The writer is about to enter upon a particular account of the distribution of the land among the tribes. He here pauses to give a short summary of the work that has been done. In this summary the accomplishments of Moses are recorded along with those of Joshua. Inspiration points out how God uses many instruments in the carrying forward of His work, and that He is not dependent on any one man. The chapter gives a brief account of the victories of Israel, together with the defeats inflicted upon the Canaanites.

 Chapter 12 describes the extent of the conquest and shows the land that now lay open for settlement. Verses 1-6 describe the territory to the east of Jordan and the list of kings conquered by Moses, and the remainder of the chapter is occupied with a catalog of those on the west of Jordan that were reduced by Joshua. In this summary we see traced both the course and the end of those who resist God. Both the narrow road and the broad way are pointed out in this lesson. That of Israel was the path of obedience, under divine direction. But the pathway of obedience was not always easy. It often meant going forward in spite of great obstacles. Hesitation would have meant failure and loss. But Israel’s history at this time was marked by patient and steadfast endurance. On the part of the Canaanites, their course was marked by rebellion. They said, “Who is lord over us?” and hardened themselves against God’s will and the revelation of Himself through Israel. They fought it out to the bitter end, learning no lesson and refusing to yield. All through this war of conquest Israel had as their hope a divine inheritance, and all the glory and honor that it implied. As for the Canaanites, they were without God and without hope.

Literally, “all the Arabah eastward.” The Arabah is the entire deep rift extending south from the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan valley as far as the Gulf of Aqabah. However, this description would include only the area south as far as the river Arnon and east of the river Jordan.

This mountain is a short distance south and a little west of Damascus. The territory between Mt. Hermon and the Arnon comprised the deep valley of the Jordan and the plateau to the east, whose borders are lost in the eastern desert.

 This river was the boundary between the kingdoms of Sihon and Moab (Num. 21:13), and formed the southern boundary of Israel to the east of Jordan. The river rises in the mountains of what is now the Kingdom of Jordan and enters the Dead Sea at about the midpoint of its eastern side. It forms a deep gorge, both banks of which were fortified in the period of Joshua.