west. ⁷Your northern border will run from the Great Sea directly to Mount Hor, ⁸and from Mount Hor to Lebo-hamath, then extend to Zedad, ⁹continue to Ziphron, and end at Hazar-enan. This will be your boundary on the north. ¹⁰And your eastern border will run straight from Hazar-enan to Shepham, ¹¹then go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Chinnereth. ¹²Then the border will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea.

Moses commands Israel to apportion this land by lot to the nine and a half tribes. Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh are excluded here because their inheritance has already been given east of the Jordan.

¹³So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes. ¹⁴For the tribes of the Reubenites and Gadites, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, have already received their inheritance. ¹⁵These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan from Jericho, toward the sunrise.”