1444-1443 B.C.

Joshua 18)

1: And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled together at Shiloh (= tranquility or peace. Cp. Gen.49:10), and set up the tent of the congregation there (Heb. ’ohel. It remained here [Judg. 21:12. 1 Sam. 1:3; 3:3] till the Philistines took the ark [1 Sam. 4:11]. In the days of Sal it was at Nob [of Benjamin, 1 Sam. 21:1; 22:19], and at Gibeon at beginning of Solomon's reign [1 Kings 3:5. 2 Chron. 1:3]. Cp. Ps. 78:60,67,68. Jer. 7:12). And the land was subdued before them.

18:2–19:51. Civil. Uninherited Cities (The Seven Tribes).

B  K  18:2,3. Survey proposed.
    L  18:4-6. Directions.
    L  18:7. Expeditions.
   K  18:8–19:51. Survey executed.

2: And there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
3: And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long are you all slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?

4: Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and walk to and fro in the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.
5: And they shall divide it into seven parts (tracing the boundaries by the ravines, it is said there is some resemblance in outline to the tribal signs, as given in notes on Num. 2): Judah shall abide in their boundary on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their boundary on the north.
6: You all shall therefore map out the land into seven parts, and bring the description (the Fig. Ellipsis may be filled in by saying "the surveys or maps") to this place to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.

7: But 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.”

18:8–19:51. Survey Executed.

K  M  18:8,9. Joshua's survey of land.
    N  18:10. The division by lot.
   M  18:11–19:50. Joshua's allotment of land.
    N  19:51. The division by lot.

8: And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land (see"go" of v. 4), and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.”
9: And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book (see Ex. 17:14), and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.

10: And Joshua cast lots (he directed Eleazar the priest, without whom no lot could be cast. See Ex. 28:30. Num. 26:55) for them in Shiloh before the Lord: and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions (some codices read, "in their portions").

18:11–19:50. Joshua's Allotment.

M  l1  18:11-28. Benjamin.
   l2  19:1-9. Simeon.
   l3  19:10-16. Zebulun.
   l4  19:17-23. Isschar.
   l5  19:24-31. Asher.
   l6  19:32-39. Naphtali.
   l7  19:40-48. Dan.
   l8  19:49,50. Joshua.

11: And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin (Heb. = son of the right hand, fortunate) came up according to their families: and the boundary of their lot came forth (i.e. from the bag containing the Urim and Thummim) between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.
12: And their border on the north side was from Jordan (= the descender); and the border went up to the side of Jericho (= place of fragrance) on the north side, and went up through the hill country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven (house of nothingness).
13: And the border went over from that place toward Luz (= almond tree), to the side of Luz, which is Bethel (house of El [God]), southward; and the border descended to Ataroth-adar (= crowns of high), near the hill that lies on the south side of the lower Beth-horon (house of caverns).
14: And the border was drawn from that place, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lies before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-baal (= city of lord [small "l"]), which is Kirjath-jearim (= city of forests), a city of the sons of Judah (= praised, celebrated): this was the west quarter.
15: And 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 (= opening):
16: And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom (= lamentation), and which is in the valley of the giants (Heb. Rephaim. See Num. 13:22. Deut. 1:28. Gen. 6:2,4) on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi (= from threshing-floor) on the south, and descended to En-rogel (= fount of the fuller),
17: And was drawn from the north, and went forth to En-shemesh (= fountain of the sun), and went forth toward Geliloth (= circuit), which is over against the going up of Adummim (= the goin up to), and descended to the stone of Bohan (= thumb) the son of Reuben (= behold a son),
18: And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward (= burnt up. See Deut.1:1), and went down to Arabah:
19: And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah (partridge-house) 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.
20: And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the boundaries thereof round about, according to their families.
21: Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz (= cut off),
22: And Beth-arabah (= house of the desert), and Zemaraim (= double fleece of wool), and Bethel,
23: And Avim (= ruins), and Parah (= heifer-town), and Ophrah (= fawn),
24: And Chephar-haammonai (= hamlet of the dwellers on the summits, mountaineers), and Ophni (= mouldy), and Gaba (= a hill); twelve cities with their villages:
25: Gibeon (= hill city), and Ramah (= a hill), and Beeroth (= wells),
26: And Mizpeh (= a watch-tower), and Chephirah (= the hamlet), and Mozah (= fountain),
27: And Rekem (= variegation), and Irpeel (= El [God] heals), and Taralah (= reeling),
28: And Zelah (= a rib), Eleph (= the ox), and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem (= the habitation of peace), Gibeath (= a hill), and Kirjath (= a city); fourteen (#14 = deliverance or salvation) cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.

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