Joshua 24:13
New International Version
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

New Living Translation
I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build—the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.

English Standard Version
I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Berean Standard Bible
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

King James Bible
And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

New King James Version
I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

New American Standard Bible
And I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

NASB 1995
‘I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

NASB 1977
‘And I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

Legacy Standard Bible
And I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

Amplified Bible
I gave you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you live in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

Christian Standard Bible
I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’”

American Standard Version
And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not labored, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Contemporary English Version
You didn't have to work for this land--I gave it to you. Now you live in towns you didn't build, and you eat grapes and olives from vineyards and trees you didn't plant.

English Revised Version
And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not laboured, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So I gave you a land that you hadn't farmed, cities to live in that you hadn't built, vineyards and olive groves that you hadn't planted. So you ate all you wanted!

Good News Translation
I gave you a land that you had never worked and cities that you had not built. Now you are living there and eating grapes from vines that you did not plant, and olives from trees that you did not plant.'

International Standard Version
I gave you a land for which you never worked and cities that you didn't build, but that you have lived in. You're eating from vineyards and olive groves that you didn't plant.'

Majority Standard Bible
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

NET Bible
I gave you a land in which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.'

New Heart English Bible
I gave you a land whereon you had not labored, and cities which you did not build, and you live in them. You eat of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'

Webster's Bible Translation
And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and olive-yards which ye planted not do ye eat.

World English Bible
I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you didn’t build, and you live in them. You eat of vineyards and olive groves which you didn’t plant.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I give a land to you for which you have not labored, and cities which you have not built, and you dwell in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive-yards which you have not planted.

Young's Literal Translation
'And I give to you a land for which thou hast not laboured, and cities which ye have not built, and ye dwell in them; of vineyards and olive-yards which ye have not planted ye are eating.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I will give to you the land which ye labored not in it, and cities which ye built not, and ye shall dwell in them; the vineyards and the olives which ye planted not, ye ate.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I gave you a land, in which you had not laboured, and cities to dwell in which you built not, vineyards and oliveyards, which you planted not.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I gave you a land, in which you did not labor, and cities, which you did not build, so that you might live in them, and vineyards and olive groves, which you did not plant.’

New American Bible
I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.

New Revised Standard Version
I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; and behold, you eat of vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I gave you the land in which you had not labored and the towns that you had not built and you dwelt in them, and the vineyards and the olive trees that you had not planted now you eat, and the vineyards and the olive trees that you had not planted, behold, you eat
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I gave you a land whereon thou hadst not laboured, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and olive-yards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he gave you a land on which ye did not labour, and cities which ye did not build, and ye were settled in them; and ye eat of vineyards and oliveyards which ye did not plant.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joshua Reviews Israel's History
12I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow. 13So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

Cross References
Deuteronomy 6:10-11
And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build, / with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied,

Nehemiah 9:25
They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.

Psalm 105:44
He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,

Deuteronomy 8:7-10
For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills; / a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; / a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper. ...

Deuteronomy 11:10-12
For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden. / But the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks in the rain from heaven. / It is a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning to the end of the year.

Exodus 6:8
And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’”

Exodus 23:20-23
Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. / Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him. / But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ...

Deuteronomy 7:1
When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—

Deuteronomy 19:1
When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,

Deuteronomy 31:20
When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant.

John 4:38
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”

Acts 14:17
Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

1 Corinthians 3:6-9
I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. / So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. / He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ...

Hebrews 4:8-10
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. / There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. / For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.


Treasury of Scripture

And I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you built not, and you dwell in them; of the vineyards and olive groves which you planted not do you eat.

And I

Joshua 21:45
There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

cities

Joshua 11:13
But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.

Deuteronomy 6:10-12
And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, …

Deuteronomy 8:7
For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

Jump to Previous
Build Building Built Cities Dwell Eat Eating Hadst Labored Laboured Olive Olive-Gardens Oliveyards Olive-Yards Plant Planted Planting Therein Towns Vine-Gardens Vineyards Whereon Work
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Build Building Built Cities Dwell Eat Eating Hadst Labored Laboured Olive Olive-Gardens Oliveyards Olive-Yards Plant Planted Planting Therein Towns Vine-Gardens Vineyards Whereon Work
Joshua 24
1. Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem
2. A brief history of God's benefits from Terah
14. He renews the covenant between them and God
26. A stone the witness of the covenant
29. Joshua's age, death, and burial
32. Joseph's bones are buried
33. Eleazar dies














So I gave you a land
This phrase highlights God's sovereign provision and grace. The Hebrew root for "gave" is "נָתַן" (natan), which implies a gift freely given, not earned. This reflects the theological concept of grace, where God bestows blessings upon His people not because of their merit but because of His covenantal love and faithfulness. Historically, this land is Canaan, a region promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, fulfilling God's covenantal promise.

on which you did not toil
The word "toil" comes from the Hebrew "יָגַע" (yaga), meaning labor or work. This phrase emphasizes that the Israelites received the land without the labor typically required to cultivate and prepare it. It underscores the divine intervention and miraculous nature of their inheritance, contrasting human effort with divine provision. This serves as a reminder of God's power and the fulfillment of His promises, encouraging believers to trust in His provision.

and cities you did not build
The Hebrew word for "build" is "בָּנָה" (banah). This phrase indicates that the Israelites inherited established cities, a testament to God's provision and the fulfillment of His promises. Archaeologically, evidence of ancient cities in Canaan, such as Jericho and Hazor, supports the biblical narrative of established urban centers. This inheritance without labor signifies God's abundant blessings and serves as a metaphor for the spiritual inheritance believers receive through Christ.

and you live in them
The phrase "live in them" signifies the Israelites' settled life in the Promised Land. The Hebrew root "יָשַׁב" (yashab) means to dwell or inhabit, indicating permanence and stability. This reflects the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham about his descendants possessing the land. Spiritually, it symbolizes the rest and peace believers find in God's promises, encouraging a life of faith and trust in His provision.

You are eating from vineyards and olive groves
The mention of "vineyards and olive groves" highlights the abundance and fertility of the land. Vineyards and olive groves were symbols of prosperity and blessing in ancient Israel. The Hebrew words "כֶּרֶם" (kerem) for vineyard and "זַיִת" (zayit) for olive emphasize the richness of God's provision. This abundance is a direct result of God's promise and serves as a metaphor for the spiritual nourishment and blessings believers receive through a relationship with God.

that you did not plant
The phrase "did not plant" underscores the unearned nature of the blessings the Israelites received. The Hebrew root "נָטַע" (nata) means to plant or establish. This highlights the grace of God in providing for His people beyond their efforts. It serves as a reminder of the spiritual truth that salvation and blessings are gifts from God, not results of human works, aligning with the New Testament teaching of salvation by grace through faith.

Verse 13. - Labour. The word here used is expressive of the fatigue of labour, and is more equivalent to our word toil. The whole passage is suggested by Deuteronomy 6:10.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So I gave
וָאֶתֵּ֨ן (wā·’et·tên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you a land
אֶ֣רֶץ ׀ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

on which
אֲשֶׁ֧ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you did not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

toil
יָגַ֣עְתָּ (yā·ḡa‘·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3021: To gasp, to be exhausted, to tire, to toil

and cities
וְעָרִים֙ (wə·‘ā·rîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

that
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you did not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

build,
בְנִיתֶ֔ם (ḇə·nî·ṯem)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1129: To build

and now you live
וַתֵּשְׁב֖וּ (wat·tê·šə·ḇū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in them
בָּהֶ֑ם (bā·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

and eat
אֹכְלִֽים׃ (’ō·ḵə·lîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

from vineyards
כְּרָמִ֤ים (kə·rā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3754: A garden, vineyard

and olive groves
וְזֵיתִים֙ (wə·zê·ṯîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2132: An olive, the tree, the branch, the berry

that
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you did not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

plant.’
נְטַעְתֶּ֔ם (nə·ṭa‘·tem)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5193: To strike in, fix, to plant


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OT History: Joshua 24:13 I gave you a land whereon you (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 24:12
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