The Meaning of Joshua 13:16 Explained

Joshua 13:16

KJV: And their coast was from Aroer, that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba;

YLT: and the border is to them from Aroer, which is on the edge of the brook Arnon, and the city which is in the midst of the brook, and all the plain by Medeba,

Darby: And their territory was from Aroer, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the ravine, and all the plateau by Medeba;

ASV: And their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain by Medeba;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And their coast  was from Aroer,  that [is] on the bank  of the river  Arnon,  and the city  that [is] in the midst  of the river,  and all the plain  by Medeba; 

What does Joshua 13:16 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Joshua 13

1  The bounds of the land not yet conquered
8  The inheritance of the two tribes and a half
14  The Lord and his sacrifices are the inheritance of Levi
15  The bounds of the inheritance of Reuben
22  Balaam slain
24  The bounds of the inheritance of God
29  and of the half tribe of Manasseh

What do the individual words in Joshua 13:16 mean?

And was their territory from Aroer which [is] on the bank of the River Arnon and the city that [is] in the midst of the ravine and all the plain by Medeba
וַיְהִ֨י לָהֶ֜ם הַגְּב֗וּל מֵעֲרוֹעֵ֡ר אֲשֶׁר֩ עַל־ שְׂפַת־ נַ֨חַל אַרְנ֜וֹן וְהָעִ֨יר אֲשֶׁ֧ר בְּתוֹךְ־ הַנַּ֛חַל וְכָל־ הַמִּישֹׁ֖ר עַל־ מֵידְבָֽא

וַיְהִ֨י  And  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הַגְּב֗וּל  territory 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.
מֵעֲרוֹעֵ֡ר  from  Aroer 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲרֹועֵר  
Sense: a city on the north bank of the river Arnon, the southern point of the territory of Sihon the king of the Amorites and later of Reuben; modern ‘Arair’.
אֲשֶׁר֩  which  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שְׂפַת־  the  bank 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
נַ֨חַל  of  the  River 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
אַרְנ֜וֹן  Arnon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַרְנׄון  
Sense: a river and surrounding valley in south Palestine, forms the border between Moab and the Amorites.
וְהָעִ֨יר  and  the  city 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
אֲשֶׁ֧ר  that  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּתוֹךְ־  in  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
הַנַּ֛חַל  of  the  ravine 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַמִּישֹׁ֖ר  the  plain 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִישֹׁור  
Sense: level place, uprightness.
מֵידְבָֽא  Medeba 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֵידְבָא  
Sense: a town in Moab assigned to Reuben and located 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Heshbon; still extant.