Joshua 18KJV
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Joshua18

King James Version · Public Domain

1And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

2And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

3And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?

4Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.

5And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.

6Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.

7But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.

8And the men arose, and went away: 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, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.

9And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.

10And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord: 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 coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

12And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth–aven.

13And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Beth–el, southward; and the border descended to Ataroth–adar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Beth–horon.

14And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth–horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath–baal, which is Kirjath–jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

15And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjath–jearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:

16And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to En–rogel,

17And was drawn from the north, and went forth to En–shemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

18And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:

19And the border passed along to the side of Beth–hoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.

20And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts 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 the valley of Keziz,

22And Beth–arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth–el,

23And Avim, 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 Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeah, and Kirjath; 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.

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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.

Cross References

Joshua 18
v11Deuteronomy 33:12fulfillment

Benjamin'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

v1Genesis 49:10typology

The name Shiloh connects to Jacob's Messianic prophecy of peace and gathering.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v11 Samuel 1:3thematic

Shiloh remained the center of Israel's worship for over 300 years until Samuel's day.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v16Joshua 15:8thematic

Detailed description of the Valley of Hinnom, tracing the exact same boundary with Judah.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v1Psalms 78:60thematic

Asaph laments how God eventually forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v3Judges 18:9thematic

Uses the same Hebrew term to upbraid the people for being slack to possess land.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v7Joshua 13:14thematic

Confirms the Levites have no land inheritance, as the Lord's priesthood is their portion.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v28Judges 1:21contrast

Jerusalem was allotted to Benjamin, but they could not drive out the Jebusites.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v5Joshua 15:1-12thematic

Establishes the south and north boundaries with Judah and Joseph respectively.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB

v10Proverbs 16:33thematic

Expresses the theology of the lot being entirely disposed by the Lord before His presence.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB

v10Joshua 19:51thematic

The final conclusion of dividing the land by lot in Shiloh before the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB