Joshua18
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there: and the land was subdued before them.
2And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet divided their inheritance.
3And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, hath given you?
4Appoint for you three men of each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall arise, and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come unto me.
5And they shall divide it into seven portions: Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north.
6And ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God.
7For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance: and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.
8And the men arose, and went: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiloh.
9And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven portions in a book; and they came to Joshua unto the camp at Shiloh.
10And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
11And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
12And their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven.
13And the border passed along from thence to Luz, to the side of Luz (the same is Beth-el), southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, by the mountain that lieth on the south of Beth-horon the nether.
14And the border extended thence, and turned about on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kiriath-baal (the same is Kiriath-jearim), a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.
15And the south quarter was from the uttermost part of Kiriath-jearim; and the border went out westward, and went out to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah;
16and the border went down to the uttermost part of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the vale of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel;
17and it extended northward, and went out at En-shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim; and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben;
18and it passed along to the side over against the Arabah northward, and went down unto the Arabah;
19and the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the goings out of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this was the south border.
20And the Jordan was the border of it on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders thereof round about, according to their families.
21Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz,
22and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el,
23and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
24and Chephar-ammoni, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages:
25Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
26and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
27and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
28and Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite (the same is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Joshua 18.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The tabernacle set up at Shiloh. (1). The remainder of the land described and divided. (2–10). The boundaries of Benjamin. (11–28).
v1
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.
vv2-10
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.
vv11-28
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.
Key Words
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
עֵדָה: a stated assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family or crowd)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
קָהַל: to convoke
שִׁילֹה: Shiloh, a place in Palestine
שָׁכַן: to reside or permanently stay (literally or figuratively)
אֹהֶל: a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)
מוֹעֵד: properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally ayear; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand)
אֶרֶץ: the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
Cross References
Joshua 18Benjamin's lot fell safely between Joseph and Judah, fulfilling Moses' blessing.
Supported by JFB
The choice of Shiloh fulfilled God's command to establish a place for His name.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jeremiah recalls how God set His name at Shiloh at the first, warning of judgment.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The name Shiloh connects to Jacob's Messianic prophecy of peace and gathering.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Shiloh remained the center of Israel's worship for over 300 years until Samuel's day.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Detailed description of the Valley of Hinnom, tracing the exact same boundary with Judah.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Asaph laments how God eventually forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Uses the same Hebrew term to upbraid the people for being slack to possess land.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Confirms the Levites have no land inheritance, as the Lord's priesthood is their portion.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Jerusalem was allotted to Benjamin, but they could not drive out the Jebusites.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Establishes the south and north boundaries with Judah and Joseph respectively.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Expresses the theology of the lot being entirely disposed by the Lord before His presence.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
The final conclusion of dividing the land by lot in Shiloh before the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB