All the regions. In this verse, Scripture enumerates what remained unconquered along the southern border, from east to west.

And the Avvim. They too remained unconquered.

From the south. Scripture now enumerates the unconquered territories along the western side, proceeding from south to north.

And the land. Scripture now enumerates the unconquered territories along the northern border, from east to west.

As far as Lebo-hamath. Which lies in the northwest.

Only divide it—as an inheritance. Above (12:7), Scripture says, “Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as a possession,” whereas here it says “as an inheritance.” There is a distinction between yerushah (“possession”) and nachalah (“inheritance”). Yerushah denotes a transfer of ownership, whereby something passes from one party’s domain into another’s; nachalah denotes property that one bequeaths to his descendants. Therefore, above, where Scripture enumerated what Joshua had conquered, it says that he gave it as a yerushah, because it was then transferred from the Canaanites’ possession into Israel’s. There it could not have said that he apportioned it as a nachalah, because he had not yet cast lots to determine who would inherit and bequeath each portion. Here, however, since the land had not yet been conquered, it could not be called a yerushah; rather, Scripture says, “divide it as a nachalah,” so that each person would know his inheritance.

And I will dispossess them. So that the land will pass from the Canaanites’ possession into Israel’s possession.

As I commanded you. For He had told him above (1:6), “You shall cause this people to inherit.” This did not include dispossessing them—that is, dispossessing the Canaanites—but only allotting to each Israelite his portion.

With him. That is, it was unnecessary to apportion the land to them anew. The word “with him” means together with the other half of Manasseh.

For they had received their inheritance, which Moses gave—as Moses gave. That is, they received it according to the apportionment Moses had assigned them, and it was not apportioned differently by Joshua. Scripture explains the phrase “they received their inheritance, which Moses gave” by describing its territory from Aroer onward, through verse 15. It then explains “as Moses gave” by detailing the manner of its apportionment: “Moses gave to the tribe of Reuben” (verse 15), “to the tribe of Gad” (verse 24), and “to half the tribe of Manasseh” (verse 29).

And to the tribe of Levi. This was already stated in verse 14, but there Scripture says, “The fire offerings of Hashem are his inheritance,” whereas here it says, “Hashem is his inheritance.” This may be understood in light of Deuteronomy 18:1–2: “The Levitical priests shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the fire offerings of Hashem and His inheritance. He shall have no inheritance among his brethren; Hashem is his inheritance.” There too, the statement is repeated: first it says “portion or inheritance” and “they shall eat the fire offerings of Hashem,” and afterward it says only “inheritance” and “Hashem is his inheritance.” However, the passage speaks from two perspectives. First, the Levites were not to receive a portion in the land—that is, the tribe was not to receive a distinct territory by lot when the land was divided, as the other tribes did. Therefore, Scripture says “portion or inheritance,” and explains that in place of their share in the land, Israel would give them Hashem’s fire offerings, namely, the priestly and Levitical gifts. Thus it says, “a portion or inheritance with his brethren”: the word “with” denotes partnership, for they were not to participate in the division of the land. Scripture then says that although they were given cities in which to dwell together with their pasturelands, which constituted an inheritance that they transmitted to their children, they nevertheless were not to receive this inheritance “among their brethren.” That is, their cities were not to be selected and set aside during the original apportionment—for example, immediately when a tribe’s lot was drawn and its territory divided among its members, the Levitical cities within that tribe’s territory were not yet to be designated. This is conveyed by the expression “among his brethren.” Rather, only after the division of all the tribes had been completed did the children of Israel give the Levites cities from their own inheritances, as related below (chapter 21). Scripture explains the reason: “Hashem is his inheritance.” Each tribe’s contribution would therefore be like an offering to Hashem, a sacred portion raised from its own territory. Accordingly, Moses did not set aside the Levitical cities from the inheritances of Reuben and Gad during his lifetime; Joshua did so only after the entire division had been completed. Therefore, above (verse 14), after mentioning Moses’ conquest in general terms but before describing the specific apportionments of Reuben and Gad, Scripture states that he did not assign Levi a separate tribal portion—even though one might have reasoned that he could have given them territory east of the Jordan, which is not part of the Land of Israel—and it gives the first reason: “The fire offerings of Hashem are his inheritance.” Here, after detailing the specific apportionments, Scripture adds that even afterward Moses did not give the tribe of Levi an inheritance—that is, he did not set aside the Levitical cities during his lifetime—because “Hashem is his inheritance.”