Joshua 18:12

12 Their northern border began at the Jordan and went up to the slope of Jericho on [the] north and continued into the hill country to the west; {it ends} at the wilderness of Beth Aven.

Joshua 18:12 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 18:12

And their border on the north side was from Jordan
Which was the eastern boundary of the tribe, and hence proceeded from east to west, and formed its northern border, which is described in like manner as the lot of the children of Joseph, ( Joshua 16:1 Joshua 16:2 ) ;

and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side;
from Jordan it went to the north of Jericho, and so took in that place, which was within the tribe of Benjamin, ( Joshua 18:21 ) ;

and went up through the mountains westward;
the mountains that were on the north of Jericho; for, as Strabo says ^F9, Jericho was surrounded with mountains, see ( Joshua 2:16 Joshua 2:22 ) ; through these mountains the coast went on towards the western border of the tribe:

and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven:
a place near Bethel and Ai, to which there was a wilderness adjoining, see ( Joshua 7:2 ) ( 8:20 ) ; here ended the northern border.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 Geograph. l. 16. p. 525.

Joshua 18:12 In-Context

10 and Joshua cast a lot for them at Shiloh before Yahweh, and there he divided the land for the {Israelites}, {to each a portion}.

11 And the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the border of their allotment fell between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph.

12 Their northern border began at the Jordan and went up to the slope of Jericho on [the] north and continued into the hill country to the west; {it ends} at the wilderness of Beth Aven.

13 The border passes [on] from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz to the south (that [is], Bethel); then the border goes down to Ataroth Addar to the mountain that is south of Lower Beth-Horon.

14 Then the border changes direction and turns to the western side southward, from the mountain that {is opposite} Beth-Horon to the south. {It ends} at Kiriath Baal (that [is], Kiriath Jearim), a town belonging to the descendants of Judah. This [is the] western side.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "the goings out of it were"