Joshua 18

1 And all the sons of Israel were gathered in Shiloh, and there they setted fast the tabernacle of witnessing; and the land was subject to them. (And all the Israelites were gathered in Shiloh, and they set up the Tabernacle of the Witnessing there; and the land was made subject to them.)
2 And (yet) seven lineages of the sons of Israel dwelt there, that had not yet taken their possessions.
3 To the which Joshua said, How long fade ye, or wallow through sloth, and enter not to wield the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given to you?
4 Choose ye (out) of each lineage three men, (so) that I send them, and they go, and compass the land; and that they describe the land by the number of each multitude (and they set the borders of the land, suitable for the number of each multitude), and (then) bring to me that, that ye have described.
5 Part ye the land to you into seven parts (Divide ye up the land among you into seven parts); Judah be in his terms at the south coast, and the house of Joseph at the north;
6 describe ye the middle land betwixt them into seven parts; and then ye shall come to me, that I send lot to you here before your Lord God; (describe ye in writing, or survey, the borders for seven divisions of the land in the middle between them; and then come ye back to me, and I shall cast, or throw, lots for you here before the Lord your God;)
7 for the part of Levites is not among you, but the priesthood of the Lord, this is the heritage of them. For Gad, and Reuben, and the half lineage of Manasseh, have taken now their possession(s) beyond (the) Jordan, at the east coast, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave to them. (and the Levites shall have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, and Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have now taken their possessions on the eastern side of the Jordan River, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them.)
8 And when the men had risen up to go, to describe the land, Joshua commanded to them, and said, Compass ye the land, and describe it, and turn again to me, that I send lot to you here in Shiloh, before your Lord God. (And when the men had risen up to go, to describe in writing, or to survey, the borders of the land, Joshua commanded to them, and said, Go ye around the land, and describe it in writing, and then return to me, and I shall throw lots for you, before the Lord your God, here in Shiloh.)
9 And so they went forth, and compassed that land, and parted it into seven parts, writing it (all) in a book; and they turned again to Joshua, into the tents in Shiloh (and then they returned to Joshua, to the camp at Shiloh).
10 And Joshua sent lots before the Lord God in Shiloh, and he parted the land to the sons of Israel, into seven parts. (And Joshua threw lots before the Lord God in Shiloh, and he divided up the land into seven portions, for the Israelites.)
11 And the first lot of the sons of Benjamin, by their families, went up, that they should wield the land betwixt the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. (And the first lot went out to the sons of Benjamin, by their families, that they should possess the land between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.)
12 And the term of them was against the north from (the) Jordan, and it passed by the side of Jericho at the north coast; and it ascended from thence against the west to the hilly places, and it came to the wilderness of Bethaven; (And their border at the north went out from the Jordan River, and it passed by the northern side of Jericho; and it went up from there to the west to the hill country, and it came to the wilderness of Bethaven;)
13 and it passed beside Luz to the south; that is Bethel; and (then) it goeth down into Atarothaddar, into the hill (country) which is at the south of Lower Bethhoron;
14 and it is bowed, and it compasseth against the sea, at the south of the hill that beholdeth Bethhoron against the north; and the outgoings thereof be into Kiriathbaal, which is called also Kiriathjearim, the city of the sons of Judah; this is the great coast against the sea, at the west. (and then it is turned, and it goeth to the west, southward from the hill country that beholdeth Bethhoron; and its end, or its limit, is Kiriathbaal, which is also called Kiriathjearim, the city of the sons of Judah; this is the western border.)
15 And from the south, by the part of Kiriathjearim, the term goeth out against the sea, and cometh till to the well of (the) waters of Nephtoah; (And in the south, from the edge of Kiriathjearim, the border goeth out toward the west, and cometh unto the well of the waters of Nephtoah;)
16 and it goeth down into the part of the hill that beholdeth the valley of the sons of Hinnom, and it is against the north coast, in the last part of the valley of Rephaim; and Ge Hinnom, that is, the valley of Hinnom, goeth down by the side of Jebusites, at the south, and cometh to the well of Rogel, (and it goeth down to the edge of the hill that beholdeth the Hinnom Valley, north of the Rephaim Valley, and then goeth down the Hinnom Valley, to the south side of the Jebusites, and cometh to Enrogel,)
17 and it passeth to the north, and it goeth out to Enshemesh, that is, the well of the sun, and it passeth unto the little hills that be against the going up of Adummim (and it passeth by Geliloth, that faceth the ascent of Adummim); and it goeth down to Even Bohan, that is, the stone of Bohan, (that was named for) the son of Reuben,
18 and passed by the side of the north to the field places; and it goeth down into the plain, (and passed by the north side of the Arabah; and then it goeth down into the Arabah,)
19 and it passeth forth against the north to Bethhoglah; and the outgoings thereof be against the arm of the saltiest sea, from the north, and the end of (the) Jordan is at the south coast, (and it passeth forth toward the north to Bethhoglah; and its end, or its limit, is at the northern arm of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan River; this is the southern border;)
20 which is the term thereof from the east (the Jordan River is its eastern border). This is the possession of the sons of Benjamin, by their terms in compass, and by their families;
21 and the cities thereof were Jericho and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz (and Emekkeziz),
22 Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,
23 and Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
24 the town of Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities, and the towns of those;
25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
26 and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
27 and Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah,
28 and Zela, Eleph, and Jebus, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kiriath(jearim); fourteen cities, and the towns of those; this is the possession of the sons of Benjamin, by 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.

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.

Joshua 18 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.