Joshua 18:3-13

3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, ¹"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. ²Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, ³and 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. ⁴And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

7 ⁵The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage. ⁶And 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 ⁷cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, ⁸to 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 ⁹On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. ¹⁰Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of ¹¹Beth-aven.

13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of ¹²Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to ¹³Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower ¹⁴Beth-horon.

Joshua 18:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Cross References

• 1. [Judges 18:9]
• 2. [Joshua 15:1]
• 3. [Joshua 16:1, 4]
• 4. ver. 10; Joshua 14:2
• 5. See Joshua 13:33
• 6. See Joshua 13:8
• 7. ver. 6
• 8. Joshua 11:23; Joshua 12:7
• 9. [Joshua 16:1]
• 10. ver. 21
• 11. See Joshua 7:2
• 12. See Joshua 16:2
• 13. Joshua 16:5
• 14. Joshua 16:3; See Joshua 10:10