Joshua 18:1-10

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}.

Joshua 18:1-10 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 "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"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.