Joshua 18

The Last of the Land Is Divided

1 The entire congregation of the {Israelites} assembled [at] Shiloh, and they set up there the tent of meeting, and the land was subdued before them.

2 And seven tribes remained among the {Israelites} who had not been apportioned their inheritance.

3 And Joshua said to the {Israelites}, "{How long} [will] you be slack about going to take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has given you?

4 Provide three men {from each tribe}, and I will send them so that they may begin to go through the land and write [a description of] it {according to their inheritance}, and let them come to me.

5 They will divide it among themselves into seven portions; {Judah will maintain its border} from [the] south, and {the house of Joseph will maintain its border} from [the] north.

6 Describe the land [in] seven divisions, and bring [it] to me here; I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God.

7 The Levites among you have no portion, for their inheritance [is] the priesthood of Yahweh; Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses Yahweh's servant gave to them."

8 And {the men went immediately}, and Joshua commanded the ones going to describe the land, saying, "Go and walk about through the land, write [a description], and return to me, and here I will cast a lot for you before Yahweh at Shiloh."

9 And the men went and passed through the land, and they {described} the cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp [at] Shiloh,

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}.

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 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [b]. Or "in their presence"
• [c]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [d]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [e]. Literally "Until when"
• [f]. Or "fathers"
• [g]. Literally "according to each tribe"
• [h]. Literally "according to the mouth of their inheritance"
• [i]. Literally "Judah will stand on its border"
• [j]. Literally "the house of Joseph will stand on its border"
• [k]. Literally "the men got up and went"
• [l]. Or "in the presence of"
• [m]. Literally "wrote it"
• [n]. Or "in the presence of"
• [o]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [p]. Literally "according to their allotment"
• [q]. Literally "went out"
• [r]. Or "sons"
• [s]. Or "sons"
• [t]. Literally "the goings out of it were"
• [u]. Literally "against the face of"
• [v]. Literally "the goings out of it were"
• [w]. Or "sons"
• [x]. Or "to the edge"
• [y]. Or "valley of the son of-Hinnom"
• [z]. Hebrew "Jebusite"
• [aa]. A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan Valley
• [ab]. A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan Valley
• [ac]. Literally "the goings out of it were"
• [ad]. That is, the Dead Sea
• [ae]. Or "sons"
• [af]. Or "sons"

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.