Joshua 18:11-28

The Allotment of Benjamin

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.
15 [The] southern side [begins] on the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim, and the border continues to the west to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah;
16 the border goes down to the foot of the mountain, which [is] opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which [is] in the valley of Rephaim to the north; then it does down the valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites to the south, and then it goes down [to] En Rogel.
17 It changes direction from [the] north, and it continues [to] En Shemesh; it goes out to Geliloth, which [is] opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it goes down [to] the stone of Bohan, son of Reuben.
18 It passes [on] to the slope opposite the Arabah to the north, and it goes down to the Arabah.
19 The border passes [on] to the slope of Beth-hoglah to the north and {ends} at the north bay of the Salt Sea at the south end of the Jordan. This is the southern border.
20 The Jordan forms its border on the eastern side. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, its borders that surrounds [them], according to their families.
21 Now the towns of the tribes of the descendants of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek Keziz,
22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities and their villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26 Mizpeh, Kephirah, Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that [is], Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath; fourteen cities and their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin according to their families.

Joshua 18:11-28 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.

Footnotes 16

  • [a]. Literally "went out"
  • [b]. Or "sons"
  • [c]. Or "sons"
  • [d]. Literally "the goings out of it were"
  • [e]. Literally "against the face of"
  • [f]. Literally "the goings out of it were"
  • [g]. Or "sons"
  • [h]. Or "to the edge"
  • [i]. Or "valley of the son of-Hinnom"
  • [j]. Hebrew "Jebusite"
  • [k]. A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan Valley
  • [l]. A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan Valley
  • [m]. Literally "the goings out of it were"
  • [n]. That is, the Dead Sea
  • [o]. Or "sons"
  • [p]. Or "sons"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.