Joshua 18

Allotment of the Remaining Land

1 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at ¹Shiloh and set up ²the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.

2 There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned.

3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, ³"How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

4 Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me.

5 They shall divide it into seven portions. ⁴Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, ⁵and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north.

6 And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. ⁶And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

7 ⁷The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage. ⁸And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them."

8 So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, "Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh."

9 So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh,

10 and Joshua ⁹cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, ¹⁰to each his portion.

The Inheritance for Benjamin

11 The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.

12 ¹¹On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. ¹²Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of ¹³Beth-aven.

13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of ¹⁴Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to ¹⁵Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower ¹⁶Beth-horon.

14 Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the ¹⁷western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (¹⁸that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side.

15 And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron,^[a]19to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.

16 Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks ²⁰the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of ²¹Rephaim. And it then goes down the ²²Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to ²³En-rogel.

17 Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to ²⁴the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

18 and passing on to the north of ²⁵the shoulder of Beth-arabah^[b] it goes down to ²⁶the Arabah.

19 Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of ²⁷Beth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of ²⁸the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border.

20 The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were ²⁹Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba--twelve cities with their villages:

25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

28 Zela, Haeleph, ³⁰Jebus^[c] (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah^[d] and Kiriath-jearim^[e]--fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

Joshua 18 Commentary

Chapter 18

The tabernacle set up at Shiloh. (1) The remainder of the land described and divided. (2-10) The boundaries of Benjamin. (11-28)

Verse 1 Shiloh was in the lot of Ephraim, the tribe to which Joshua belonged, and it was proper that the tabernacle should be near the residence of the chief governor. The name of this city is the same as that by which Jacob prophesied of the Messiah, Ge. 49:10 . It is supposed by some that the city was thus called, when it was chosen for the resting-place of the ark, which typified our great Peace-maker, and the way by him to a reconciled God.

Verses 2-10 After a year or more, Joshua blamed their slackness, and told them how to proceed. God, by his grace, has given us a title to a good land, the heavenly Canaan, but we are slack to take possession of it; we enter not into that rest, as we might by faith, and hope, and holy joy. How long shall it be thus with us? How long shall we thus stand in our own light, and forsake our own mercies for lying vanities? Joshua stirs the Israelites up to take possession of their lots. He is ready to do his part, if they will do theirs.

Verses 11-28 The boundaries of each portion were distinctly drawn, and the inheritance of each tribe settled. All contests and selfish claims were prevented by the wise appointment of God, who allotted the hill and the valley, the corn and pasture, the brooks and rivers, the towns and cities. Is the lot of any servant of Christ cast in affliction and sorrow? It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good. Are we in prosperity and peace? It is from above. Be humbled when you compare the gift with your own unworthiness. Forget not Him that gave the good, and always be ready to resign it at his command.

Cross References

• 1. Joshua 19:51; Joshua 21:2; Joshua 22:9, 12
• 2. Joshua 19:51
• 3. [Judges 18:9]
• 4. [Joshua 15:1]
• 5. [Joshua 16:1, 4]
• 6. ver. 10; Joshua 14:2
• 7. See Joshua 13:33
• 8. See Joshua 13:8
• 9. ver. 6
• 10. Joshua 11:23; Joshua 12:7
• 11. [Joshua 16:1]
• 12. ver. 21
• 13. See Joshua 7:2
• 14. See Joshua 16:2
• 15. Joshua 16:5
• 16. Joshua 16:3; See Joshua 10:10
• 17. [Joshua 19:11]
• 18. Joshua 15:9
• 19. [See ver. 14 above]
• 20. See Joshua 15:8
• 21. See Joshua 12:4
• 22. See Joshua 15:8
• 23. See Joshua 15:7
• 24. Joshua 15:6
• 25. Joshua 11:2; Joshua 15:6
• 26. Joshua 11:2; Joshua 15:6
• 27. [See ver. 17 above]
• 28. Joshua 15:2
• 29. ver. 12
• 30. See Joshua 15:8

Footnotes

• [a]. See 15:9; Hebrew westward
• [b]. Septuagint; Hebrew to the shoulder over against the Arabah
• [c]. Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew the Jebusite
• [d]. Hebrew Gibeath
• [e]. Septuagint; Hebrew Kiriath

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 18

This chapter informs us of the setting up of the tabernacle at Shiloh, Jos 18:1; of the notice Joshua took, that seven tribes had not received their inheritance, Jos 18:2; of the instructions he gave them to send three men out of each tribe, and describe the land not yet disposed of, and bring the account to him, which was accordingly done, Jos 18:3-9; and then he cast lots for them, and the first lot came up for Benjamin, Jos 18:10,11; the borders of whose lots are described, Jos 18:12-20; and the several cities in it enumerated, Jos 18:21-28.