Joshua 18
The Tabernacle at Shiloh and Land Survey
1The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The land was subdued before them.
2Seven tribes remained among the children of Israel, which had not yet divided their inheritance.
3Joshua said to the children of Israel, “How long will you neglect to go in to possess the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?
4Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe. I will send them, and they shall arise, walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; then they shall come to me.
5They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall live in his borders on the south, and the house of Joseph shall live in their borders on the north.
6You shall survey the land into seven parts, and bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
7However, the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”
8The men arose and went. Joshua commanded those who went to survey the land, saying, “Go walk through the land, survey it, and come again to me. I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.”
9The men went and passed through the land, and surveyed it by cities into seven portions in a book. They came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.
10Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. There Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
The Territory of Benjamin
11The lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families. The border of their lot went out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
12Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.
13The border passed along from there to Luz, to the side of Luz (also called Bethel), southward. The border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies on the south of Beth Horon the lower.
14The border extended, and turned around on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lies before Beth Horon southward; and ended at Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a city of the children of Judah. This was the west quarter.
15The south quarter was from the farthest part of Kiriath Jearim. The border went out westward, and went out to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.
16The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En Rogel.
17It extended northward, went out at En Shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. It went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
18It passed along to the side opposite the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah.
19The border passed along to the side of Beth Hoglah northward; and the border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border.
20The Jordan was its border on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the borders around it, according to their families.
21Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
22Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24Chephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages.
25Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,
27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28Zelah, Eleph, the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
Joshua establishes the Tabernacle at Shiloh and addresses seven tribes who have not yet received their territorial inheritance. He commissions surveyors to map the remaining land into seven portions, which are then distributed by casting lots before the LORD. The chapter details Benjamin's territorial boundaries, strategically positioned between the powerful tribes of Judah and Joseph, including significant cities like Jericho and areas near Jerusalem.
Context
This chapter marks the transition from conquest to settlement, following the initial territorial distributions in chapters 13-17 and preceding the completion of land allocation in chapters 19-21.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2Assembly at ShilohIsrael gathers at Shiloh to establish the Tabernacle, with seven tribes still lacking their inheritance.
- 3-7Joshua's Challenge and Survey CommissionJoshua rebukes the tribes' delay and commissions surveyors to map the remaining land into seven portions.
- 8-10Land Survey and Lot CastingThe surveyors complete their work and Joshua distributes the territories by casting lots before the LORD.
- 11-28Benjamin's Territorial BoundariesDetailed description of Benjamin's inheritance, located strategically between Judah and Joseph's territories.
The Tabernacle at Shiloh and Land Survey
18:1–18:10The Israelites set up the Tabernacle at Shiloh, and Joshua organizes a survey of the remaining land to be divided among seven tribes. The passage emphasizes the systematic distribution of the Promised Land through divine lots.
person_contrast
Joshua's rebuke in verse 3 marks the only instance where he directly challenges Israel's passivity, contrasting sharply with his typical role as military commander.
The Territory of Benjamin
18:11–18:28Detailed description of the territorial boundaries allocated to the tribe of Benjamin, positioned between Judah and Joseph's tribes. The passage provides specific geographical markers defining Benjamin's inheritance.
person_contrast
Benjamin's territory uniquely bridges the dominant tribes of Judah and Joseph, positioning this smallest tribe as the geographical hinge between Israel's two most powerful lineages.
Joshua 18:1
Leviticus 8:4lexicalMoses did as the LORD commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 8:3lexicaland assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
Numbers 16:19lexicalKorah assembled all the congregation opposite them to the door of the Tent of Meeting. The LORD’s glory appeared to all…
Numbers 8:9lexicalYou shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of I…
Joshua 22:12lexicalWhen the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together a…
Joshua 18:5
Joshua 15:8lexicalThe border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and…
Joshua 15:7lexicalThe border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that faces the ascent of…
Joshua 17:9lexicalThe border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of…
Joshua 17:10lexicalSouthward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border. They reached to Asher on the no…
Joshua 18:7
Joshua 22:11lexicalThe children of Israel heard this, “Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse…
Joshua 20:8lexicalBeyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ra…
Joshua 22:10lexicalWhen they came to the region near the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of…
Joshua 22:21lexicalThen the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of t…
Joshua 22:9lexicalThe children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children o…
Joshua 18:9
Joshua 24:26lexicalJoshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak tha…
Exodus 17:14lexicalThe LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly…
Joshua 18:11
Joshua 21:4lexicalThe lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. The children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had thir…
Joshua 15:1lexicalThe lot for the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families was to the border of Edom, even to the wilder…
Joshua 17:1lexicalThis was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh,…
Joshua 19:40lexicalThe seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.
Joshua 21:5lexicalThe rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, out of the tribe o…
Joshua 18:12
Joshua 15:11lexicaland the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount…
Joshua 15:5lexicalThe east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the…
Joshua 17:9lexicalThe border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of…
Numbers 34:12lexicalThe border shall go down to the Jordan, and end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders around…
Ezekiel 47:15lexical“This shall be the border of the land: “On the north side, from the great sea, by the way of Hethlon, to the entrance of…
Joshua 18:13
Joshua 16:3lexicaland it went down westward to the border of the Japhletites, to the border of Beth Horon the lower, and on to Gezer; and…
Joshua 16:5lexicalThis was the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families. The border of their inheritance eastward was…
Joshua 16:2lexicalIt went out from Bethel to Luz, and passed along to the border of the Archites to Ataroth;
Joshua 15:8lexicalThe border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and…
Ezekiel 47:1lexicalHe brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, waters flowed out from under the threshold of the temple eastw…
Joshua 18:14
Joshua 15:11lexicaland the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount…
Numbers 34:4lexicalYour border shall turn about southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass along to Zin; and it shall pass southward of…
Joshua 17:9lexicalThe border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of…
Joshua 15:4lexicaland it passed along to Azmon, went out at the brook of Egypt; and the border ended at the sea. This shall be your south…
Numbers 34:5lexicalThe border shall turn about from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and it shall end at the sea.
Joshua 18:15
Joshua 15:9lexicalThe border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of…
Numbers 34:3lexicalthen your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be fr…
Joshua 15:5lexicalThe east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the…
Ezekiel 48:1lexical“Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar E…
Ezekiel 48:28lexical“By the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh…
Joshua 18:16
Joshua 15:8lexicalThe border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and…
Joshua 15:7lexicalThe border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that faces the ascent of…
Joshua 15:10lexicaland the border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim (also calle…
Joshua 17:9lexicalThe border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of…
2 Samuel 23:13lexicalThree of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of…
Joshua 18:17
Joshua 15:7lexicalThe border went up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that faces the ascent of…
Joshua 15:6lexicalThe border went up to Beth Hoglah, and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah; and the border went up to the stone of…
Joshua 18:19
Joshua 15:5lexicalThe east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the…
Joshua 15:2lexicalTheir south border was from the uttermost part of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looks southward;
Joshua 15:8lexicalThe border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and…
Numbers 34:3lexicalthen your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the side of Edom, and your south border shall be fr…
Numbers 34:12lexicalThe border shall go down to the Jordan, and end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders around…
Joshua 18:20
Numbers 34:12lexicalThe border shall go down to the Jordan, and end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders around…
Joshua 15:5lexicalThe east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. The border of the north quarter was from the bay of the…
Numbers 34:15lexicalThe two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunr…
Joshua 13:23lexicalThe border of the children of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben acco…
Joshua 18:28
Joshua 19:8lexicaland all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the t…
Joshua 19:48lexicalThis is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their village…
Joshua 19:31lexicalThis is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villa…
Joshua 19:39lexicalThis is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their vill…
Joshua 19:23lexicalThis is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their vill…
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